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Medical Marijuana / Cannabis

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Anonymous

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Medical Marijuana to be in Dutch Pharmacies
March 17

Doctors Can Prescribe Immediately;

Government Preparing to License Growers

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Under a groundbreaking new
law effective March 17,
physicians in the Netherlands will be able to
prescribe medical
marijuana and pharmacies will dispense it to
patients as they do other
prescription medications. This will make the
Netherlands the first
country to treat marijuana in the same manner it
treats other
prescription drugs.

In order to establish a stable,
quality-controlled supply of the
medicine, the Dutch government will shortly
begin contracting with
medical marijuana growers, who will be required
to meet specific
standards covering product quality, as well as
security rules designed
to prevent diversion into the illegal market.
Spokesman Bas Kuik of the
Dutch government's Office of Medicinal Cannabis
said that he expects the
first contract to be signed "somewhere near the
end of March," with the
first crop reaching pharmacies in September.
Once this system is in
place, pharmacies will be required to dispense
only medical marijuana
from these government-licensed providers. Until
then, they will be
permitted to obtain the medicine from producers
of their own choosing.

While the Netherlands is the second nation to
formally sanction the
medical use of marijuana, it is the first to
incorporate it in its
standard system of prescription drug regulation.
The Canadian government
established a medical marijuana program in July
2001, but only a limited
number of patients have made it through the
complex permission process.
In addition, Canada has yet to provide these
patients with a legal means
of obtaining their medicine, a problem that has
led to continuing
litigation.

"This is yet another indication of how
out-of-step the U.S. is on
medical marijuana policy," said Robert Kampia,
executive director of the
Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
"While the Netherlands is
guaranteeing patients safe access to
quality-controlled medical
marijuana through doctors and pharmacies, we're
still fighting just to
keep people with cancer and AIDS out of jail.
Americans like Ed
Rosenthal face up to 40 years in federal prison
for providing the same
service to patients that the government of the
Netherlands is ensuring
through licensed producers and pharmacies. The
rest of the world
increasingly regards the U.S. policy of
criminalizing medical marijuana
patients and providers as cruel and pointless."

The Dutch Office of Medicinal Cannabis can be
reached by telephone at
011-31-70-340-5129. The new Dutch law and
implementation regulations can
be viewed at <http://www.mpp.org/Dutch>
http://www.mpp.org/Dutch .

With 11,000 members nationwide, the Marijuana
Policy Project is the
largest marijuana policy reform organization in
the United States. MPP
works to minimize the harm associated with
marijuana -- both the
consumption of marijuana and the laws that are
intended to prohibit such
use. MPP believes that the greatest harm
associated with marijuana is
imprisonment. To this end, MPP focuses on
removing criminal penalties
for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on
making marijuana
medically available to seriously ill people who
have the approval of
their doctors.
 
It's good that there's been a shift of public opinion in regard to medicial cannabis use.
I can remember, when I was in my 'teens my mother going ballistic when she discovered I was smoking (possibly I shouldn't have been doing it it the family home). She seemed to think that I'd end up in prison, and if anyone found out it would jepordise her teaching career (as if).
What impressed me is that she did some research into the subject and realised it wasn't such a problem and then she was pretty cool about it.
I find it quite amusing that both my parents have recently made subtle enquries along the lines of 'er, so this marijuana....um, is it you know, expensive....only I read it's good for hypertension and arthritic pain, oh and my friend at work who has MS is quite interested...." :D
 
Hurray!!!, just don't let them legalise it, then they can tax it!!
 
brian ellwood said:
About time, a friend of mine has ms and would welcome this.
Exactly. One of the best all round medicinal herbs available, after birch bark (salycilic acid - asprin), and nobody can use it because of dumb predjudice.

You don't have to smoke hash, or grass. THC in tablet form, as a tincture, tea, or nose spray would be just as effective.

As for trying to isolate the active ingredients whilst trying to eliminate the 'side effects,' maybe the 'side effects' are the part of the action?

