Into The Twenty First Century

Posted on February 16, 2013 by msgtvance


The following listed research is considered valid and meet the scientific standards to be considered empirical evidence.

1. Mark A. Ware, MD, MSc, et al., stated the following in their Aug. 30, 2010 study titled “Smoked Cannabis for Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal:

“Adults with post-traumatic or postsurgical neuropathic pain were randomly assigned to receive cannabis at four potencies (0%, 2.5%, 6% and 9.4% tetrahydrocannabinol) over four 14-day periods in a crossover trial. Participants inhaled a single 25-mg dose through a pipe three times daily for the first five days in each cycle, followed by a nine-day washout period. Daily average pain intensity was measured using an 11-point numeric rating scale.

Conclusion

A single inhalation of 25 mg of 9.4% tetrahydrocannabinol herbal cannabis three times daily for five days reduced the intensity of pain, improved sleep and was well tolerated.”

2. Ronald J. Ellis, MD, PhD, Professor In Residence in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of California at San Diego, et al., stated the following in their Aug. 2008 study titled “Smoked Medicinal Cannabis for Neuropathic Pain in HIV: A Randomized, Crossover Clinical Trial,” published in Neuropsychopharmacology:

“In a double-blind, randomized, clinical trial of the short-term adjunctive treatment of neuropathic pain in HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy, participants received either smoked cannabis or placebo cannabis cigarettes…

Among completers, pain relief was significantly greater with cannabis than placebo. The proportion of subjects achieving at least 30% pain relief was again significantly greater with cannabis (46%) compared to placebo (18%). It was concluded that smoked cannabis was generally well-tolerated and effective when added to concomitant analgesic therapy in patients with medically refractory pain due to HIV-associated neuropathy.”

3. David J. Rog, PhD, from the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Liverpool, et al., wrote in a Sep. 2005 article titled “Randomized, Controlled Trial of Cannabis-Based Medicine in Central Pain in Multiple Sclerosis” in the journal Neurology:

“BACKGROUND: Central pain in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common and often refractory to treatment…

CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis-based medicine is effective in reducing pain and sleep disturbance in patients with multiple sclerosis related central neuropathic pain and is mostly well tolerated.”

4. The Oct. 13, 2005 article “

Cannabinoids Promote Embryonic and Adult Hippocampus Neurogenesis and Produce Anxiolytic- and Antidepressant-like Effects” (1.5 MB) by Xia Zhang et al. from the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Investigation stated:

“We show that 1 month after chronic HU210 [high-potency cannabinoid] treatment, rats display increased newborn neurons [brain cell growth] in the hippocampal dentate gyrus [a portion of the brain] and significantly reduced measures of anxiety- and depression-like behavior.

Thus, cannabinoids appear to be the only illicit drug whose capacity to produce increased hippocampal newborn neurons is positively correlated with its anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects.”

5. A research study, published in the Sep. 2004 issue of the journal Neuropharmacology reported:

“Gliomas, in particular glioblastoma multiforme or grade IV astrocytoma, are the most frequent class of malignant primary brain tumours and one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. Current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme are usually ineffective or just palliative.

During the last few years, several studies have shown that cannabinoids — the active components of the plant Cannabis sativa and their derivatives — slow the growth of different types of tumours, including gliomas, in laboratory animals.

Cannabinoids induce apoptosis of glioma cells in culture via sustained ceramide accumulation, extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation and Akt inhibition. In addition, cannabinoid treatment inhibits angiogenesis of gliomas in vivo….

Remarkably, cannabinoids kill glioma cells selectively and can protect non-transformed glial cells from death. These and other findings reviewed here might set the basis for a potential use of cannabinoids in the management of gliomas.”

6. Researchers with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Complutense University, Spain, in a study of the use of cannabis-based ointment on skin tumors, published Jan. 2003 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) stated:

“Local administration induced a considerable growth inhibition of malignant tumors generated by inoculation of epidermal tumor cells into nude mice. Cannabinoid-treated tumors showed an increased number of apoptotic cells…

These results support a new therapeutic approach [cannabis-based ointment] for the treatment of skin tumors.”



*The above listed research is but the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of studies showing marijuana’s ability to relieve pain and help in the treatment of many diseases including cancer. None of the above however meets the standards necessary to be considered valid by our Government because the Government either did not support the research or provided the marijuana for the research, and the Government will only support research on marijuana that is designed to show harm, not good.

