Medical marijuana may help prevent and/or treat cancer

[pnwmom]

according to research sited by Bernie Ellis in his interview at Democrats for Progress.

http://www.democratsforprogress.com/

SNIP

First, research has shown that components in cannabis not only reduce nausea and pain in cancer patients and increase their appetites but they may also play a powerful role in preventing cancer from occurring in the first place and serve as a powerful chemotherapeutic agent to reduce and eliminate cancer once it develops.

The recent large-scale case-control studies of Tashkin et al at UCLA and Kelsey et al at Brown University have shown that using cannabis not only does not cause head, neck and lung cancers, but that its use appears to reduce the risk of these cancers, even among people who concurrently smoke tobacco.

This research finding caused Dr. Tashkin (once a major voice for marijuana prohibition) to reverse his position completely and favor marijuana legalization now.

In addition, research from Spain, Israel and other countries have shown that cannabinoids exert a powerful chemotherapeutic effect in killing cancer cells in at least six major cancer cell types, including gliomas, a virulent type of brain cancer that has resisted successful treatment to date.

SNIP

_______________________________________________________

According to Ellis, recent research has also showed medical marijuana may slow or relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, Lou Gehrigs, and auto-immune diseases.

[aquart]

1. Is medical marijuana different from other marijuana?

[originalpckelly]

2. Yes and no.

There are tons of strains of the marijuana plant now, each with varying levels of the various psychoactive chemicals in them.

I imagine that there are probably some strains that are used in the medicinal stuff that might be different from what's floating around out there on the streets illegally.

They really need to legalize the shit, because its be fun to mess around with it, even though I can't smoke any myself.

[robdogbucky]

9. "even though I can't smoke any myself..."

So you don't have to. Aside from vaporizing, which is not smoking, look at the variety of edible, rub-able, drink-able, etc., delivery systems now available:


Peanut Butter Cookies, Ginger Snaps, Yak Greenies, Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Cow Pies, Kronik Krispy, etc.

Yak Mocha-Juana, Hak Haute Chocolate, Yak Fudge, etc.

Chocopotomus (3 kinds of chocolate, cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, cannabis buds, vanilla beans, soy lecithin)

Shaman Healers Cakes, On The Rise Potent Gingerbread, TH Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, etc.

Gelato in flavors of Mint Chocolate Chip, Chai, Strawberry, Vanilla Chocolate Chip, Coffee Cappuccino Chip, et.

Raspberry Streusel, Maple Nut Caramel Bags, Toffee Bars, Granola Bars, etc.

Tricome Lozenges, Wild Flower Honey, Butterscotch PotCorn, Lemon Dream Bar, etc.

Coco-Caps, Cannabis Tincuter Vegetable Glycerin, Apple Cider Menstruum, Natural Relief Topical Cannabis Spray, Sweet Almond Oil, etc.

Doc Green's Lotion, Cannabis Salve, Cannabis Lip Balm, Mystic Herbal Body Care Lotions and Soaps

Herb Butter, etc.


Questions?

[originalpckelly]

65. As in I cannot inject it, as it raises the risk of developing schizophrenia...

as in I have a 1st degree relative with schizophrenia and I don't need to make my 1 in 10 chance any worse.

[GillesDeleuze]

70. correlation not causation:

1. People with mental illness tend to self-prescribe.
2. Schizophrenia is related to tertiary protein misfolding, not getting ripped on a fairly harmless drug.

just an fyi.

[pnwmom]

84. Maybe so, but I wouldn't want to take a chance of raising those odds, either. n/t

[wildbilln864]

58. the curing compound in MJ....

THC is in all strains of MJ. More concentrated in the Cannabis Indica than in Sativa or Ruderalis. Obviously the higher the content of THC the more potent the cancer cure would be IMHOOC.

[GillesDeleuze]

72. That and

Sativas tend to help with neurological issues, indica for long term pain management and palliative care.

[wildbilln864]

78. ok, thanks!

hadn't heard that. Was under the impression that the sativa were mainly just good for their long fibers to use in industry and there was very little THC content. The Indica's had the hight THC contents. :shrug:

[pnwmom]

5. I'm no expert, aquart, and I know nothing about the specific

marijuana they used in these studies. But marijuana used off the street can vary widely in potency and also contain contaminants. I'm guessing that marijuana used in research is controlled for consistency -- but others can answer that better than I.

[robdogbucky]

20. "and also contain contaminants..."

The only instance of this in my experience was the DEA spraying paraquat in Mexico on crops destined for the US.


Once again, US on the wrong side of history.


Seems like a trend


Do you happen to have a link to any other such reports of "contaminants," by anyone other than our own good ol' USA?


Really, this gets tired.




Hands off my Social Security!
Hands off Latin America!


rdb

[pnwmom]

23. Easy to find such links with google.

For example:

http://hightimes.com/news/ht_admin/1447


Herbal cannabis on sale in the UK is now suffering widespread contamination. Analysis shows it to be small glass beads 50 - 120 micron in diameter. Sources suggest that this contaminant is industrial etchant spray used for glass frosting, a high pressure aerosol consisting of propellant, lubricant and silicate abrasives. This product has been identified as a likely candidate.

SNIP

At first, the contamination was thought to be fairly benign with something inert being added simply to increase the weight of the deal, making the cannabis more expensive but otherwise not posing a danger. As time went past however, it became clear there was a potential danger which may be of great significance for the health of the user.

Photo's of the contaminated bud seemed to show some kind of glass fragments.

SNIP

This contamination is a direct result of the policy of prohibition and the danger it represents is in addition to any danger that may exist from using pure cannabis. It is a very graphic illustration of how the policy of prohibition not only increases the dangers associate with illegal drugs but also creates dangers of its own.