You don't have to be an advocate for the recreational use of cannabis to think that forbidding its use as a medicine, for those who could really benefit, is both cruel and dumb. :mad:
 
The Dutch may not be high on the list of World shattering achievements, but when it comes to common sense they come out tops.
 
naSTEe said:
Hurray!!!, just don't let them legalise it, then they can tax it!!

Tax? Well, that's a good point. That's why decrimilisation is a more attractive option than legalisation.

If it was legalised the government could appear to be amazingly liberal and forward-thinking, whilst also attracting loads more revenue for the treasury.
It would be a shame if cannabis products were subect to the same taxes / duties as tobacco - £15 for ten Marlboro northern lights er, lights? Sod that.
My grandad used to grow tobacco on his allotment, as a lot of people did at that time, but I think there's now there's now an EU law to impose excise duties on home-grown baccy.
Presumably the same situation would obtain if cannabis was totally legalised - in other words anyone selling cheaper (tax-free) cannabis on the black market would run a slightchance of running afoul of the authorities - but make a tidy profit with little risk except maybe the odd smallish fine.
So no change there really.
 
When I had a job where I visited MS patients at home I was always being asked to procure grass for them.

This puzzled me as I never discussed drugs and don't even smoke, and don't have a nose-ring or other alternative lifestyle markings!

I think I must have given off some kind of hippy vibes.
Anyway, I could easily have procured them some mild dope and felt bad that I didn't.
The consequences would have been horrific if I'd been caught.

Most MS sufferers believe cannabis can help them in very specific and necessary ways, like relieving nausea caused by prescribed drugs.

I am very glad to learn that some at least will get it now, and admire the Dutch government for their foresight and compassion.
 
In California, we voted "Marijuana legal"

We voted to legalize medical marijuana. One problem, though. The Federal US Government still says "marijuana = jail!". The paradox is that a patient can legally smoke marijuana to relieve symptoms, but it is illegal to buy, sell, or grow it.

My wife had cancer 2 years ago, and she had chemotherapy, which basically stops growth in the body (everything, no hair growth, no nail growth, no monthly uterus groth, etc). It made her physically sick, no appetite or very narrow cravings. Doctors prescribed a steroid for appetite stimulation. The problem with the steroid is that it has multiple side effects, such as ulcers, heart problems, skin problems, and so on. She tried one hit of marijuana and it stimulated her appetite to normal. It works well with fewer side effects of the normal drugs that they give, and side effects which are minimal compared to the chemotherapy drugs that killed the cancer. She "acquired" the marijuana through a local teen, and you know, teens in California know where to get the good stuff.
In case you were wondering, she has been clear for almost 2 years, and is most likely cured of her cancer. They don't use the word "cure" much in cancer, but it is becoming more commonplace as they learn more methods to treat it. My wife had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and went through intensive treatments that have been proven to be quite effective in eliminating it permantently. It was certainly not easy, but it gives a new perspective on what is really a priority in this lifetime. :)

On a totally different vein (so to speak) of the same topic, there are anti-marijuana advertisements here in the states. One of them has 2 guys talking to each other. One saying that buying marijuana sends money to dealers, that goes on to the growers, that goes on to the cartels who kill kids. The other says "but I don't buy much", and the first says "so it's okay to kill. . . a little bit?" It gets the point across that buying marijuana supports terrorism. But to me, it also supports the notion that you better grow your own, since you don't know where that stuff you buy comes from. (I love heckling our anti-drug/anti-teen sex commercials).
 
HeadNSpace, what you say about the marijuana is what my patients were telling me- how I wish I could have helped them! But I'd have gone to prison for supplying, no doubt, and I'm not ready to be a martyr.

I'm so glad to hear that your wife's news is good- fingers crossed, as we Brits say. She is lucky to have you to take care of her. I send you both my love and best wishes.
 
