The Health Effects of Cannabis - Informed Opinions

Enter any bar or public place and canvass opinions on cannabis and there will be a different opinion for each person canvassed. Some opinions will be well-informed from respectable sources while others will be just formed upon no basis at all. To be sure, research and conclusions based on the research is difficult given the long history of illegality. Nevertheless, there is a groundswell of opinion that cannabis is good and should be legalised. Many States in America and Australia have taken the path to legalise cannabis. Other countries are either following suit or considering options. So what is the position now? Is it good or not?

The National Academy of Sciences published a 487 page report this year (NAP Report) on the current state of evidence for the subject matter. Many government grants supported the work of the committee, an eminent collection of 16 professors. They were supported by 15 academic reviewers and some 700 relevant publications considered. Thus the report is seen as state of the art on medical as well as recreational use. This article draws heavily on this resource.
The term cannabis is used loosely here to represent cannabis and marijuana, the latter being sourced from a different part of the plant. More than 100 chemical compounds are found in cannabis, each potentially offering differing benefits or risk.
CLINICAL INDICATIONS
A person who is "stoned" on smoking cannabis might experience a euphoric state where time is irrelevant, music and colours take on a greater significance and the person might acquire the "nibblies", wanting to eat sweet and fatty foods. This is often associated with impaired motor skills and perception. When high blood concentrations are achieved, paranoid thoughts, hallucinations and panic attacks may characterize his "trip".

PURITY
In the vernacular, cannabis is often characterized as "good shit" and "bad shit", alluding to widespread contamination practice. The contaminants may come from soil quality (eg pesticides & heavy metals) or added subsequently. Sometimes particles of lead or tiny beads of glass augment the weight sold.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
A random selection of therapeutic effects appears here in context of their evidence status. Some of the effects will be shown as beneficial, while others carry risk. Some effects are barely distinguished from the placebos of the research.

• Cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy is inconclusive on account of insufficient evidence.
• Nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy can be ameliorated by oral cannabis.
• A reduction in the severity of pain in patients with chronic pain is a likely outcome for the use of cannabis.
• Spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients was reported as improvements in symptoms.
• Increase in appetite and decrease in weight loss in HIV/ADS patients has been shown in limited evidence.
• According to limited evidence cannabis is ineffective in the treatment of glaucoma.
• On the basis of limited evidence, cannabis is effective in the treatment of Tourette syndrome.
• Post-traumatic disorder has been helped by cannabis in a single reported trial.
• Limited statistical evidence points to better outcomes for traumatic brain injury.
• There is insufficient evidence to claim that cannabis can help Parkinson's disease.
• Limited evidence dashed hopes that cannabis could help improve the symptoms of dementia sufferers.
• Limited statistical evidence can be found to support an association between smoking cannabis and heart attack.
• On the basis of limited evidence cannabis is ineffective to treat depression
• The evidence for reduced risk of metabolic issues (diabetes etc) is limited and statistical.
• Social anxiety disorders can be helped by cannabis, although the evidence is limited. Asthma and cannabis use is not well supported by the evidence either for or against.
• Post-traumatic disorder has been helped by cannabis in a single reported trial.
• A conclusion that cannabis can help schizophrenia sufferers cannot be supported or refuted on the basis of the limited nature of the evidence.
• There is moderate evidence that better short-term sleep outcomes for disturbed sleep individuals.
• Pregnancy and smoking cannabis are correlated with reduced birth weight of the infant.
• The evidence for stroke caused by cannabis use is limited and statistical.
• Addiction to cannabis and gateway issues are complex, taking into account many variables that are beyond the scope of this article. These issues are fully discussed in the NAP report.

CANCERThe NAP report highlights the following findings on the issue of cancer:

• The evidence suggests that smoking cannabis does not increase the risk for certain cancers (i.e., lung, head and neck) in adults.
• There is modest evidence that cannabis use is associated with one subtype of testicular cancer.
• There is minimal evidence that parental cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with greater cancer risk in offspring.

RESPIRATORY DISEASEThe NAP report highlights the following findings on the issue of respiratory diseases:

• Smoking cannabis on a regular basis is associated with chronic cough and phlegm production.
• Quitting cannabis smoking is likely to reduce chronic cough and phlegm production.
• It is unclear whether cannabis use is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma, or worsened lung function.

IMMUNE SYSTEMThe NAP report highlights the following findings on the issue of the human immune system:

• There exists a paucity of data on the effects of cannabis or cannabinoid-based therapeutics on the human immune system.
• There is insufficient data to draw overarching conclusions concerning the effects of cannabis smoke or cannabinoids on immune competence.
• There is limited evidence to suggest that regular exposure to cannabis smoke may have anti-inflammatory activity.
• There is insufficient evidence to support or refute a statistical association between cannabis or cannabinoid use and adverse effects on immune status in individuals with HIV.

MORTALITYThe NAP report highlights the following findings on the issue of the increased risk of death or injury:

• Cannabis use prior to driving increases the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident.
• In states where cannabis use is legal, there is increased risk of unintentional cannabis overdose injuries among children.
• It is unclear whether and how cannabis use is associated with all-cause mortality or with occupational injury.