_____________________________________________

There can also be microbiological contaminants, including bacteria, molds, and pesticides.

Here's another example of a link:

http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha01205.html

Microbiological contaminants of marijuana

J. M. McPartland

Vermont Alternative Medicine, 53 Washington Street, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA.

McPartland, J.M., 1994. Microbiological contaminants of marijuana. Journal of the International Hemp Association 1: 41-44.

Use of marijuana as a medicament is on the rise. Many medical marijuana users have a suppressed immune system, owing to their disease or treatment. Herbal marijuana, whether field grown or hydroponically cultivated, contains many microorganisms. Many of these organisms may pose a threat to immunosuppressed individuals. The microflora of marijuana is well described in the literature. Similarly, the microflora that cause opportunistic infections in AIDS patients is well documented. These separate literatures are correlated with commentary, and methods for detecting and eliminating microbial contaminants are discussed.

SNIP

[robdogbucky]

26. OK, duly noted

You list one instance in UK of a dishonest operation trying to increase the weight. Extent of said problem? This one instance?

One speculative article that lists that some folks with suppressed immune systems may react poorly to some of the naturally occuring organisms in cannabis. Like someone out there is allergic to everything, no?

Really, this is all you found? No, I didn't google to see. Just sayin that seems like pretty slim evidence of any real problem. I know from a lifetime's experience of buying and growing, smoking and otherwise consuming cannabis that there is no negligible problem with this fast-growing weed as cultivated and sold domestically in the US. Only those rare instances of like what you found in UK, fraud in marketing, that occur in all human ventures. Rare anomaly I would surmize, not a tangible danger on any large scale.

You are relying on these two isolated instances to prove the point?

Compare to quantifiable poisons like glues and salt peter and sugars inserted into commercial tobacco cigarettes for example, not to mention that many of the additives raise the temp of the smoke that is inhaled with these products, or the fiberglass that is in some filters, that really do kill hundreds of thousands every year. Fact.

Paraquat remains the biggest threat ever to cannabis crops consumed in the US and it was applied by the DEA outside of this country.


Hands off my Social Security!
Hands off Latin America!


rdb

[pnwmom]

27. This isn't all I found. There were thousands of hits and I took the first 2.

But this is common sense. Marijuana is a biological. OF COURSE there will be bacterial and mold contaminants, and OF COURSE sick people will be more susceptible to damage.

It doesn't say anything against marijuana to put marijuana in the same category as other plants. We read about food contamination practically every day. This is nothing different.

[robdogbucky]

34. I just searched with 2 different search engines and

one is efficient and does not drill, does not duplicate much, is more reliable than Google I have found over the years. Then I also searched using Google.

Know what? These are multiple reproductions in various forms of those same two stories you referenced, the European contamination story (man, Viagra and glass beads in commerc pot in Amsterdam, Germany, UK, France? That's bloody awful!) told over and over again in blogs by bloggers and then the second instance as you cited in one of your original excerpts herein consists of speculation articles that are all a "review of the literature," pieces about whatever gets into plants under cultivation like various components in various fertilizers along with some naturally occurring substances in the plants. Seems every cannabis collective and dispensary felt it necessary to warn patients that may have allergies or immune system problems with said substances. Those are your thousands of hits, the same two stories over and over again and again on different web pages.

I looked and these were the only two stories, told in different venues, by different organizations (one of those proudly is the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Center of AU) some pro and some anti-reefer, all with the same admonitions re: naturally occurring contaminants. Some people may have a problem with some substances in the pot. No facts, all speculation based on review of the literature. Dozens of hits on Google of eight different reviews of the literature coming up with the same speculative conclusions.

Deliberate contamination in Europe and speculation about immuno-reactions by some patients.

There were no factual occurrences listed for the immuno-deficient victims and if there were you would think we would have heard about them with the way the tone of some of this literature seems to want to scare people.

Again, the most dangerous contamination that ever occurred to pot sold and consumed in the US was applied by the DEA outside of this country. That is not in Europe, that is not speculation without any case histories to back up such hyperbolic speculation.

Tell you what, it (this rampant speculation you have cited as evidence of some menace within weed) would not hold up in a legal argument, as it lacks facts. Go smoke in Europe if you want to.


Hands off my Social Security!
Hands off Latin America!


rdb

[pnwmom]

45. Just use common sense then. Marijuana is a plant. Plants get contaminated

every day. And different individual plants of the same species have different levels of vitamins, minerals -- and psychoactive substances. This isn't rocket science.

How many times have you heard about a salmonella outbreak or some other outbreak because of some microbiological contaminant? Most of the time bacteria and mold don't cause symptoms in healthy people. But they give medical marijuana to some of the sickest people, so of course the best thing would be to process the weed so it is as healthy as possible. Why does this idea disturb you so much?

[robdogbucky]

71. Yoohoo, pnwmom,

The idea does not disturb me so much, but nice try. Do you always resort to such ridiculous strawmen such as "...why does this idea disturb you so much?" when your "argument," is shot down? You are not dealing with a child so don't resort to such transparent psychological ruses. You get corrected and I'm the one disturbed? I just don't want the good people reading DU to be misled or mis-informed. Why do you not address the issue I have presented? The fact that the most damaging contamination of domestic cannabis here in the US was by the DEA in foreign countries. This fact has not changed and no amount of hyperbole or misrepresentation can change that. Maybe you have never heard of it or simply choose to ignore it?