AndyX said:
Tax? Well, that's a good point. That's why decrimilisation is a more attractive option than legalisation.
Suspect legalization is a non-starter anyway; one of the rationalizations HM Govt. uses for the level of duty imposed on tobacco is the little detail that smoking it can cause cancer, and THC is in fact more carcinogenic than tobacco -IIRC almost twice as carcinogenic. (Although presumably only a tiny minority of cannabis-users smoke as many as 20 joints a day, so it probably balances out in practice. :) )
 
Zygon said:
Suspect legalization is a non-starter anyway; one of the rationalizations HM Govt. uses for the level of duty imposed on tobacco is the little detail that smoking it can cause cancer, and THC is in fact more carcinogenic than tobacco -IIRC almost twice as carcinogenic. (Although presumably only a tiny minority of cannabis-users smoke as many as 20 joints a day, so it probably balances out in practice. :) )
Is that THC (the active substance), or the stuff that comes with it?

I know one of the problems if that people inhale smoke deeper and hang on to it longer, from both the THC containing substance and the tobacco it is often used with. As both myself and ex-Prez. Clinton have said, there's no need to inhale. I know there's a few people advocating the use of specially adapted paint strippers to vapourise the THC, for inhalation, without burning it, because it's supposed to be safer.

There's a lot of nonsense published about THC and cannabis, from both sides. So, careful about defining terms concerning what you mean. ;)
 
Hope for Dope

AndroMan said:
Exactly. One of the best all round medicinal herbs available, after birch bark (salycilic acid - asprin), and nobody can use it because of dumb predjudice.

You don't have to smoke hash, or grass. THC in tablet form, as a tincture, tea, or nose spray would be just as effective.

Yep, I have MS and all the reasons why I used to smoke dope before I was diagnosed (muscle relaxation, calmness etc.) are exactly the reasons why it's 'good' for me now. Of course I can't really afford it now nor can I be bothered to meet people in places that I can't really get to in order to get it. But there is hope - I can get far more dangerous drugs for nothing from my local quack, so that's alright then.
 
p.younger said:
The Dutch may not be high on the list of World shattering achievements, but when it comes to common sense they come out tops.

Well, not this century, at least.




And what's this medical shite?!!! Why the hell do I have to justify anything I do excepting for its impact on the rest of society?

Mind you, I do think that marijuana has medical benefit. You can get things worse for you prescribed to you by your doctor.

As an American, I feel the most deleterious effect of marijuana is its inducement of hypocrisy into the body politic. Stupid little crap like the war on some drugs just erodes citizens' trust in their government.
 
AndroMan said:
Is that THC (the active substance), or the stuff that comes with it...?
THC is the active ingredient, and it's a heavy carcinogen in its own right. With or without tobacco, and regardless of how long you hold it in your lungs. However, to get the same exposure to carcinogens as a 20-a-day smoker, you'd need to smoke 10 whole joints -by yourself- every day. Now obviously my short-term memory may be unreliable on this, but I seem to recall that most smokers still light up and pass it round, and even today someone smoking a whole joint by themselves tends to be viewed dimly. All of which would seem to mitigate the cancer-risk from cannabis.
 
Hey lay off the THC, i don't believe it to be a powerful carcogen, and did somebody say it had more nicotine than tabacco (hello)..
A LOT of has been said in the past to try to demonise cannabis...its mostly paranoid rubbish:hmph:
 
Philo T said:
And what's this medical shite?!!! Why the hell do I have to justify anything I do excepting for its impact on the rest of society?
I don't give arseholes for what you have to justify, or not, Philo T. :D

Last year I watched somebody close die of lung cancer. It was just over 8 months, from first diagnosis, to her death (in a di-morphine induced coma), and with three major courses of chemotherapy, in between, to contend with.

A THC tablet to offset the side effects of misery, sickness, loss of apetite and etc. might have made a world of difference to her quality of life. If I'd thought she'd have taken some, I'd have acquired it for her. But, though I mentioned it, she was firmly against taking anything of the sort... It's illegal! Plus, she wasn't even a smoker, of any sort, herself. :(

I am not arguing for, or against, anybody's right to toke. That's a whole other issue as relevant, here, as the one about being allowed to ride a motorcycle without a crash helmet. This is strictly 'Pro Bono Publico.'
 
