Majority of Physicians in U.S. Now Favor Medical Cannabis

The use of marijuana for medical purposes is now legal in 23 states and, as of this writing, 9 states have pending legislation or ballot measures to legalize medical marijuana. Estimates are that between 85 and 95 percent of Americans are in favor of medical cannabis, and nearly 60 percent support complete legalization of marijuana. And doctors agree. In 2014, a survey found that the majority of physicians—56 percent—favor nationwide legalization of medical cannabis, with support being highest among oncologists and hematologists. However, many families are still unable, legally or otherwise, to obtain this herbal treatment. Families with a sick child are being forced to split up, just so that one parent can live in a place where medical cannabis can be legally obtained in order to help their child.

How Medical Cannabis Changed Our Lives: A Testimonial

My name is Dawn. The journey with medical Cannabis began for our family in May of 2013. Our son Jacob was diagnosed with a very rare form of Dystrophy in 2006. This disease manifested at age four, causing him to lose function in his central nervous system, as the myelin sheath began to deteriorate. Jacob also experiences grand mal seizures that hinder his breathing, leaving him in a disastrous state. My goal with this article is to present to communities a very real picture of the truth of what caregiving parents with certain special needs children are experiencing, and the reason cannabis is changing lives. I thank you for giving me a moment of your time and a listening ear.

Study: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Leads to Fewer Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths

A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday found that states that had legalized medical marijuana had seen a 25 percent drop in deaths related to prescription drug overdoses. According to ABC News, the researchers conducting the study found that because “legalizing medical marijuana makes it more available to chronic pain patients, it provides a potentially less lethal alternative to pain control on a long-term basis.” Over the course of the study, the states studied were the ones that allowed access to medical marijuana. The Washington Post reported that those states “had 1,729 fewer overdose deaths in 2010 than would be predicted by trends in states without such laws.” Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, a physician and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, and the lead author of the study, told ABC News that while he did expect to see changes among the states that legalized medical marijuana, he found it “surprising that the difference is so big.”

Medical Cannabis is a Threat to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Medical marijuana, or cannabis, is legal in 20 US states, where it is used for a variety of medical conditions such as mood disorders, pain disorders, multiple sclerosis, and even cancer. Parents of children with epilepsy met at a news conference to share their dismay that Governor Mark Dayton refuses to legalize medical marijuana. About 85 percent to 95 percent of Americans are in favor of medical cannabis, and nearly 60 percent are in favor of legalizing marijuana. Cannabis shows outstanding promise as a medicinal plant, largely due to its cannabidiol (CBD) content. Cannabinoids interact with your body by way of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body.

Medical Cannabis: The REAL Reason the Government Wants to Keep it Banned

“Cannabis” refers to the plant that is commonly called "marijuana." The two terms are often used interchangeably. However, "cannabis" is the historical name that has been used in the medical literature. While public sentiments towards marijuana have recently changed to the point where two states have now voted to make it legal for recreational use, few people understand the actual history of cannabis as a medical plant in the United States, and how it came to be classified as an illegal drug. It is crucial to understand this history in order to fully understand what is happening at the state and national level with regards to both medical cannabis and recreational marijuana. Did you know that medical cannabis at one time was a widely prescribed drug in the U.S., and that physicians were originally opposed to its regulation? Did you know that while the U.S. government continues to list cannabis as a Schedule 1 illegal drug preventing doctors from prescribing it because it supposedly has no therapeutic value, that the government is also patenting drugs based on cannabis? What about recent laws passed to legalize the recreational use of marijuana: are these good or bad for medical cannabis use? Learn all this and more:

Gulf War Vet and Wife Lose Children to CPS because Doctor Prescribed Medical Marijuana for Headaches

This is a very sad story of how one family lost custody of their children for a whole year simply because the father was using marijuana, legally prescribed by a doctor, to treat his headaches that he says were the result of all the chemicals he was exposed to while serving his country in the Gulf War. Active duty military personnel are also subjected to many vaccines not used in the general public. Child Protection Services in San Diego removed the children from their home and their parents, and it took the parents a year to get them back. It is quite ironic to think of how many parents today have medicine cabinets full of toxic "legal" prescription drugs which have far more serious side effects than marijuana, and yet would never come under suspicion of Child Protection Services, as this would probably constitute the majority of American families in the U.S. today. It is not surprising that this Gulf War veteran found a doctor to prescribe marijuana for his headaches in San Diego, since the University of California in San Diego has a center for the "Medicinal Cannabis Research" which conducts clinical research on marijuana. An Oncology physician in San Diego who has studied marijuana states that it contains: "anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and probably anti-cancer compounds in it." He prescribes marijuana for his cancer patients for "their loss of appetite, nausea, pain, depression, and insomnia." He says this one drug, marijuana, can replace 5 prescription drugs.

The War on Marijuana – Who is the Real Enemy?

Some are in a near panic over the idea of marijuana coming into the market with no federal oversight, publishing stories that seem designed to scare the public over the "dangers" of unregulated marijuana. Let's compare marijuana, which is by far the most consumed illegal drug in America, used by an estimated 9% of the population (approximately 23 million people), with drugs and food that are legal and regulated by the federal government.

The Medical Miracle You’ll Get Arrested for Using

by Dr. Mercola
Marijuana was a popular botanical medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries, common in U.S. pharmacies of the time.

Yet, in 1970, the herb was declared a Schedule 1 controlled substance and labeled as a drug with a “high potential for abuse” and “no accepted medical use.”

Three years later the Drug […]

As Feds Crack Down on Medical Marijuana, Groundbreaking Lawsuit Fights Back

By Russ Belville
AlterNet
NORML Attorneys Matt Kumin, David Michael, and Alan Silber, have filed suit (read here) in the four federal districts in California to challenge the Obama Administration’s recent crackdown on medical marijuana operations in the Golden State. Aided by expert testimony from NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano and research […]

Obama Sends Feds to Shut Down Medical Marijuana Industry in California

Health Impact News
The Obama administration made it clear this week that they are intent on shutting down the legalized medical marijuana industry in California. First, the IRS ruled that Harborside Health Center in Oakland owed $2.5 million in back taxes from 2007 and 2008. This is $2 million more they paid in taxes during those years, […]