Admit it, the "problems," you tried to promote with hypberbole and maybe just a little bit of misrepresentation are almost non-existent in the US. The two same stories (Limited European dealer contamination and speculative articles citing the literature) over and over is "thousands of hits..." ??????? This is quite simply fraudulent misrepresentation. At some point one might ask what is your agenda?

As others have no doubt concluded there is no such extensive danger evidenced by facts, only hyperbole and speculation on the "naturally occurring," threat. The other "problem," of additives in Europe I won't even address. It was miniscule and local to begin with and only the internet echo chamber made it seem a greater problem. Just as a side note, we are talking about the US, we are talking about medical marijuana users. It's a bitch having your so-called evidence disproved as hype, eh?

Do you know how the product is produced that is currently sold, let's say, in California at medical marijuana dispensaries? Do you know how experienced in what they do and how careful the collectives are that select, cultivate, grow, test and then manicure and weigh in increments for sale, this medicine? In very controlled conditions. There are no microbiological contaminants that have shown up in any fashion that has done any damage. I know, I visit dispensaries, I have seen the growing operations that the collectives use that supply those California dispensaries. I know how consciencious they are and these growers can detect the most minute amount of mold for example during the growing process and in the rare occurrence of that happening, the plants are destroyed or the mold is eliminated. No big deal because it happens so rarely. These plants are so closely monitored for their general health while growing, we should all wish our other agricultural products that we consume in mass quantities would have such quality control.

"...every day. And different individual plants of the same species have different levels of vitamins, minerals -- and psychoactive substances. This isn't rocket science.

How many times have you heard about a salmonella outbreak or some other outbreak because of some microbiological contaminant? Most of the time bacteria and mold don't cause symptoms in healthy people. But they give medical marijuana to some of the sickest people, so of course the best thing would be to process the weed so it is as healthy as possible. Why does this idea disturb you so much?"


My goodness! I now have to turn the proverbial rhetorical table on you and ask, "Why does this non-existent threat concern you so much that you go to such extravagent lengths to mislead with this disingenuous info?" Ever heard of yelling "fire," in a crowded theater? You know what? Our government is the biggest threat to cannabis in this country. Not some airy-fairy Euro dealer trying to stretch his ducets through fraud or the near non-existent problem of contaminants to unsuspecting immuno-depressed users. Any case studies you can cite with any evidence? Are dozens of disabled people showing up in ERs every day with life-threatening reactions to their cannabis intake? Why don't you go try to scare some drunks, eh?

Everything you wrote in the passage is speculation and bunk. You don't know me or my life experience, or my knowledge of the growing collectives that serve the California medical cannabis dispensaries. "Just use common sense then..." I am using it and I have used it and when I do, I come up with, well my direct experience. I have only seen a couple of instances of mold, one where they got rid of it in a small operation back in the '80s that was hydroponic, computer monitored and automatically fed and watered and circulated. By circulated I am referring to the ventilation system that all operations have in order to, wait for it, discourage mold. Guess what? It works. Most importantly though, once this almost sterilized product is finally mature and dry enough to evaluate, it is manicured, nothing is added, and it is tested for THC and other useful cannabinoids. It is then given a rating based on those results. It is rocket science and it isn't. The people that are the best at this have been doing it for 30+ years and they are the true ground-breakers in achieving uncontaminated, consistently potent, cosmetically appealing, product.

Is is too much to ask for you to use common sense? What is your agenda?

I recently read a funny book by Jim Lynch, "Border Songs," and it is a very funny and true to life story whose story line involves growers, some users and plenty of locals not involved to add to a story that evolves around the Canadian growers's scene and its effects on life along the US/Canadian border. Robdog sez check it out.


Hands off my Social Security!
Hands off Latin America!


rdb

[pnwmom]

77. In this thread, I was talking about the marijuana purchased "off the street."

(See the first post in this thread, to which you responded.)

Why are you arguing with me about the quality of the marijuana in "medical marijuana dispensaries"? Surely you're not arguing that marijuana off the street is as safe for patients as that coming from the dispensaries.

[robdogbucky]

82. Yes, I would argue that

And moreso, seeing as how "but others can answer that better than I..." as you did write above herein, I will attempt to do so.

Let's just think of the laws of marketing here, okay? If such a problem cropped up (excuse me I couldn't resist that pun)of alleged contamination that actually harmed some consumer (let's forget that the original post was about cancer patients, mkay?) DON'T YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE THE NEWS? DON'T YOU THINK WE WOULD HAVE HEARD OF SUCH DEVASTATION TO CONSUMERS? DON'T YOU THINK THEY WOULD HUNT THE MARKETERS OF YOUR FICTIONAL CANNABIS DOWN? I digress. You are the modern version of Reefer Madness.

Where are the cases of marijuana contamination(okay I will fall for your straw dog of a moving goalpost on this and mix a few metaphors while I'm at it) for the product people buy on the street? Just one smidgen of a hint of an actual occurrence? C'mon, humor me, I'm humoring you. I'm not talking about Europe now, even though you liked to fudge your "data," to obscure what we are talking about here.

Other than the US government's deliberate use of poisonous herbicides on cannabis crops belonging to citizens of foreign countries several years ago, I have never heard of such contamination in street purchased cannabis. Anyone buying a bad (contaminated with something harmful)bag of weed? No. Impotent weed, yes. Imitation weed (oregano/catnip, etc.) yes. Male plant dirt weed, yes. Contaminated such that it harmed the users? No. Again, I am only drawing on 45 years of experience here, so what is your direct experience if I may ask? From the tone and nature of your snarky responses, you have none. Why don't you search the web some more?