BRAIN FUNCTIONThe NAP report highlights the following findings on the issue of cognitive performance and mental health:

• Recent cannabis use impairs the performance in cognitive domains of learning, memory, and attention. Recent use may be defined as cannabis use within 24 hours of evaluation.
• A limited number of studies suggest that there are impairments in cognitive domains of learning, memory, and attention in individuals who have stopped smoking cannabis.
• Cannabis use during adolescence is related to impairments in subsequent academic achievement and education, employment and income, and social relationships and social roles.
• Cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk.
• In individuals with schizophrenia and other psychoses, a history of cannabis use may be linked to better performance on learning and memory tasks.
• Cannabis use does not appear to increase the likelihood of developing depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
• For individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorders, near daily cannabis use may be linked to greater symptoms of bipolar disorder than for nonusers.
• Heavy cannabis users are more likely to report thoughts of suicide than are nonusers.
• Regular cannabis use is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.

It must be reasonably clear from the foregoing that cannabis is not the magic bullet for all health issues that some good-intentioned but ill-advised advocates of cannabis would have us believe. Yet the product offers much hope. Solid research can help to clarify the issues. The NAP report is a solid step in the right direction. Unfortunately, there are still many barriers to researching this amazing drug. In time the benefits and risks will be more fully understood. Confidence in the product will increase and many of the barriers, social and academic, will fall by the wayside.

http://www.facebook.com/Wellness-Wear-612983345564444/
After about 6 years of buying women's wear from China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia we found a need to ensure supply is according to the following:
• No child labour
• No Azo dyes that cause cancer
• No harsh processing chemicals that hurt the environment.
• Fabric from renewable sources
• Natural fire retardant fabric
We went a little further, and asked ourselves the question:
What can we add to our range of clothing that enhances wellness in the wearer?
We came up with some surprising answers. Watch this space.
diana-ware and Wellness-Wear

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr_Edward_Brell_PhD/752275

Toro Men's 3 Pairs of Marijuana Weed Leaf Printed Socks

• You will receive a random assortment of 3 different pairs of socks
• Full length, soft and plush material
• One Size - fits men's shoe sizes 7-12
• 95% Polyester, 5% Spandex

VIPARSPECTRA 1200W LED Grow Light

  Hi Power LED Full Spectrum Grow Lights quickly becoming the norm for indoor medical marijuana cultivation

The Cannabis Encyclodia

The Use of High-Cannabidiol Cannabis Extracts to Treat Epilepsy and Other Diseases

There has been a dramatic rise in news attention to medicinal cannabis in 2013, with reports on CNN, ABC, CBS, and local publications about high-cannabidiol cannabis oil effectively controlling the symptoms of rare epileptic conditions like Dravet syndrome, Doose syndrome, infantile spasms, cortical dysplasia, and more. These diseases can cause hundreds to thousands of seizures a week, while also impairing development in a number of other ways. For families with children suffering from such conditions, the challenges are overwhelming. Due to the extremely complex nature of Dravet and related syndromes, traditional pharmaceuticals are ineffective and often make the problems worse. With no other hope, families have turned to high-CBD cannabis oil, which is proving to work with miraculous efficacy.
To clarify, high-CBD cannabis oil is non-psychoactive and apparently even more beneficial than high-THC cannabis oil. Cannabidiol is another cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, like the more well-known psychoactive cannabinoid THC, with significant research suggesting neuroprotectant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-ischemic, antispasmodic, antipsychotic, and antibacterial properties, among others. Furthermore, cannabis oil is a type of extract from cannabis. Such oil contains large amounts of concentrated cannabinoids that can be orally ingested rather than smoked, preserving the medicinal compounds and allowing them to be delivered through digestive system, rather than the respiratory system.
The research suggests that CBD has panacea-like properties, and in practice, this is proving to be the case. On August 11th, 2013, Sanjay Gupta released a documentary on CNN about Charlotte Figi. Charlotte is a young Dravet syndrome patient who was having 300 grand mal seizures a week. No pharmaceuticals or dietary changes could do anything to reduce this number. Charlotte's parents learned about high-CBD cannabis oil, and after literally the first dose, Charlotte's seizures stopped. She now has less than three minor seizures a month. This case is nothing short of miraculous, and it's not isolated. Dr. Margaret Gedde, a Colorado Springs physician, is tracking 11 new patients of the Stanely brothers, the providers of Charlotte's high-CBD medicine. 9 of them have had 90-100% reductions in seizures, which again, is simply miraculous.
The epileptic conditions that CBD is proving to be effective against are extremely complex, and not even the most powerful, well researched pharmaceuticals have been capable of inducing any healing. Yet high-CBD cannabis oil is immediately and potently reducing symptoms, with the only side effects being systemically beneficial - more energy, better learning, improved behavior, and more.
It should not be surprising that results like these have been going on for years. Just like research shows cannabinoids are therapeutically effective against epilepsy, there is research suggesting they can eliminate cancers and control other serious diseases. And in practice, for epilepsy and these other conditions, the results are translating to humans. People have been reliably eliminating cancers for years and mitigating diseases like diabetes, Crohn's, fibromyalgia, heart disease, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and more. This is as serious as it gets, and more attention must be brought to this issue.