AndroMan:
Well, when you put it that way, it does make it seem like the illegitimization (?) of medical marijuana is the greater injustice.


I don't give arseholes for what you have to justify, or not, Philo T.
My point being is that I don't need to make justification, it's not anyone's business. (Unless I run somebody over in my car, accidentally shoot someone while impared, stick the baby in the oven and diaper the turkey...) The problem there is being willfully impaired and something bad resulting -- not what I was impaired by.

Actually, my issue is more with (American) society's mistaken idea that such matters are any of the government's business. Particularly while hypocritically allowing the use of other 'approved' substances. This fundamentally hypocracy indirectly taints all public discourse. THAT is my real issue here.

And to me, it trumps the whole medical marijuana issue. If you removed the whole hypocritical attitude, there would be no problem with the proper investigation and application of the medical uses of marijuana.

I guess this is one of those holdovers of living in a country established by religious zealots. :p
 
Philo T said:
Actually, my issue is more with (American) society's mistaken idea that such matters are any of the government's business. Particularly while hypocritically allowing the use of other 'approved' substances. This fundamentally hypocracy indirectly taints all public discourse. THAT is my real issue here.

And to me, it trumps the whole medical marijuana issue. If you removed the whole hypocritical attitude, there would be no problem with the proper investigation and application of the medical uses of marijuana.
Fair enough, Philo T, but perhaps that's the stuff of another 'Dope, Libertarianism and Personal Freedom' thread? ;)

Heroin is very useful as an anaesthetic and that's its proper medical use. Banning it's use as a medicine would be crazy. However, I'd be dead set against the full legalization of heroin, just like I'd be against the legalizing of crack cocaine, for recreational use. Some drugs are dangerously addictive and should be kept out of the reach of children. But, that just makes the banning of cannabis for pharmaceutrical uses seem even more ridiculous.
 
We have too many useless, drug-addled scum littering this country as it is, if we legalised things like heroin we'd be knee deep in them.
 
Belgium Legalises Cannabis for Personal Use

According to the piece at
Buzzle.com (Intelligent Life On The Net)
(as reported in the UK Guardian 28/03/03), the Belgians are decriminalising cannabis for personal use. You can possess up to 5g at a time, but you're still not allowed to buy it and there'll be no 'Dutch style' coffee shops. :cool:
 
BBC News Online: 'Cannabis gran' remains defiant
13 February, 2005
By Lincoln Archer, BBC News


The woman known as Britain's "cannabis gran" explains why she eats marijuana five times a day - and why she'll keep on doing it despite the threat of a jail term.

Patricia Tabram takes a sip of hot chocolate after a long day.

She has just delivered a letter to Downing Street telling Tony Blair why she no longer trusts medicines prescribed on the NHS, having spent half the day travelling from near Hexham, Northumberland, to do so.

This is not, however, your average hot chocolate. Mrs Tabram, 66, has added a quarter of a teaspoon of cannabis powder.

I'm not afraid of going to prison. I'll come out and start buying it again
Patricia Tabram


"This will keep me covered from pain for five hours now," she says as she takes another sip.

Mrs Tabram began taking cannabis in February last year to combat intense pain in her neck and back, as well as other complaints such as tinnitus.

She says the drug had an almost immediate impact.

"I had a walking stick, I was in constant pain. Now, through ingesting cannabis in my food five times a day, five times a week - minute amounts - I feel great."

She is writing a book about her experiences called Grandma Eats Cannabis, which she hopes to be in print soon.

Sentencing

Mrs Tabram is currently on bail awaiting sentencing after last month admitting possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

...
Sometimes the law really is an ass(hole). :(
 
Spain To Allow Doctors To Prescribe Cannabis

Greets

interesting website:

http://www.cannabisnews.com/

where i found

Spain To Allow Doctors To Prescribe Cannabis

Posted by CN Staff on February 05, 2005 at 19:09:03 PT
By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
Source: Independent UK

medical In a bold venture that puts Spain at the forefront of the medical use of cannabis in Europe, 60 pharmacies and four hospitals in Catalonia are to prescribe marijuana for therapeutic use where other treatments have failed.