Not to mention that the underlying post refers to cancer patients consuming cannabis (hmmm, where do cancer patients get their cannabis? Off the street? Excuse me if I guffaw a bit)

"...marijuana used off the street can vary widely in potency and also contain contaminants...." Don't those goalposts you move get heavy after a while?

Okay, so cite your proof. Let's cut to the chase. Here is a little secret I will impart to you. The cannabis now being grown for dispensaries is largely (don't take my word for it, do some field research like I have for 45 years) the exact same product sold on the streets.

Where do you live? If you are lucky enough to reside in a medical marijuana state, why don't you wander down to a local dispensary and talk to people. Why don't you ask them why they are there? Better yet, ask them if there is any difference between the cannabis they purchase legally at the dispensary and that cannabis currently sold on the street?

I like how you describe it all, like it was still some Reefer Madness event that only happens in darkly lit parks and back alleys next to nightclubs. The STREET. My Dog, do you know that in NYC you can order what you want by phone and it is delivered by taxi? Yes, even cannabis. Or that Dennis Peron had his pot club in the Castro selling weed 24/7 since about 1979? How 'bout that? The STREET, like some old Humphrey Bogart movie, the STREET! Comin' to getcha!

Cannabis will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no cannabis. Words to live by.

If you can actually get out in the real world and start gathering real verifiable data, then come back and we will talk. Until then, I maintain your version of the world of pot and its "dangers," (OMG there is the Madness again) is BS. I rely on my 45 years of direct experience. I got more if you want it.

What say you? Class, what lessons have we learned today?

-medical and street cannabis are almost identical in all instances. (patients have the luxury of access to cannabis legally)
-there is no crisis of contamination, naturally occurring or intentional by dealers. (if there was we would hear of it)
-people will believe anything that panders to their prejudices. (I have the feeling none of this will sink in, that I'm in for another round of goalpost shifting, misrepresentations, innuendo, snark and outright insults)
-people do not read very well those items they retrieve through search engines. (poor research leads to poor conclusions)



Alas, hasta la bye bye

[pnwmom]

83. So why all the anger?

I put up a post that was pro marijuana. I followed it by a post that mentioned the possibility of contaminants in street marijuana but didn't make a big deal about it. And ever since then you've been in attack mode. What gives?

Here is another article about research conducted about microbiological contamination of marijuana -- which is important because many of the patients who are prescribed marijuana are immune compromised. I'm glad that the research is being done since marijuana obviously has many good medical uses -- but, as with any drug, we would want it to be as safe as possible. One of the things mentioned by the article is that toxins are sometimes produced because of the way the drug is stored post-harvest. Don't you agree this is important to know?

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:JDUZPVxowqAJ:www.bouldercare.com/CDS/Research_Library_files/Bacteria_Guide.pdf+microbiological+contaminant+marijuana&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiL1ss2QZuDq9er4sk_RAgSenM0iz0yOuOGH20kYLmCwNCKQJPv0n4etgu-cJgocOZQKZNxTk6U-73FrBkri492i1qhytFjneSoh4EnMg4TpAOWth6Pr-QZdTl4pMVcJOxQNbBE&sig=AHIEtbRWsr3Uv6AoxoACv_RWfLKgl9cIZQ

[reggie the dog]

49. the UK and France problem with glass grit

was when weed first hit the market in mass as compared to hash, people put glass grit on the weed to make it look like crystals of thc. people found out pretty quickly that their fingers should not be bleeding after rolling a joint so that way of trying to up profit went away very quickly. as for the other fungus contamination that comes from improper drying or improper storage.

[pnwmom]

88. Yes -- improper drying or storage can lead to problems.

Which is something medical dispensaries -- but not every street seller -- would be careful about.

[Webster Green]

21. Not really.

Some strains will work for pain better than others. There's an old school purple Afghani that is great for pain, but doesn't work for nausea as well as a this really potent sativa-dominant strain called "Snowcap". Note: This is anecdotal evidence, gathered from observations by myself and friends.

Part of what the medical cannabis breeders and providers do is to determine what strains work best for certain ailments. Because of the stupid laws, the best research is being done by hippies up in the hills.

All the same stuff is sold on the streets as well as in the dispensaries, though it is harder to be sure about what strain you are actually buying, unless you can trust your source. :hippie:

[Richard D]

69. A lot of the hippies up in the hills

Have incredibly sophisticated organic growing operations and are amazing horticulturists.

[aquart]

81. Thank you. That means if someone says the marijuana didn't work...

They shouldn't give up till they've tried a few different kinds? That it has to be adjusted and tweaked like other medical regimens?

[Betsy Ross]

3. Please read DU brother Bernie's plea for help

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x307262

[pnwmom]

6. Yes, this is an interview by the same Bernie Ellis

who does need help from as many of us as possible.

[Octafish]

4. ''This research finding caused Dr. Tashkin (once a major voice for marijuana prohibition) to reverse

...his position completely and favor marijuana legalization now."

Gee. A natural thing that fights what ails us.

Throw in how it makes people peaceful and you can see why the plutocrats hate the stuff.

[MH1]

7. Yup. Can't make money from it, and it might reduce demand for the profitable stuff.

really not a good thing for greedheads.

[robdogbucky]

10. Can't make money from it?

Something that grows to maturity in 90 days, from seeds that are very cheap, needs little or no cultivation other than sex-selection at the earliest stages, will grow almost anywhere, etc. Just add water and sunlight.

Then there is an unlimited demand for it. Then it is a product that is consumed, literally up in smoke. In other words, they are always going to want/need more.

That is just plain nonsense to claim they can't make money from it.

Unless you are just being sarcastic.