As you can see, the use of medicinal cannabis is extremely important. This isn't about alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy or improving appetite - this is about putting serious diseases into remission, eliminating cancer in humans, and improving all aspects of human health. To see the scientific and experiential evidence supporting this, including medical documentation of terminal cancer patients now in remission, visit CannabisExtractReport.com. You can also view on the report on Kindle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Justin_Kander/56395

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8142665

Medical Marijuana For ADHD

By Katherine Ellison

At the Peace in Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol, the wares on display include dried marijuana - featuring brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Daddy and Train Wreck - and medicinal cookies arrayed below a sign saying, "Keep Out of Reach of Your Mother."
Several Bay Area doctors who recommend medical marijuana for their patients said in recent interviews that their client base had expanded to include teenagers with psychiatric conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
"It's not everybody's medicine, but for some, it can make a profound difference," said Valerie Corral, a founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a patients' collective in Santa Cruz that has two dozen minors as registered clients.
Because California does not require doctors to report cases involving medical marijuana, no reliable data exist for how many minors have been authorized to receive it. But Dr. Jean Talleyrand, who founded MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 clinics who authorize patients to use the drug, said his staff members had treated as many as 50 patients ages 14 to 18 who had A.D.H.D. Bay Area doctors have been at the forefront of the fierce debate about medical marijuana, winning tolerance for people with grave illnesses like terminal cancer and AIDS. Yet as these doctors use their discretion more liberally, such support - even here - may be harder to muster, especially when it comes to using marijuana to treat adolescents with A.D.H.D.
"How many ways can one say 'one of the worst ideas of all time?' " asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley. He cited studies showing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, disrupts attention, memory and concentration - functions already compromised in people with the attention-deficit disorder.
Advocates are just as adamant, though they are in a distinct minority. "It's safer than aspirin," Dr. Talleyrand said. He and other marijuana advocates maintain that it is also safer than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the stimulant prescription drug most often used to treat A.D.H.D. That drug has documented potential side effects including insomnia, depression, facial tics and stunted growth.
In 1996, voters approved a ballot proposition making California the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Twelve other states have followed suit - allowing cannabis for several specified, serious conditions including cancer and AIDS - but only California adds the grab-bag phrase "for any other illness for which marijuana provides relief."
This has left those doctors willing to "recommend" cannabis - in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of medical marijuana, they cannot legally prescribe it - with leeway that some use to a daring degree. "You can get it for a backache," said Keith Stroup, the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Nonetheless, expanding its use among young people is controversial even among doctors who authorize medical marijuana.
Gene Schoenfeld, a doctor in Sausalito, said, "I wouldn't do it for anyone under 21, unless they have a life-threatening problem such as cancer or AIDS."
Dr. Schoenfeld added, "It's detrimental to adolescents who chronically use it, and if it's being used medically, that implies chronic use."
Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said she was particularly worried about the risk of dependency - a risk she said was already high among adolescents and people with attention-deficit disorder.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, however, patients and doctors have been reporting that marijuana helps alleviate some of the symptoms, particularly the anxiety and anger that so often accompany A.D.H.D. The disorder has been diagnosed in more than 4.5 million children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers have linked the use of marijuana by adolescents to increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia for people genetically predisposed to those illnesses. However, one 2008 report in the journal Schizophrenia Research suggested that the incidence of mental health problems among adolescents with the disorder who used marijuana was lower than that of nonusers.
Marijuana is "a godsend" for some people with A.D.H.D., said Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who has written several books on the disorder. However, Dr. Hallowell said he discourages his patients from using it, both because it is - mostly - illegal, and because his observations show that "it can lead to a syndrome in which all the person wants to do all day is get stoned, and they do nothing else."
Until the age of 18, patients requesting medical marijuana must be accompanied to the doctor's appointment and to the dispensaries by a parent or authorized caregiver. Some doctors interviewed said they suspected that in at least some cases, parents were accompanying their children primarily with the hope that medical authorization would allow the adolescents to avoid buying drugs on the street.
A recent University of Michigan study found that more than 40 percent of high school students had tried marijuana.
"I don't have a problem with that, as long as we can have our medical conversation," Dr. Talleyrand said, adding that patients must have medical records to be seen by his doctors.
The Medical Board of California began investigating Dr. Talleyrand in the spring, said a board spokeswoman, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV report detailed questionable practices at MediCann clinics, which, the report said, had grossed at least $10 million in five years.
Dr. Talleyrand and his staff members are not alone in being willing to recommend marijuana for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido said he was questioned by the medical board but ultimately not disciplined after he authorized marijuana for a 16-year-old boy with A.D.H.D. who had tried Ritalin unsuccessfully and was racking up a record of minor arrests.
Within a year of the new treatment, he said, the boy was getting better grades and was even elected president of his special-education class. "He was telling his mother: 'My brain works. I can think,' " Dr. Lucido said.
"With any medication, you weigh the benefits against the risks," he added.
Even so, MediCann patients who receive the authorization must sign a form listing possible downsides of marijuana use, including "mental slowness," memory problems, nervousness, confusion, "increased talkativeness," rapid heartbeat, difficulty in completing complex tasks and hunger. "Some patients can become dependent on marijuana," the form also warns.
The White House's recent signals of more federal tolerance for state medical marijuana laws - which pointedly excluded sales to minors - reignited the debate over medical marijuana.
Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard University, suggest that medical marijuana's stigma has less to do with questions of clinical efficacy and more to do with its association, in popular culture, with illicit pleasure and addiction.
Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Assembly, argue for more oversight in general. "The marijuana is a lot more powerful these days than when we were growing up, and too much is being dispensed for nonmedical reasons," he said in an interview last week, bluntly adding, "Any children being given medical marijuana is unacceptable."
As advocates of increased acceptance try to win support, they may find their serious arguments compromised by the dispensaries' playful atmosphere.
OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Web site advertisement listing the "medible of the week" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a gift box with a ribbon. OrganiCann also offers a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for customers with a valid student ID.