The pioneering scheme surpasses measures taken by the Dutch, leaders in the field, and puts British efforts in the shade. A British drug company has been denied permission to produce medicinal cannabis for trials - because of lack of political will, critics say.

Doctors in Catalonia will be able to prescribe cannabis in capsules or as an infusion to help four specific conditions: anorexia among Aids patients; nausea caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients; constant pain - including migraine - that has been unresponsive to other treatments; and muscular problems among those with multiple sclerosis. About 150,000 patients are expected to benefit.

Spain's Health Minister, Elena Salgado, said she accepted that cannabis "has some therapeutic value". She approved "the controlled use of tablets in specific cases and under medical supervision", but insisted on the need to fight drug addiction. Spanish health policy is devolved to the regions, but must receive Madrid's blessing.

Catalan doctors back the scheme, so long as cannabis use is carefully controlled. "Prescriptions must be made under medical supervision, and only in extreme cases ... It's a humane response to understandable demand for an improved quality of life," said Guillermo Sierra, president of Barcelona's medical council.

"We must ensure the therapeutic use of cannabis is not treated frivolously among the young," he added. "We don't want to give the impression we support smoking joints, or that cannabis is good for you."

The pilot project, which begins next month - initially for a year - stems from a proposal by Barcelona's College of Pharmacists, following a similar experiment in the Netherlands in 2003, although that has just 8,000 patients.

The plan was agreed by Catalonia's left-wing regional government, a coalition of socialists, Greens and independent republicans. The initiative, due to be approved by the Spanish Health Ministry after more than a year of strenuous lobbying, is expected to prompt Spain's other autonomous regions to adopt similar measures.

Complete Title: Spain's Health Ministry To Allow Doctors To Prescribe Cannabis

Source: Independent (UK)
Author: Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
Published: February 6, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/

http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20200.shtml

mal

PS I have a friend who suffers from MS. his GP would love to prescribe cannabis but can't for legal reasons. meanwhile he (my friend, not the GP) has been busted several times for possession. pah!
 
Re: Spain To Allow Doctors To Prescribe Cannabis

Mal Function said:
...

PS I have a friend who suffers from MS. his GP would love to prescribe cannabis but can't for legal reasons. meanwhile he (my friend, not the GP) has been busted several times for possession. pah!
Cases like these go way beyond just being ridiculous and unnecessary. We're really talking cruel and inhuman.
 
Judges to rule on 'medicinal' cannabis

Greets

Judges to rule on 'medicinal' cannabis

Clare Dyer, legal correspondent
Thursday February 17, 2005
The Guardian

The court of appeal will decide whether people who use cannabis to relieve chronic pain can escape a criminal conviction by pleading they were acting out of "necessity", in two groundbreaking appeals which started yesterday.

Lord Justice Mance, Mr Justice Newman and Mr Justice Fulford heard that Barry Quayle, 38, had both legs amputated and suffered pain from damaged tissue and "phantom limb" sensation. The other appellants are Reay Wales, 53, Graham Kenny, 25, Anthony Taylor, 54, and May Po Lee, 28. All were given either a fine, community service or suspended jail sentence.

In the second case concerning a man named only as D, who was acquitted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, the attorney general is asking the court to rule on whether necessity can be used as a defence where the drug is supplied "for the sole purpose of relieving a preexisting condition, such as multiple sclerosis".

Edward Fitzgerald QC, told the three judges that the defence of "necessity" should be available when cannabis was used to alleviate the greater evil of chronic pain.

Crown counsel Mukul Chawla QC said it could potentially empower those who were "truly guilty" to put forward "wholly spurious defences".

http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsandalcohol/story/0,8150,1416314,00.html

mal
 
And from (drum roll) California comes this :D

California growers want pot certified organic
Mendocino County looking into regulation of medical marijuana
Friday, February 18, 2005 Posted: 5:54 PM EST (2254 GMT)



BERKELEY, California (AP) -- Medical-marijuana growers in Northern
California's Mendocino County -- home to vegans, vintners, libertarians and aging hippies -- want to have their pot certified as organic.
The notion of pesticide-free pot is making some people smile. But county
officials say the issue is serious, and they are asking the state whether
they can regulate pot-growing and pronounce some crops organic.
They say that with no system to regulate cultivation, consumers are at risk.