"If it was good enough for the Indians, it's good enough for me."
The Mothers of Invention

[pnwmom]

15. I think s/he's speaking relatively. Cancer drugs can cost

thousands of dollars. Drug companies want to make bigger profits and to hold patents.

Marijuana would be more like vitamins -- too freely available, thus not profitable enough.

[MH1]

17. Thanks pnwmom, you are correct

Actually someone can make money from it, sure, in a small-business sense.

But the key is that marijuana is a commodity. Not patentable.*

Big pharma needs patentable products to make their huge profits. See also: the thread on banning Darvocet. A poster there makes a good point that banning older, generically available opiods will clear the way for more profits by big pharma on their newer products. May or may not be true in that case, but the economic argument is similar.




* well actually someone could probably figure that out if they tried. Hmm, something to think about ... wish I was a botanist ... finding a way to make a patentable product that big pharma could make BIG $$$$$$$$ from, just might be the ticket to legalization. But then they'd still have to restrict the cheap stuff somehow.

[immoderate]

38. I'll bet Monsanto has seeds ready to patent.

Wouldn't you? Right, caught that.

--imm

[Mojeoux]

92. Monsanto can't out grow the Pot Growers of America

Too late Monsanto, if this old myth ever had a chance of being true, they should have used their pharma-fortune to push for legalization a LONG time ago!

As Frigging IF!

[robdogbucky]

18. Several hundred thousand are making money from it

now. They currently provide safe, quality high-grade product to patients that are in definite need for this low-cost alternative to BIG PHARMA. Anyone can/could make money from it. The City of Oakland right now earns plenty from the sale of cannabis by taxing it.

You do know that the large tobacco companies have already registered patents to grow and are poised to sell cannabis (once it is legalized they will profit from it). The artifice of the Marijuana Tax Act to keep it quasi-illegal is a stumbling block for over-the-counter profiteers that would love to be selling their product in liquor stores next to those poisons, alcohol and tobacco. This was all a ruse to discourage the cultivation in a legal sense. One can not purchase the necessary tax stamp for it because of its status of being under federal law "illegal."

I understand your statement about drug companies and their profits from cancer drugs, and it belies what is actually occurring. We already don't need BIG PHARMA for many medical applications. Even if they legalized it tomorrow and all those tobacco companies with plantations in Georgia or wherever start cranking out cannabis for packaging and sale, I would still go down to my local collective to purchase the brands I know grown by people I trust from experience.

So let there be two separate cultures, one using synthesized patented DRUGS sold by for-profit corporations.

One other using natural herbs, plants, etc., grown by collectives for non-profit companies to distribute.

Seems fair to me.




Hands off my Social Security!
Hands off Latin America!


rdb

[Ghost in the Machine]

51. Can't make money from it = pharmaceutical companies can't patent it and make millions

because it's a natural product...

:hi:

[wildbilln864]

59. They can't make money off it...

not much IMO. How can they make money from it if they legalize it and I can now grow my whole backyard full of it? Maybe they can tax me for it I guess if that's constitutional but the corporations would loose billions!

[pnwmom]

8. This is the same Bernie Ellis who has written to DU

and to Democrats for Progress asking for help in his conviction for growing medical marijuana for several sick neighbors.


http://www.democratsforprogress.com /

"Bernie Ellis is a convicted felon. His crime was growing medical marijuana for his own use and for the use of four terminally-ill neighbors, a service for which he took no payment.

While he avoided prison time, he received four years of probation (later reduced by half) and spent 18 months confined in a Bureau of Prisons halfway house in Nashville.

He also forfeited 25 acres of his beloved Natchez Trace farm – a parcel that netted the government a paltry $35,000 at auction – and, effectively, his consulting career (he’s a public health epidemiologist).

A piece he contributed last week to the Democrats for Progress Blog fills in more of his astonishing story, and his current efforts to secure a Presidential pardon."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x307262

Good morning from my Tennessee deep hollow home. As most of you long-time DUers know, I have been engaged in a nine year battle for my freedom and my farm for the “crime” of growing medical cannabis for myself and four terminally ill neighbors. I pled guilty to a single count of manufacturing 100+ cannabis plants (mostly clones, the total usable weight of which was a little over seven pounds.) For this offense, I was sentenced to four years probation (later cut in half by my judge) and no fine. However, the government continued to try to confiscate my 187 acre farm until last year when I agreed to give them 25 acres in exchange for keeping the rest of my farm. To date, this case has cost me over $1 million in lost income, legal fees and the value of the land I surrendered.

Ever since I was released from the federal Bureau of Prisons halfway house in May, 2007, I have attempted unsuccessfully to become re-employed in my field as a public health epidemiologist. It appears that my voluntary admission of my crime and the resultant felony conviction is preventing me from ever becoming gainfully employed again. In addition, the accelerated deterioration of my hip joints, caused in part by not being able to use cannabis for the five years I was randomly piss-tested, resulted in hip replacement surgery last May from which I have still not recovered.

Persons convicted of a federal crime must wait a minimum of five years to apply for a Presidential pardon. My waiting period has passed and I am moving forward to file the necessary application. Here is where you might be able to help. I am allowed to submit as many letters of support as I would like to the President with this application. I must designate three primary character references and those will be Mickey Gamble, the former Commissioner of Corrections for both Wyoming and Montana (with whom I worked to create the largest substance abuse treatment center in Wyoming near the Wind River Indian Reservation); David Earnhardt, the director/producer of the much-acclaimed documentary "UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections"; and Senator Beverly Marrero, the sponsor of Tennessee's Safe Access to Medical Cannabis legislation. However, I would like to submit as many letters of support as possible with this application. Thus, those of you who have gotten to know me and the circumstances of my case here at DU over the past seven years are in a position to assist this process by submitting a letter on my behalf. In addition, those of you who don't know me yet but who have strong and well-reasoned opinions about our current medical cannabis prohibition laws can learn about my case at the links below and write letters also.