Katherine Ellison is a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and author, most recently, of "Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention," to be published by Hyperion this fall. http://www.katherineellison.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_Ellison

This Grow Tent Is Perfect For Your Indoor Grows And Hydroponic Systems

LST Training For Maximum Yield Of Your Cannabis Plant

1. Now it's time to aquire some plants be it seedling or the use of clones. when your plant develops 3 to 4 leaf nodes, Some people like to use up to 5, I don't

because the further you go the thicker the branches become making it harder to manipulate the main stem without breaking it.

2. There is a few different ways to bend and manuver your plant, I like to use a metal coat hanger cut down to approximatly 4" long and bend the end into a U

Gently bending the main stock and holding in shape. Place the U shape metal stake so the U hooks over the inner-node in between the last section of water leaves (fan-leaf).

3. Now its time to sit back and watch the magic start to happen, watch and abserve how the leaves of you plant start to lift and gravitate to the light this process start to happen right away, and usually in about 3 to 4 hours with my 300w full spectrum LED the leafs stand tall again.

4. veg time now you have to wait until you get a new leafs or node section you'll begin to see a lots of side branching because of the good light penetration. pay attention to how your side branches lift to the light also.

5. Your pot size will determine if you have to transplant or not. I like starting off with the pots that I am growing in for the simple fact that once I start to stake and form the plant, I don't want to un stake and tie to re-stake and tie in a new pot. A good ideal is to plan how you want to stake your plant to get the desired growth you want. For my particular grow I like to use 8 to 10" pots they fit well in my garden.

6. Now you see your new leaf set has formed and is long enough to continue bending its time to start shaping by bending in horizontal circle spiraling from the center of the pot until you have fill the pot. by this time you will be seeing lots and lots of side branches that start stand vertical as they grow in. (Not a bad time to start LST, FIM, and Topping techniques to greatly multiply your yields). The object is to get light to as many colas heads as possible.

7. From here on out follow and repeat steps 4 through 6 keep tying down until you get the results your looking for. Its up to you to choose how you like to tie your plant down and what you use to tie down your plant is your preference. Dare to be adventurous and develop an awesome growing style that works for you.

8. Now you should be pretty happy with your results by this time, now what you do is continue tying down all the new growth filling in all the empty spots


inside your pot while making a (JOG) Jungle Of Green. Now at this point in time you should be removing any fan leave that are in the center of your pot to allow for great light penetration and opportunity for more bud colas and less fan leaves.

LST Using String

9. Now you have used all your space its time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor and be amazed by your flowering plant. Instead of having just one collas like a conventional weed plant you now have the opportunity using theses advance grow techniques to have as many collas as you want the more the better.

10. That's it, now its time to turn your plants, set your timer to a 12/12 light cycle and watch your master piece flower bloom, Happy 420.

This Is How you Grow A 1 Pound + Marijuana Plant

 

This video explains different training techniques designed to help multiply your yield from 100% - 200%. Using these simple techniques you will end up with way more colas than the conventional cannabis plant.

Exprience The New Way To Grow Your Medical Marijuana

Diamond LED Grow Light - DS200 - 100x3w - 300w - 11-band - 2112 PAR

Now with the new LED,s Cultivating your medical marijuana just became very affordable for everyone. Experience stronger and greener growth with a full spectrum Led.

This grow light can be used for the cloning, veg and flowering cycle. These lights are very bright and produce very little heat, allowing you to place light closer to your plants for maximum light penetration.

Also you will greatly reduce your electric bill. These lights are perfect for the small grow rooms utilizing the Scrog, JOG, and SOG grow styles.

NEW Arizer V Tower EXTREME Vaporizer ~ SALE!!! CHEAP!!!

