Pot Prohibitionist at CPAC Says He Is ‘Fighting Against the Tide’


CPAC
 
Yesterday The Atlantic‘s Molly Ball attended a debate about marijuana legalization at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and came away convinced that critics of the war on drugs are ascendant within the conservative movement. The debate pitted conservative blogger and Fox News commentator Mary Katharine Ham against Christopher Beach, a producer for former drug czar Bill Bennett’s radio show. Ball reports that the discussion “turned out to be surprisingly one-sided,” with the audience, or at least the most vocal parts of it, overwhelmingly in favor of legalization, the position taken by Ham. Ball acknowledges that CPAC skews young and libertarian, but she says Beach told her he typically gets a hostile response when he defends prohibition in the company of fellow conservatives. “There used to be a strong conservative coalition opposed to drugs, but it’s dissipated in the face of mounting public support for legalization,” Beach say. “We’re fighting against the tide on this.”
 
Full Article:
http://reason.com/blog/2014/03/07/pot-prohibitionist-at-cpac-says-he-is-fi

Autistic teen’s life improved by medical marijuana, parents say: ‘He said ‘mama’… I’d been hoping for that for 18 years’

By 
Still0308_00025
 
 
ELMIRA, ORE. — The issue of medical marijuana continues to make headlines here in Oregon as the House approved a bill allowing cities to “opt out” of marijuana dispensaries.
The bill approved Wednesday that would let local governments control the hours and locations of medical marijuana stores within individual cities and counties. The bill would also let city officials ban the pot stores from their area until May of 2015.
As the debate heats up across the state, parents Jimmy and Maria Ferris say marijuana treatment has dramatically improved the life of their 18-year-old son Kyle.
Kyle has severe autism. Jimmy said his son Kyle was unresponsive to most medications, and continued to suffer multiple seizures a day with very little change in his behavior.
 
Full Article:
http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/Autistic-mans-life-improved-by-medical-marijuana-parents-say-He-said-mama-Id-been-hoping-for-that-for-18-years–249153321.html

Marijuana relief for a cancer patient, just a 3,000-mile hop from home

By  michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com

Jeffrey W. Kennedy of Boynton Beach, 55 years old, visits Covelo, Calif. three to four times a year to trim marijuana buds for a grower there. His work gains him access to marijuana-based medications that he uses to alleviate pain from neuropathy [ain in his legs and in hopes of curing his bone cancer. The marijuana grows tall in outdoor farm in Covelo, California. (Photo provided by Jeffrey Kennedy)
 

Every few months, cancer patient and Boynton Beach resident Jeffrey Kennedy flies to Northern California — not for treatment, but to get medical-grade marijuana.
There, the 55-year-old helps out on a marijuana farm in Mendocino County, trimming plants and doing other odd jobs.
In return, he receives pot to alleviate neuropathic pain in his legs and a highly concentrated marijuana extract he hopes will cure his bone cancer.
“It is sad I have to get on a plane and travel 3,000 miles to get my medicine,” he said. “It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20140308/ARTICLE/140309673?p=1&tc=pg

Nebraska – Industrial hemp: Overwhelming support in Legislature

by Danae Lenz

 
Nebraska’s lawmakers rallied behind legislation that would make industrial hemp the newest among Nebraska’s crops.
The bill – LB1001 – advanced 32-1 on Wednesday, March 5.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Norman Wallman of Cortland, said on Friday that the bill is a great way for Nebraska to further its name as an agriculture state. He cited many benefits of hemp, including the fact that it uses less water than traditional Nebraska crops such as corn.
It is also biodegradable.
 