SNIP

[Peace Patriot]

13. Here are the instructions for character reference for a Presidential pardon

Note: As per the above, he has the three primary references already--and needs additional references...

-----------------------------------

Here are the instructions posted regarding character references on the instructions for a Presidential pardon:

“At least three character affidavits must accompany the petition. If you submit more than three, you should designate the three persons whom you consider to be primary references. The affidavit forms provided are preferred. However, letters of recommendation may be substituted if they contain the full name, address, and telephone number of the reference, indicate a knowledge of the offense for which you seek pardon, and bear a notarized signature. Persons related to you by blood or marriage cannot be used as primary character references.”

If you are willing to write a letter of support for my Presidential pardon, I would be deeply grateful. Address your letter to President Barack Obama, be sure to follow all the instructions above and mail your letter to me (no later than March 1) at the following address:

Trace View Farm
5985 Fly Hollow Road
Santa Fe, TN 38482.

My full name is Bernard H. Ellis, Jr., and my federal Bureau of Prisons number is 16502-075.

Thanks in advance to any of you who choose to K&R this thread today and a special thanks to those of you who decide to submit a letter to the President. Before I was sentenced, my judge received 300+ letters of support and there were 60 people in the courtroom supporting me on the day of my sentencing. I know that these letters carry weight if they are well-written and respectfully submitted. I hope that the weight of my Presidential pardon submission will help take the weight of oppression off the backs of millions of sick and dying Americans who would like safe access to medical cannabis NOW and to the thousands like me who would like to help them obtain it.

I hope all y’all have a restful Sunday. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x307262
(This thread also has links to various news stories/specials on Bernie including "Marijuana Martyr"/Nashville Scene).

[EC]

11. I wonder, can the President just issue an order to remove

it from schedule A drugs? Or would that have to be done by Congress too? Or would the FDA do that? That would be all that would have to be done to decriminalize it. I'd be happy with that.

[pnwmom]

14. I'm sure he can't just issue an order. That's not how the FDA works. n/t

[JNelson6563]

12. This country is ridiculous

Pot needs to be legalized. It's that fucking simple.

And the "purists" who crinkle their noses as they say "I don't do drugs" and then take a sip of their alcoholic beverages need to get a clue. ALCOHOL IS A DRUG!

Julie

[Thrustin]

16. Yep yep yep.

[PBS Poll-435]

19. What about the recreational users who like "red hairs" or other "additives"

in their pipe?

[krabigirl]

37. What about them?what someone smokes at home is not my business.

[Le Taz Hot]

52. Red hairs aren't an additive.

It's a natural part of the plant. When the white hairs turn red, your plant/bud is ready to harvest.

[EOTE]

55. What about recreational drinkers who like to add vermouth

And other "additives" to their cocktails? Were you trying to make a point? If so, what is it?

[shanti]

22. well

i know of two rastas, heavy duty, long time ganja smokers, who both died from brain cancer. didn't do them much good :shrug:

[Rageneau]

25. On the other hand, there's me.

I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2003 and given 3-6 months to live. I increased my intake of marijuana (the street kind) as a way to keep my appetite up (and because I was treating myself 'good').

Eight years later, I'm still here. And after their alarming initial growth, my tumors very slowly began to shrink and are now gone.

Is it the pot? Don't know.

Am I gonna quit the pot? No way!

[pnwmom]

28. That's wonderful, Rageneau. I'm so happy for you! n/t

[shanti]

32. awesome!

that's great if it worked for you.

[irislake]

41. I had stage 4 Non-Hodgkins and couldn't eat

Lost 50 pounds. Doctors tried everything to conquer nausea BUT saying they didn't know how it would interact with my other meds. So friends and relatives started to deliver milkshakes and cookies heavily laced with the joyful substance.

I began to devour food and made a complete recovery. Cancer vanished from lungs, liver, bones etc. Last CT scan was good. Complete remission when I expected to die a year ago. Who knows if the cannabis shrank the tumors as well as conquering the terrible nausea?

IT made a major contribution to my recovery however you look at it.

That dumb-ass doctor who wouldn't prescribe it is not on my list of those who helped to save my life,

[pnwmom]

43. That's wonderful, irislake.

Did you have chemo, too? Chemo sounds so awful -- I would think most people would benefit from something to make them more comfortable through that.

[irislake]

63. I had eight painless chemo treatments

and each treatment killed more cancer. Maybe the cannabis helped. At least it made it possible for me to eat and that is when everybody began to notice dramatic improvement.

Not all chemo is painless the oncologist targets different cancers with different chemo treatments.

[irislake]

64. From what I read about chemo online I thought it was

more harmful than anything else but didn't even consider refusing the treatment. FORTUNATELY!

Chemo gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve. IMO

[pnwmom]

79. Some people have extreme reactions to chemo.

My father had a genetic condition (unknown till he became extremely ill from the chemo) that made the toxins accumulate in his body even though they changed him to a fraction of the normal dose. It might be people like him who give chemo "a bad rap." I understand that my father's problem isn't that rare.

[madmax]

86. So damn happy for you!

:hug:

[Capitalocracy]

47. Yeah, who knows? It would be good to find out more,

but even if it doesn't help fight the actual cancer, anything that's so effective in making chemotherapy more tolerable should be legalized yesterday. It's ridiculous and cruel to deny someone the most effective treatment known to man to make chemotherapy more tolerable and reduce its side effects.