The Extreme Vaporizer by Arizer is a dual-function direct-inhale or balloon style vaporizer. Simply use whichever mode you prefer. A 3 ft. whip and a balloon apparatus are included. Use it as a potpourri warmer, an essential oil diffuser, or an aromatherapy device. The Extreme also incorporates a 3-speed fan, which allows to use to select their favorite speed. Last, but not least, the Extreme is the only vaporizer to date that comes with a remote.

Includes
- 1 Remote Control
- 2 Balloons
- 1 mini whip for balloons
- 1 three foot whip
- 2 extra Interchangeable Mouthpieces
- Potpourri Dish
- 2 Cyclone Bowls
- 1 Glass Stirring Tool
- Extra Screens
- Instructions
Price: $269.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

Medical Properties Of Medical Marijuana

The chemical components of Medical Marijuana, referred to as cannabinoids, play a major role in the realm of medicine known as CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). Medical Marijuana, also know as Medical Cannabis, has been employed for a wide array of medicinal uses for many centuries for its pharmacological effects on the CNS (Central Nervous System) and the immune system. Its anticancer properties and its ability to help the body cope with the side-effects of cancer as well as the treatment process through the activation of specific receptors throughout the body were discovered quite recently.
The non-psychtropic and modifying cannabinoid that has a number of different medical properties called Cannabidiol comprises 75% of the total cannabinoids content in a few rare strains of cannabis. This modifying cannabinoid called Cannabinol has low psychoactive properties. It is known to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC by degenerating it. Its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic, and antioxidant properties are well-known.
The cannabinoid, Cannabigerol that is found in Cannabis, particularly its medical marijuana and hemp varieties is the precursor form of other cannabinoids like THC and CBD. It is a bone stimulant with antibacterial and anti-proliferative properties.
Tetrahydrocannabivarin is found in cannabis along with THC. This psychoactive cannabinoid has numerous medical benefits in THC, which include decreased appetite and as the dosage gets larger, it is known to oppose the medicinal properties of THC. There are a number of THCV-based pharmaceuticals that are currently undergoing human trials to address the problems of obesity and Type II diabetes.
Akin to Tetrahydrocannabivarin is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid, Cannabichromene that is usually found in cannabis and it also known to have a few medical properties. It is renowned for its anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, antimicrobial, analgesic properties, also stimulates the growth of bones and constricts blood vessels.
One of the principal psychoactive cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana is Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC that occurs naturally as THC-A, its acidic form and is not absorbed readily by the body in its naturally occurring state. When heated, THC-A undergoes decarboxylation to a readily absorbable from that has a number of different medical benefits.
Both Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol have anxiolytic, antispasmodic, anti-proliferative anticancer, anti-inflammatory, neuro-protective, antiemetic, and neuropathic analgesic properties. In addition, Cannabidiol is also a bone-stimulant and immunosuppressant with antibacterial, antipsychotic, antiepileptic, anti-ischemic, anti diabetic, anti psoriatic, and vasorelaxation properties while the antioxidant Tetrahydrocannabinol stimulates appetite, reduces the intraocular eye pressure, promotes the growth of new nerve tissue, also protects nerves from damage.



Colorado is one of the states that has legalized Medical Marijuana for use as a medicine. For more information visit the website of Kind Love Medical Marijuana Dispensary located in Denver, CO. You can submit your questions about Medical Marijuana to an MMJ expert at the Kind Love Dispensary http://www.mmjdenver.net.

The Safety of FDA Approved Drugs Vs Alternative Medicine

Research conducted on the safety of medical cannabis vs. the safety of 17 drugs that were approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) based on the number of deaths caused showed that medical cannabis was the secondary suspect in 279 deaths as against 1,679 deaths where FDA-approved drugs were the secondary suspect.

While medical marijuana or MMJ was never reported as the primary suspect, the total number of cases in which the 17 FDA-approved drugs seemed to be the culprit was as high as 10,008. All the statistics and data were collected over a period of 8 years from January 1, 1997 to June 30th, 2005. The total number of death recorded in this period that were caused due to medical marijuana was astonishingly low (279) when compared with those caused by the FDA-approved drugs (11,687).

Of the 17 FDA-approved drugs that were chosen for this study, twelve of them were selected as they are commonly prescribed instead of medical marijuana. The other five FDA-approved drugs were randomly chosen as these are widely recognized and used by the general public. These 17 drugs included a mix of anti-emetics (drugs that are used to treat vomiting), antispasmodics (drugs that are used to treat muscle spasms), antipsychotics (drugs that are used to tract psychosis), and other popular drugs that are commonly used for treating Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), depression, narcolepsy, erectile dysfunction, and pain.

The number of deaths recorded due to the use of each drug was manually counted as the information supplied by the FDA included all the adverse events of which only a portion included deaths. A copy of the adverse events, these being defined as incidents where the use of drugs of any dosage including medical devices such as in vitro diagnostics or medical food, infant formula, dietary supplements, and other special nutritional products are suspected to have triggered an adverse outcome in a patient was also submitted.