"We regulate wine grape growers and pear growers and everybody else, so why shouldn't we also regulate pot growers?" said Tony Linegar, assistant agricultural commissioner for Mendocino County. "It's really an agricultural crop. In our estimate, it should be subject to a lot of the same aws and regulations as commercial agriculture."

California, one of 11 states with medical marijuana laws, allows people to
grow, smoke or obtain pot with a doctor's recommendation. Around the
country, medical marijuana has slowly moved toward the mainstream, with
local law enforcement agencies issuing "user cards," and insurance companies honoring claims for stolen plants.

If the county got the go-ahead to regulate organic medical marijuana, it
would be "absolutely a first," said Allen St. Pierre of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Regulating cultivation would be "a huge leap in the public discourse and policy-making, in that it
recognizes that medical cannabis is legal but it needs to have some sort of
local controls placed on it."

Acting on a request for two marijuana growers who want their crops to be
certified organic, and concerned by reports of someone getting sick in
another county from pesticide-treated marijuana, Mendocino County
Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston wrote to the state Department ofFood and Agriculture last month. Bengston asked whether the county can certify pot as organic and whether employees should be inspecting marijuana nurseries to check for pests and other problems as they do with other crops. Department spokesman Jay Van Rein said Monday the secretary is studying the request.

Marijuana plants can be threatened by mites, mildew and cornmeal worms. But with no products officially developed for marijuana cultivation, some
growers have been using chemicals intended for ornamental plants, which
could make users sick, Linegar said. Linegar said he could not estimate how much marijuana is grown in Mendocino County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, but it is generally considered prime pot territory. And clearly not all of it is being grown for medicinal purposes. The first time someone brought in a pot plant for a health check, was "awkward," Linegar said.

Last year, Mendocino County voters passed a first-in-the-nation measure
banning the raising of genetically engineered plants and animals. And
Mendocino set a pot precedent in 2000 with a ballot issue allowing residents to grow a small amount of marijuana. The move was only symbolic, since state and federal prohibitions rule.

"When things like this crop up it's almost our county that's on the cutting
left edge if you will," Linegar said. "When I'm discussing these issues with
my counterparts in other counties, they really can't relate to the problems
that we're facing in Mendocino. They laugh sometimes. But to us it's really
a serious issue."




Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/18/organi ... index.html

[/quote]
 
Cannabis may help prevent Alzheimer's memory loss

Greets

Cannabis may help prevent Alzheimer's memory loss

Ben Sills in Madrid and Ian Sample
Thursday February 24, 2005
The Guardian

Scientists at one of Spain's leading research centres claimed yesterday to have found evidence that cannabis helps prevent the memory loss experienced by people suffering from Alzheimer's.

The potential breakthrough in understanding a disease that affects nearly half a million people in Britain, and around nine million worldwide, was made by a team led by María de Ceballos at the Cajal Institute in Madrid.

Their study seems to show that THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, inhibits the activity of cells that cause damage to neurons in the brain.

Although the study is preliminary, it was welcomed by patient groups.

"Right now, there are no good drugs for Alzheimer's. There are some that treat symptoms but nothing that halts the disease," said Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society.

While the beneficial effects of cannabis looked promising, Dr Sorensen cautioned that people with Alzheimer's should not start using the drug to help their memories, because of side effects.

Memory loss in Alzheimer's patients is not fully understood, but part of the problem is thought to lie with cells called microglia that surround neurons in the brain. In Alzheimer's, the activity of microglia gets out of control, damaging neurons and killing off parts of the brain. Dr de Ceballos's team conducted two separate experiments using human brain tissue and rats which showed that THC inhibits the activity of microglia, thus reducing memory loss.