[pnwmom]

48. That's what I think. Anything that makes chemo bearable

should be available and legal.

[madmax]

50. That's great!

Eight years!!! And 'they', the God's of medicine gave you 3-6 months. I'm blown away.

I'm so very happy for you. :hug:

[HappyMe]

67. That's awesome!

I'm 8 years cancer free myself. The ganja helped me through the chemo. It didn't get rid of that hideous taste in my mouth, but I was able to eat more.



:smoke:


Hugs and pot for all!

[madmax]

87. Outstanding

To whatever worked, my friend. :toast: :hug:

[Mojeoux]

90. AWESOME Rageneau!!!!!!!!!

God bless You! Stay Well!

[Fumesucker]

24. Obama's spokesman on the subject of "drugs" disagrees..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Kerlikowske

Richard Gil Kerlikowske (born November 23, 1949) is the current Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position generally referred to as the United States "Drug Czar". He assumed office on May 7, 2009.

(...)

In a May 22, 2009 interview on KUOW radio, he said any drug 'legalization' would be "waving the white flag" and that "legalization is off the charts when it comes to discussion, from my viewpoint" and that "legalization vocabulary doesn't exist for me and it was made clear that it doesn't exist in President Obama's vocabulary." Specifically about marijuana, he said, "It's a dangerous drug" and about the medical use of marijuana, he said, "we will wait for evidence on whether smoked marijuana has any medicinal benefits – those aren't in."

[musette_sf]

29. Cannabis is an organic VEGF inhibitor

[Uncle Joe]

30. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, pnwmom.

[pnwmom]

31. You're welcome, Uncle Joe. n/t

[Scout]

33. a glioma just killed my sister in December of 2010

exactly one year from onset of symptoms (a focal seizure)

average life expectancy from gliomas is 8-14 months, they are very aggressive.

[pnwmom]

40. I've known four people who had them and you are right.

They're extremely aggressive. I'm so sorry about your sister.

:hug:

[riverbendviewgal]

35. My son had Glioblastma multiforme brain tumor

The neurosurgeon said he had 5 percent chance living past 2 years. He lived 18 months from diagnosis. He had 3 surgeries, chemo and radiation. and he smoked marijuana with his doctor's knowing he did. I think it made his life bearable He was 26 when he died

[pnwmom]

39. I am glad for that small blessing, riverbendviewgal,

but so very sorry you had to lose your son at such a young age.

There cannot be a greater pain.

:hug:

[riverbendviewgal]

36. My friend's mom is in her 80's with severe

rheumatoid arthritis. She was taking morphine with no pain relief but was drugged up to be sleeping most of the time. Medical marijuana was prescribed and it has worked wonders. She is no longer sleeping all the time, her pain is so much less and she is eating. It works.

[pnwmom]

42. How is she taking it? It's hard to imagine an 80 year old

learning to smoke it . . . but maybe I just lack imagination.

[irislake]

44. WHY

do so many people believe you have to smoke it?

[pnwmom]

46. Maybe because that's the way most of us consumed it

back in the day?

[Buddha2B]

53. Drugs are dicey to deal with

My Little brother is a Drug Addict/Alcoholic. Dope got him into it, now he does all kinds of stuff. (Mainly speed I think). he definitely has brain damage and his personality has become psychotic. He's a typical addict. Can't hold down employment, goes missing for days. Blows all his money. He gambled away a $180,000 fortune which was his ex-wife's inheritance.

A good friend from school. I caught up with him years later. He was definitely showing psychotic tendencies. He even told me he was having trouble. A couple of years later he had to quit his job as airplane mechanic and move back in with his parents. He delivered groceries to my parents. My Mother said he was talking slow, like he was retarded. The guy was basically genius level IQ. Long term dope smoking.

I think in some people, these drugs bring out dormant mental problems.

That being said, I have a friend that is dieing from Pancreatic cancer. I would love for him to have access to it. Maybe it could help him? At least with his pain?

It needs to be decriminalized and monitored by the Government.

[Le Taz Hot]

61. Long-term dope smoking

does not lower your IQ. What a ridiculous assertion. As far as "dope" getting him into his addiction you do know that the REAL gateway drug (really no such thing) is alcohol, right? And that's legal.

Your missive is full of mythology.

Here, read up:

http://www.scientificfactsofpot.com/studies.htm

[wildbilln864]

62. Thank you!

Saved me the trouble! :patriot:

[Buddha2B]

85. I didn't mean to convey that point.

I was simply relaying my actual tales of devastation that Drug abuse has had in my life.

I'm sorry if it's not in step with your political agenda.

[Mojeoux]

91. Thanks Le Taz Hot! NT

[dotymed]

54. I used to a big recreational user.

Recently (not common at all for me), I had a friend visit from California who has a medical use card. He convinced me that it would help my hypertension (common symptom in heart patients), it did. Wow, that is not your parents marijuana...lolB-)

[wildbilln864]

56. Marijuana does indeed kill cancer cells...

It cures cancer! But of course the ACS and all those drug companies making billions on cancer drugs don't want cures and don't want you to know there is one.
MJ cures breast cancer.
The Ricky Simpson Story
Too much money to be lost by so many corporations if MJ is legalized! They'll never let it happen!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

57. K&R and bkmrkd. thanks for this.

[wildbilln864]

60. And please be sure and watch this....

MJ cured brain cancer.
Spread the word!
:hi:

[emald]

66. I'm killing cancer as quick as I can

clouds of theraputic smoke surround my screen at the moment, curtosy of Oregon's med marijuana card, and although cancer has a seat on my family tree I remain unaffected. I've smoke the ganj for better than forty years now. Someone should test me.