The information was collected from five printed reports and 12 CDs with copies of the AERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) report for each and every drug that was a part of this study. A review of these AERS reports supplied by the FDA revealed that there were some deaths where medical marijuana was also a used at the time of death. This lead to more investigation regarding the use of medical cannabis, and cannabinoids as concomitant drugs in reported deaths.

Discover the benefits of medical marijuana at Denver, CO Medical Cannabis Dispensary Kind Love website. Get answers to your Medical Marijuana questions from a MMJ expert at the Denver Dispensary Kind Love website.

Storz & Bickel VOLCANO Vaporizer CLASSIC with SOLID VALVE Set

The VOLCANO CLASSIC with SOLID VALVE is hand crafted in Germany and comes with a three-year manufacturer's warranty. The VOLCANO CLASSIC is known for its robust and purely electromechanical design. This product comes with the patented Valve Balloon into which the vapor generated is pumped. The SOLID VALVE is easy to handle and requires minimal maintenance work.
Price:

Click here to buy from Amazon

Clinical Proof Supports Users Claims That THC Kills Cancer

In 1974, researchers at the Medical College of Virginia were given funding by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the immune system. Working on the assumption that they would find evidence to support the NIH's contention that THC damaged the immune system, the researchers discovered instead that the compound was shrinking tumors in the mice they were using for their tests. This was the first known study that showed that THC was possibly the cancer breakthrough the world was looking for.
The Virginia study was abruptly cut short by the FDA and the results of were suppressed. It wasn't until 1998 that a research group led by Dr. Manuel Guzman at Complutense University, Spain discovered the same thing. This time, they were able to complete their study and publish their results. The study concluded that THC shrank tumors through an anti-angiogenesis action. Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels. Cancer cells require a blood supply in order to grow and spread. THC prevented the growth of blood vessels and thus destroyed the tumors.
In addition, they discovered that THC worked directly on the cancer by modulating key signal pathways and inducing cell death. For reasons that are still obscure, cancer cells grow into tumors because they are "programmed" for immortality. Unlike normal, healthy cells, they do not receive signals to die after they have divided and replicated. THC somehow repaired that deficit and induced cell death. As a result, the tumors shrank.
A later study, headed by Maria Salazar, also of Complutense University, came to the same conclusions. This study emphasized the ability of THC to induce autophagy. The literal translation of autophagy is "self eat." In the biological sciences, it refers to a phenomenon whereby cells digest themselves and die. Cancer researchers have been studying autophagy for decades, because this is how normal cells die, but cancer cells are not programmed to go through this process. Instead, they continue to divide and live. This is why cancer ultimately spreads so quickly: the tumor grows exponentially as cells divide.
There have been other clinical studies as well. In every case, THC is proven to be an effective treatment for cancer. If it weren't for the taboo against the psychoactive effects of cannabis, it is likely that it would already be in widespread use as a cure for cancer. Even though decades of research have debunked the theory that cannabis, when used medicinally, leads to addiction, criminal behavior or mental illness, the authorities continue to dig in their heels and it remains a Schedule 1 restricted substance.
There are signs of change, though. Increasing numbers of clinical studies are being undertaken and medical marijuana is being legally used in many U.S. states as a palliative. The more that people use it therapeutically, the more they discover about its remarkable value as a medicine. Perhaps the scales are about to tip and cancer sufferers will have access to the one proven cure for cancer without having to resort to breaking the law. There is a natural treatment for cancer. Come see for yourself.



You don't have to poison your body with chemo and radiation. Visit our site to learn about an alternative, natural and holistic approach to the treatment of cancer.

DIGITAL FUJI VAPORIZER

The Brand NEW Digital Fuji Digit Herbal Vaporizer has a LARGE fully customized Digital temperature LED display which immediately and precisely informs the user the status of the session reporting the desired and actual operating temperature. The temperature on the Digital Fuji Digit Vaporizer ranges between 104 and 446 degrees F, with temperature accuracy and built in air filtration system makes the Digital Fuji Digit herbal Vaporizer the choice to be ahead of the game in the Vaporizer Revolution! The main distinguishing feature of the Fuji Classic and Digit herbal vaporizer is the valve balloon into which the generated vapor is pumped. After the valve balloon is filled it can be completely detached and independently from the vaporizer so the content may be inhaled at ease, both comfortably and safely. Comes with a shapely, brushed metal core. Care was taken to use tasteless materials that are food safe. Both, the high performance heating cartridge and the strong diaphragm pump can withstand the toughest of strains. An independent temperature fuse, air filter and silencer are naturally included in all our Fuji herbal vaporizer as a specially designed aluminum heating block, which brings the air both cleanly and reliably to the desired temperature. Precision electronic air temperature control and reliability previously unreachable in competing products have given the Digital Fuji Digit Vaporizer System setting the precedent among experts as the most technologically advanced professional herbal vaporizer available in the World today. The Digital Volcano Digit Vaporizer can be used as an herbal vaporizer as a safer alternative to smoking. And with 3 to 4 times efficiency of greater delivery of active ingredients when compared with smoking, an investment in the Digital Fuji Digit Vaporizer pays for itself in the shortest amount of possible time.
Price: $449.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