Oh the lengths our Government will go to keep marijuana from competing with wood pulp, cotton and nylon! Do you think Mr. Hearst of the Hearst Newspaper Corporation is still worried about marijuana paper competing with the wood pulp he uses for his newspapers?

The people who gave us this destructive war on marijuana users are dead and gone! Could we please bring marijuana policy into the light of science and reason? Could we please bring marijuana policy into the 21st century?

An Open Letter to Kentucky Ag Comm.

Commissioner Comer

I represent a small grassroots organization of veterans called Kentucky Veterans for Medical Marijuana we do have a web address www.kentuckyveternsformedicalmarijuana.net which will redirect you to our facebook page. We support the legalization, for medical purposes, the cannabis plant.

I have been a cannabis activist since running Gatewood Galbraith’s 1991 Primary campaign, here in Louisville. I applaud your efforts to the extent that they advance the debate for legalization of cannabis. The hemp bill (HB50) unfortunately does nothing to advance our cause. Gatewood understood that it was the total plant that was in Kentucky’s best interest to legalize. Many knew the medicinal advantage of cannabis even back then. Unfortunately the political atmosphere, at that time, was such that it was unwise to speak up about anything regarding legalization. That is why I admired Gatewood, he stood up and that’s primarily why I agreed to run his campaign.

As I have said, since that time I have done extensive research, which you can view at my facebook page. I have found that the more I researched the more question needed to be answered. Everything I found pointed to our making a huge mistake in regards to cannabis prohibition. This is borne out by one glaring statistic that despite years of prohibition, billions of dollars spent, thousands of lives ruined lost or imprisoned, we are no better off today than when President Nixon first declared this war. Nothing has changed.

It is my hope that this letter will open a dialog that I may discuss your efforts at righting the wrong that was done Kentucky farmers when the crop they had known as hemp, was renamed marijuana and taken from them in the name of corporate greed. I hope to work with your office to get you support to not only allow our farmers to compete on a global market in cordage hemp but give our research facilities the same advantages that other countries enjoy, such as Israel, where they are making remarkable discoveries in cancer research using cannabis. We deserve to have that advantage here.

We are breaking new ground this is true but it’s something I believe will be the best for Kentucky in the long run. Last but not least I am a grandfather. I look at where we are going if we don’t change what we are doing. I want a better world for my grandchildren and I believe what I am supporting is a far better future than what I see in store for them if nothing changes.

I know that cannabis makes a great shirt. I still have one hanging in my closet from the 1991 campaign. I also know that cannabis saves lives and I would hope that you will join me in helping save those lives. If you support the troops you will help Senator Clark and I pass SB11.

Sincerely

Ronald Moore

Kentucky Veterans for Medical Marijuana

Assembly Reconvenes to Consider Hemp and Medical Marijuana Bills

Thomas Tony Vance

Assembly Reconvenes to Consider Hemp and Medical Marijuana Bills
The 2013 Assembly will reconvene on Monday February 4. Two of the bills they are considering are the Medical Marijuana Bill and the Hemp bill.
There are 18 states and the District of Columbia that currently have medical marijuana laws in place. Joining them with legislation pending are13 more, Kentucky of course, Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Vermont. As anyone can see the rush is on. Our farmers are chomping at the bit to get started.
This brings to mind two questions. What do we know about this legislation that the 18 States that have approved it might have missed, that says we shouldn’t approve the medical marijuana and hemp bills?
What exactly is keeping our legislators from allowing our citizens to grab their share of a market estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars?
As far as full legalization goes, Washington State and Colorado have this. Seeking to join them with pending legislation are Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Most of the states with medical bills and all with full legalization include some type of industrial hemp legislation.
I think it’s time for our legislators to be politically brave and forward thinking and go for full legalization. The Federal Government does not have the last word on this according to the Controlled Substances Act. If it did, it would have acted by now. Kentucky has the reputation for growing the best marijuana in the country and we should embrace our history. It’s as though the California gold rush is just beginning and we are already at Sutters Mill but we will not allow ourselves to pan for gold while everybody else is!
If you support allowing Kentucky’s citizens to enjoy the benefits of medical and industrial marijuana then beginning Monday and all thru the session till it ends in March call the Legislative hotline at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for all the legislators to support and pass Sb11 the Medical Marijuana bill and HB50 the Hemp/Industrial Marijuana bill. The people there are very nice and will help you with your message. You can call continually as often as you want. Your fellow citizens realize the importance of these bills passing, not only to help our sick and disabled citizens but also to help Kentucky’s economic recovery. Now is the time to act. Our State is in need of our help! Let us move ourselves forward into the 21st Century on this issue.