[defendandprotect]

75. And -- it's preventive medicine ... something our own system highly lacks ...!!

[Aaria]

76. google: capsicum oil causes cancer cells to commit suicide

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-I-Cured-Stage-4-Cancer-in-Two-Weeks-For-Less-Than-The-Cost-Of-A-Night-At-The-Movies

There is a wealth of info at the above web address for treating and even diagnosing cancer. Did you know that the enzyme that girls are testing for when the use an at home pregnancy test is the same one they look for when they are testing you for cancer.

[blackspade]

68. K&R!

[robdogbucky]

73. Here ya go...

More good acts by the biggest danger to cannabis consumers in the US:


Scientists have actually known this since 1974, when the feds shut down a study at the University of Virginia when it showed conclusively that cannabinoids kill cancer.

Here are other studies for those who are interested:

Cannabis extract makes brain tumors shrink, halts growth of blood vessels
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/12088.php

Cannabinoids Inhibit Glioma Cell Invasion by Down-regulating Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Expression
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/68/6/1945.abs...

Briefing: Cannabis compounds fight prostate cancer
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17636-briefing-ca...

Cannabis Compound May Stop Metastatic Breast Cancer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

Cannabis chemicals tackle tumours
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/661458.stm


Here's an anecdote or two; Dateline mid-'70s, my father was undergoing chemo for stage 4 lung cancer. When I asked if he would use some of the plants I had growing in the garden he said no, he did not want to break the law. He died 4 months later, upchucking his lung tissue on the bathroom floor.

Fast forward to last year. A friend asked if I could help someone he knew that was suffering the effects of chemo for myeloleukemia (sp?) which is an aggressive bone cancer. The chemo had poisoned her to the point she was on death's door, could not eat, was very depressed and had broken 3 ribs as the chemo so weakened her body. She was lying in bed in constant pain, not eating, and asked to be put out of her misery. I found a doctor and dispensary, had a presentation done there in her community (she was almost 70 and had not ever used drugs or even smoked but was curious and desperate). Long story short, she found a medium she could use (tincture in liquids she could drink with) and immediately she felt better. She was able to sleep peacefully. Soon she was eating. In a week or so she was out of bed and wanting to go places. Her ribs healed. Her medical team is astonished, having written her off as a goner just over a year ago. She is alive and well, her cancer is in remission and she thanked me profusely for helping to save her life and show her that cannabis is a medicine that can and did help.

If only unbridled research could be done, who knows what we could find?


Just my dos centavos

robdogbucky

[Mojeoux]

94. The Washington Post "lost" the Breast Cancer link!

Thank you so much robdogbucky, I've read and shared these links.

So sorry about your Dad. Here is a sort of similar antidote his story made me think of. Back in the 90's, my brother and I gave my Mom a small humidor of thin joints. she would smoke a few tokes on one when her knee really hurt and she said it helped.
One of her best buddies in her apartment complex was Joe, a former navel officer and a fellow hockey, football and baseball fanatic like Mom. Joe went through chemo and was at a stage with his illness that if he just ate regularly and gained strength, he could recover. His kids had filled his freezer full of homemade meals, but he wouldn't eat. One day when Mom brought him a joint to try to kick in his appetite. Old Joe flipped out and said.....

"Get that thing out of my house Mim, it's illegal and if you're my friend you will take it away."

Of course, Mom took it away and never mentioned it again. Mom and some of the other neighbors still tried to help him to eat, but they had to watch their friend waste away and die.
I believe this guy and many more elderly folks just have that old-old school perception and the anti-weed propaganda makes me furious.

These links and this news can't get around fast enough.

Thanks again,
Mojeoux

[defendandprotect]

74. Medical marijuana would obviously put many "slash and burn" procedures out of business...

and some very highly profitable business out of business -- chlorine bleaching of paper

for instance for newsprint! We need HEMP!

And medical marijuana -- look at what .... can't think of the name of the poster here at

the moment who was heavily penalized for simply growing medical marijuana for himself and

ill neighbors -- he needed two hip replacements after he was forced to stop taking medical

marijuan!!

According to Ellis, recent research has also showed medical marijuana may slow or relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, Lou Gehrigs, and auto-immune diseases.

[krabigirl]

80. No wonder the federal govt/large pharma corps want to keep it illegal.

[Number23]

89. Kick for DFP!!

:headbang:

[DeSwiss]

93. pnwmom, they've known all this for years and years and years.....

The below research links are to articles, scientific studies and abstracts which report that the tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinoids in marijuana can halt the spread the MRSA bacteria and numerous other types of cancer cells -- including:

MRSA: http://www.webmd.com/news/20080904/marijuana-chemicals-may-fight-mrsa

Prostate Cancer: http://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295%2805%2901160-X/abstract

Breast Cancer: http://mct.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/11/2921

Lung Cancer: http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v27/n3/abs/1210641a.html

Pancreatic Cancer: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/66/13/6748

Brain Cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16804518

And in addition to the cancer research, here's a report from an Austrailian newspaper about a French study that found that cannabidiol in marijuana may prevent the development of prion diseases such as BSE because it inhibits the accumulation of prion proteins in infected mice and sheep. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (AKA: Mad Cow Disease: http://www.420magazine.com/forums/medical-marijuana-facts-information/82605-cannabidiol-may-effective-preventing-mad-cow-disease.html


- They know it'll save us. They just don't want to.....

[Mojeoux]

95. Thanx for posting this Pnwmom.

You may have saved lives dear. I know you've taken a lot of chuff because you are unfamiliar with weed, but your heart is in the right place. A lot of people have learned a lot on this thread!

[Mojeoux]

96. K and R