The Debate Over Medical Marijuana is Still Smoking

The debate over the pros and cons of medical marijuana has lingered about as a long as the cannabis plant has been in existence. It is estimated that the plant has been used for treatment purposes for close to 5,000 years in various countries and cultures worldwide. In the United States, trying to keep track of marijuana laws and regulations is much like watching a professional table tennis match: the ball never stops moving around the table.
Proponents of the legal use of cannabis for medicinal purposes claim that it can provide relief for those suffering from serious chronic conditions like glaucoma and the nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy treatments. States that have legalized medicinal marijuana use have up to 15 conditions that are considered appropriate for its use. Medical problems where cannabis is thought helpful for symptom relief include AIDS, migraines and Multiple Sclerosis.
Those who oppose the use of marijuana for therapeutic or medicinal reasons list several reasons. First and foremost, it is still classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal laws. Drugs classified as Schedule 1 include heroin and LSD and as such, are deemed to have no medical value. Opponents also believe that for every ailment that medical cannabis may aid, there are legal FDA approved products available that do the same.
Countless medical and scientific studies have been conducted on medical marijuana. Here again physicians and scientists are divided regarding whether or not this drug has true medical value. Many believe that cannabis should be available as an alternative to those suffering from serious medical issues who do not respond well to pharmaceutical options. On the con side, marijuana does contain a number of chemicals beyond THC and everyone is familiar with the dangers of smoking when it comes to cardiopulmonary issues.
More Americans seem to be amenable to legalizing medicinal marijuana. A random phone poll of 1,000 adults conducted in April 2010 by the Associated Press/CNBC showed 60% favoring legal possession when medically approved. Twelve percent were neutral and 28% opposed any type of legal pot possession. The Washington Post/ ABC News did a similar poll with the same number of respondents. The question was if doctors should or should not be permitted to prescribe marijuana for their patients. Only 18% opposed doctors writing prescriptions for cannabis while 81% believed they should be allowed to do so.
Recently, the federal Veterans Affairs Department issued a directive that surprised many. Service men and women who are treated at VA hospitals and outpatient facilities will be allowed to use medical marijuana in the 14 US states where it is currently legal. While the regulation does not give VA doctors authorization to prescribe the drug, it does allow clinics in the 14 states to continue the use of marijuana in the case of veterans who already were using it. While the issue continues to be hotly debated, it does appear that legalizing marijuana for some medical uses is quietly gaining support nationwide.



For more information on another product that can help consumers, check out the automatic pill dispenser, click on the following link: http://www.automatic-pill-dispenser.net.

Medical Marijuana: A Real Hot Potato

Imagine walking into your office one morning and finding out that your credit card services had been terminated overnight. They were cut off not for lack of payment and not for being involved in an illegal business, but rather they were cut off for indeterminate "unacceptable business practices." This is a reality facing many owners of medical marijuana dispensaries who get "creative" with their applications; and if you fabricated your application it can be a legitimate termination - but that isn't always the case.
Left Without Service
The story above isn't uncommon. It happened recently to Alternative Medical Choice, Inc., a consultation service based in Oregon. What does AMC do that got them in trouble with their service provider Intuit? AMC is a business which offers consultations with doctors for the approval of medical cannabis use under Oregon law. Even though the clinic does not dispense or distribute medical cannabis, it has lost its services.
Intuit states that they terminated services because AMC did not reveal its involvement with medical marijuana. When further questioned about terminating some 3000 other accounts they hold with clinics offering the same services, they stated that they would not be terminating those accounts because they didn't feature medical cannabis on their web pages. AMC offered to remove the reference, but Intuit won't reestablish the account because "now we know."
PayPal, the online payment service, has also terminated accounts associated with medical marijuana consultation references.
DEA, FDA, IOM and Other Alphabet Soup
Part of the problem businesses face stems from the question of whether or not marijuana is actually medicinal. The DEA and the US government hold the position that smoking marijuana has no medical value. The American Cancer Society, the AMA and the AAP all agree that smoking is not an optimal way in which to gain any benefits, if they exist. Alternate methods of ingestion are being investigated.
Even the large Institute of Medicine study frequently cited by proponents of medicinal marijuana actually opposes the use of smoked marijuana for medical benefits. The study found that there were some "potentially therapeutic" benefits to cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, but that other available medications offered better results. The lack of standardization, the method of dosage and other factors all lead to the IOM rejecting the idea of more studies.
Where Do We Go Next?
Just like many other hot potatoes, few people want to handle this one. For those who have opened dispensaries, the challenges involved in obtaining traditional financing, accounts and services have sometimes become overwhelming. For others who remain in the business, alternatives are available.
While selling cannabis online remains illegal, the Internet is a good place to search for companies willing and even eager to enter the market. By searching specifically for merchant account providers familiar with the risks involved in legal medical marijuana sales, entrepreneurs can find the services they require without obfuscation.
With 15 states and the District of Columbia already de-criminalizing the sale of marijuana products for medicinal purposes it is likely that the issue will come to a head soon. Some states, such as California, are planning to charge dispensaries sales tax on all of their transactions - leaving such a cash cow alone when state coffers are stripped bare is unimaginable. The question remains: how will the federal government respond to the move?
Is it About Money or Perception?
It is easy to imagine the government moving in either direction.
Cannabis remains illegal in most of the world, and possession is considered a capital offense in many countries. The US government is unlikely to want global opinion to be so effected. On the other hand, the taxes provided by legalizing an already flourishing industry could reach $2-6 billion.
Unfortunately for merchants, there is no conclusive argument at this time. Obtaining business services will remain difficult and sudden terminations likely until all government agencies, state, local and federal are on the same page.