Dr de Ceballos said the results showed that THC could help prevent memory loss in Alzheimer's patients, although the reasons why this might happen are still to be explored.

The next stage, she said, would be to test the rats using a synthetic equivalent of THC which inhibits the activity of microglia without intoxicating the rats as well.

"There's a long way to go before we will know if it is actually possible to stop the progression of Alzheimer's," she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/science/story/0,12996,1424013,00.html

mal
 
pill form

There is a THC pill of sorts, ridiculously expensive, called Marinol. Because of its cost and other factors, it's not prescribed much. Here's the important other factor: it was synthesized so people wouldn't smoke The Weed With Its Roots In Hell for nausea relief from chemo.
A fairly common side effect of Marinol is ..... nausea.
 
Cannabis case grandmother is spared prison

greets

Cannabis case grandmother is spared prison

Martin Wainwright
Saturday April 9, 2005
The Guardian

An unrepentant grandmother who cooked cannabis cakes, soups and casseroles for neighbours and friends escaped jail yesterday after a judge told her that he did not want to make her a martyr.

Patricia Tabram, a 66-year-old who has developed recipes for chicken, leek and cannabis pies and cannabis curry since her arrest last summer, said she would continue to take the drug for medicinal reasons, although she would not supply it to others.

"It's far better than any tablets you can get from the doctor," she said as she left Newcastle Crown court for her remote bungalow in the Northumberland countryside. She will also continue negotiations about publishing her biographical cookbook Grandma Eats Cannabis.

Mrs Tabram, who has two children and has led "an eventful life" according to her legal team, was raided in May last year by police who found 8.5oz (242g) of potent "skunk" cannabis worth £854 in her fridge and on her bedside table. They also discovered a set of scales, wraps for taking the drug and 31 cannabis plants in the loft plus one on her hall table.

"Patricia became involved in cannabis in February 2004 as a result of suffering physical symptoms," Stuart Graham, prosecuting, told the court as Mrs Tabram sat quietly wearing her spectacles and a black cardigan and pearl necklace. "Somebody approached her and said cannabis might help her with her difficulties."

She admitted possessing the drug with intent to supply at a hearing in December which was told how she made regular visits to the Byker district of Newcastle before making arrangements for deliveries as large as a "nine-bar" from a dealer in Hexham, nearer to her home.

Carl Gumsley, defending, told yesterday's hearing: "She maintains she will continue taking cannabis and I do not suggest to the court that she has given it up. But notwithstanding her own views, she will not supply it to any other person."

Mrs Tabram has become a minor celebrity since her arrest, but Mr Gumsley said that she had suffered periods of mental illness as well as the physical ailments which prompted her experiment with drugs.

Judge David Hodson, the recorder of Newcastle, said the offence was so serious that only a jail sentence was appropriate, but he had no intention of making her a martyr.

Sentencing her to six months' jail suspended for two years, he said: "People in this part of the world cannot fail to have noticed that you have been caught up in a media circus. It might be that you have been trying to tempt the courts into making a martyr of you. I am not going to do this.

"This offence stems from your belief of the medicinal benefits of cannabis. It is not for me to make any judgment on the debate, which I acknowledge. The fact remains that it is an offence to possess cannabis with an intent to supply."

He warned Mrs Tabram that any repeat of the offence would lead to her serving the six months, and also ordered her to pay £750 legal costs and surrender her cannabis.

She complained after the hearing: "I'm a free woman, but fining me so much money - I am a pensioner and I get a little over £100 a week."

Mrs Tabram said that she had not supplied anyone else with the drug since her arrest and added: "I only got cannabis once for my friends who have similar medical problems. Now a young man has arranged for it to be delivered to their doors."

Northumbria police questioned Mrs Tabram's image as a cosy ex-chef doing a handful of doddery friends a good turn. A statement said: "The set-up at her home bore all the hallmarks of any sophisticated drug dealer. While it was not proven to whom she intended to supply the cannabis, we believe she is a drug dealer in the traditional sense."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1455549,00.html

mal
 
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