Full Article:
http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=27464&pageID=3

Marijuana Moms More Powerful Than Soccer Moms

by Shannon Malone
WCGAZ12_0L81QYXA-e1369747822663
 
 
The medical marijuana debate is in full swing with 20 states on board and several others ready to take the plunge. An unlikely source of advocates namely, moms, could become as powerful as soccer moms in the fight for their children. Soccer moms have earned the reputation of being  intelligent cheerleaders and outspoken advocates for their children’s physical activities. There is nothing more powerful than a mother advocating for their child. Mothers of children with severe health challenges are adopting the same take-charge attitudes as many of the so-called “soccer moms.” A mother wants to offer her child any and all options that may be available to help them, despite politic banter from people who do not know what it is like to be a parent of an ill child. Studies have shown marijuana to be a real medical solution to many ailments including some in children.
 
Full Article:
http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/marijuana-moms-more-powerful-than-soccer-moms/

Minister’s daughter: Cannabis ‘a gift from God’

By Stephanie Smith, CNN
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Aimee Curry recalls sitting on her couch one day, her back contorted, as spasms — remnants of a car accident that almost killed her in 1992 — rippled up and down her back.
A friend who had been visiting that day left, saying she would bring back some medication. “She came back with pot,” said Curry, who says at first she was aghast.
“I was like, ‘I can’t smoke that, my daddy said no,'” said Curry, 39, whose father is an ordained minister. “‘I can’t do that, it’s bad.'”
“But I was in so much pain, and they were promising me, ‘Aimee, this will take the pain away.'”
Curry ignored the preaching voice in her head and tried the marijuana. Soon after she mastered the inhale, she says, her back muscles relaxed. Her pain did not melt away — it still hurt when she finally got up from the couch — but, Curry said, “I didn’t care.”
“It states in the Bible not to abuse a drug, it doesn’t say you can’t use it,” said Curry. “If you ask me, cannabis is a gift from God.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/health/cannabis-pain/

Hemp seed oil is great for getting rid of acne

Raw Michelle
oil
 
Fran Kerr, author of Clear Skin for Life and How to Heal from Acne Naturally, has been a fan of jojoba oil for years. “I still do love it. I’m a massive fan of it, but I have a new favorite now,” she admits. “It’s organic hemp seed oil. I am in love with hemp seed oil as a cleanser and moisturizer.”
Kerr once had severe acne and is now free of the condition. While Kerr still acknowledges jojoba oil’s ability to help keep skin in great condition, she says hemp seed oil is now her preferred choice for several reasons.
Full Article:
http://www.naturalnews.com/044205_hemp_seed_oil_acne_skin_care.html

What Weed Means for the Future of Sustainable Healthcare

Written by DAVID BIENENSTOCK
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Despite costing the average MS patient in New Zealand more than $16,500 (USD) per year, Sativex contains relatively modest doses of THC and CBD, and no other active ingredients—an incredible marijuana mark-up that gives GW a strong incentive to help maintain cannabis prohibition at all costs, especially since whole-plant cannabis can be smoked or vaporized, bringing near instantaneous relief due to rapid absorption in the lungs, while Sativex takes an hour or longer to start working.
“Needless to say, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly devoting its massive resources to the development of cannabinoid analogs or other products which can compete with herbal marijuana,” Dr. Grinspoon writes. “None of these products will be as inexpensive or useful as herbal marijuana. Legality, not efficacy, is their major appeal.”
 
Full article:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/what-weed-means-for-the-future-of-sustainable-healthcare?trk_source=popular

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: ‘I am doubling down’ on medical marijuana

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon and CNN\'s chief medical correspondent.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon and CNN’s chief medical correspondent.
Editor’s note: Don’t miss “Weed 2: Cannabis Madness: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports,” at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Also, Dr. Gupta will be answering your questions on Reddit at noon ET Friday.
(CNN) — It’s been eight months since I last wrote about medical marijuana, apologizing for having not dug deeply into the beneficial effects of this plant and for writing articles dismissing its potential. I apologized for my own role in previously misleading people, and I feel very badly that people have suffered for too long, unable to obtain the legitimate medicine that may have helped them.
I have been reminded that a true and productive scientific journey involves a willingness to let go of established notions and get at the truth, even if it is uncomfortable and even it means having to say “sorry.”
 
Full article:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/health/gupta-medical-marijuana/index.html?hpt=hp_c4