Michael Rupkalvis owns the Transaction group. The Transaction Group offers medical marijuana merchant accounts and other credit card merchant account solutions for all types of businesses.

Conspiracy Or Not, The Banning of Medical THC is Killing Millions

The United States government launched a highly successful anti-marijuana campaign back in the 1930's that led to the end of the hemp industry and the outlawing of medical marijuana. Since then, people opposed to the prohibition have asked why they did it. Most point their fingers at Big Business, particularly the pharmaceutical industry and other industries that were threatened by the hemp paper and textile industries. Others dismiss these critics as wild "conspiracy nuts." The fact is, it doesn't really matter why THC is illegal. What matters is the fact that millions of people needlessly suffer and die every year because they cannot make use of the safest and most effective proven cure for cancer the world has ever known: THC.
The Paper Industry Conspiracy Theory
Back in 1930, the U.S. government formed the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). The FBN instigated America's first "War on Drugs." Between 1930 and 1934, the bureau, under Harry Anslinger's leadership, focused its efforts on opiates. Then, for inexplicable reasons, it targeted marijuana, a substance the American public knew best as a medicinal herb and had no previous history of widespread abuse or addiction.
Helped by funding by business giants William Randolph Hearst and the Dupont Chemical Corporation, the FBN launched a major anti-marijuana propaganda campaign. The Hearst newspaper group printed lurid stories about hideous crimes that were being committed by crazed marijuana addicts. Suddenly, a previously disinterested public was in a panic over the evils of marijuana. The success of this campaign led to the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and hemp was no longer a threat to Hearst's pulp mills or Dupont's patented chemicals that are vital in the manufacture of paper from trees.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Conspiracy Theory
The case against "Big Pharma" is so exhaustive one cannot encapsulate it in a few words. The enshrining of synthetic drugs as mankind's only hope for medical salvation goes back to the Flexner Report of 1908, when the report's author, Abraham Flexner, advocated stricter criteria for entry into medical schools. While an argument can be put forward that this was a sincere attempt to improve medical training, Flexner was openly contemptuous of practitioners of plant based "folk medicine" and after his recommendations were accepted, all colleges and universities that taught traditional medicine were either closed or dropped it from their curriculum. By 1935, the number of medical schools in the United States was half what it was at the turn of the century. Today, all of the remaining schools depend on the pharmaceutical industry for their funding. As a result, the only kind of medicine a physician learns today is medicine that benefits the pharmaceutical industry and it is illegal for a physician to administer or even recommend alternative, plant based treatments for any disorder.
It would be nice to think that everyone in the medical establishment was working together for the public good, but the evidence overwhelmingly shows that our welfare is the least of their concerns. One glaring example of this is the 1974 study conducted by researchers at the Medical College of Virginia. When they discovered that THC was shrinking tumors in their laboratory mice, the FDA responded by shutting down their National Institute of Health funded program and suppressing the release of the clinical data. The NIH, in turn, responded by cutting off their funding, because they failed in their mission to find evidence that THC damaged the immune system.
The news that naturally extracted THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, cured cancer was so disturbing that President Nixon signed a law in 1976 prohibiting any researchers outside of the pharmaceutical industry from studying the medical benefits of cannabis. In the thirty years since then, these companies have concentrated their efforts on finding ways to make a synthetic THC that does not produce a "high" while they continue to market expensive and deadly chemical treatments for cancer.
The Theory of Evolution was not entirely Charles Darwin's discovery. Other scientists had been discussing it for centuries behind closed doors because they risked persecution if they publicly put forward their theories. Darwin just happened to come along at a time in history when the power of the church was on the wane. Today, those who have discovered that THC, a natural cancer treatment, is the world's safest and most effective treatment for cancer and its only known cure are fighting the same kinds of medieval prejudices evolutionary scientists faced in earlier centuries. Hopefully, one day we will all be laughing at the ignorance of the High Priests of medicine who have been working so hard to keep the truth from us for so long. In the meantime, though, over 1500 people in the United States continue to die from cancer each and every day.



You don't have to poison your body with chemo and radiation. Visit our site to learn about an alternative, natural and holistic approach to the treatment of cancer.