By JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise
It looks like any other doctor’s office, with white walls, a receptionist’s window and soothing background music.
But then there’s the marijuana cookbook in the corner case, and the “Medical Marijuana Survival Guide” handed out to patients.
The Temecula branch of Alternative Care Clinics opened four months ago, part of a growing network of Inland businesses connecting patients with medical marijuana. 
“We used to get a lot more questions,” said Jonathan Arbel, ACC’s director of operations. “Now it’s just more recognized as a legitimate treatment.”
“It seems like it’s a lot less of a negative thing now,” said Tom Wiggins Jr., administrator for Inland Empire Cannabis Consultants of Temecula.
The trend worries a local anti-drug organization.
“Yes, we remain concerned that a pro-drug movement is afoot in the Inland Empire,” Roger Anderson, parent coalition chairman of the Inland Valley Drug Free Coalition, wrote in an e-mail.
“The pot users don’t really want a ‘medicine.’ They just want to get high,” Anderson wrote.
Medical marijuana is taking root amid new court rulings and policy changes.
Last year, a state appeals court upheld a law setting marijuana guidelines. On Feb. 18, Palm Springs became the first city in Riverside County to change its zoning to allow medical marijuana collectives and co-ops; two will be permitted to operate in an industrial area.
Last summer, state Attorney General Jerry Brown released guidelines for law enforcement in dealing with medical marijuana. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is overhauling its policy on the matter. San Bernardino County still wants to overturn the state law.
While federal law forbids the use of marijuana for any purpose, activists hope President Barack Obama’s election will help their cause. He has pledged to end federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries.
a shorter drive
Obtaining medical marijuana used to require a drive to Palm Springs or Los Angeles, said Lanny Swerdlow, a registered nurse and one of the county’s most vocal medical marijuana activists.
Now, at least seven doctors in western Riverside County write marijuana recommendations and dozens of delivery services connect patients with the drug, Swerdlow said.
Formed four years ago, ACC has offices in San Diego, LA, Long Beach and Palm Springs.
The Temecula office fills a market demand, Arbel said.
Located in leased space in a commercial office district, the 700-square-foot clinic is open once a week.
After filing out paperwork, patients discuss their condition with a licensed doctor, who determines whether marijuana can help.
Illnesses from glaucoma to AIDS qualify for marijuana treatment under California law.
If they are approved for treatment, ACC patients get a doctor’s recommendation and an ID card.
The card and a 24-hour verification service help patients avoid problems with law enforcement.
The clinic does not have any marijuana on-site, and staff is barred by law from telling patients where to get it.
“If they ask, we tell them to Google it,” Arbel said.
California also has a voluntary ID card system for patients. Health departments in 47 counties, including Riverside, issue the cards.
More than 27,000 cards have been issued to date, state figures indicate.
Setting guidelines
Medical marijuana became legal in California when 56 percent of voters approved Prop. 215 in 1996.
In 2003, state lawmakers passed the Medical Marijuana Program Act, which set up the state ID card system and established rules for patients to cultivate marijuana.
San Bernardino County joined San Diego County in challenging the act, saying it contradicted federal law.
The state 4th District Court of Appeals rejected their argument last August, and the California Supreme Court declined to hear the case in October.
San Bernardino and other counties are taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which recently asked for briefs, said Lt. Rick Ells of the county Sheriff’s Department.
The high court has not decided whether to take the case, he said.
San Bernardino refuses to issue ID cards.
The guidelines released by the attorney general allow marijuana collectives and co-ops to exist so long as they don’t operate for profit. The groups must not purchase marijuana from illegal sources and must have detailed records proving users are legitimate patients.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is updating its medical marijuana policy to keep up with recent changes, said Capt. Mitch Alm of the sheriff’s special investigations bureau.
The policy, which has no timetable, will set guidelines for field operations, he said.
Anderson, of the drug-free coalition, hopes the federal government maintains a tough stance on marijuana.
“We don’t want our communities looking like Los Angeles or San Francisco where there are more pot shops than Starbucks,” he wrote.
Reach Jeff Horseman at 951-375-3727 or jhorseman@PE.com
Story originally available at http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_N_clinic01.47c1278.html
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=fd535233-38d2-4336-9fdc-21a6a34a3192)
- Image via Wikipedia
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― Los Angeles is about to implement some of the toughest restrictions in the state on medical marijuana dispensaries. But in an exclusive CBS 2 News hidden-camera investigation, we went undercover into medical clinics and found that recommendations for medical marijuana are being sold without ever seeing a doctor.
We found a man, who answers to the name of Dr. Scott, when he provides patients with what amounts to a prescription for medical marijuana. We don’t know if he was smoking some of his own medicine or tobacco, when we caught him smoking a pipe in his car outside the clinic. But we do know he is not a doctor.
David Goldstein: “How do you do that? Only a doctor can give out recommendations?”
Dr. Scott: “I don’t have to talk to you, dude.”
Undercover producer: “I’m confused. Is this a doctor’s office?”
“Yes it is.”
At another location across town, a place bills itself as a doctor’s office, but when we were there, there was no doctor, just prescriptions for sale and medical marijuana.
We found it over and over — obtaining certificates to buy medical marijuana without ever seeing a doctor.
With one of these cards or certificates, small amounts of pot become legal in California! With one you can buy marijuana at hundreds of dispensaries, like one we found in the L.A. area.
The law says in order to get a certificate, you have to be recommended by a doctor, but that is not what we found.
Undercover producer: “Can I get my card here?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I do it legal?”
“Yeah go ahead.”
We sent an undercover producer with a hidden camera to a clinic in the Garmet District.
Tobias: “My name is Tobias…”
A man named Tobias said we could easily get a recommendation.
Tobias: “We’ve got to send your paperwork to get approved, so you have to wait a second.”
He claimed to fax the paperwork to a doctor and minutes later…
Undercover producer: “How much was it?”
Tobias: “Sixty dollars.”
We got it. And he bragged about others who also come here.
“You know what’s funny. We get a lot of people from UPS.”
Undercover producer: “You get delivery boys?”
Tobias: “All the time. Another big market are LAUSD teachers.”
Undercover producer: “Stop it, LAUSD teachers?!”
Tobias: “Dead serious.”
Tobias then told us to go to another room where pot was for sale with our new recommendation.
Undercover producer: “So what do you guys have? This is like Candyland.”
We walked out with the certificate signed by a Dr. Keith Wresch, who we never saw.
Dr. Wresch admits he prescribes medical marijuana, but says he has nothing to do with this clinic.
Dr. Wresch: “I mean it’s a forgery. It’s something they shouldn’t be doing. No I’m not happy about them doing it.”
Tobias admits he has no medical training, but claims Dr. Wresch is involved.
David Goldstein: “Are you a doctor?”
Tobias: “No.”
David Goldstein: “Dr. Wresch says you’re just using his name here.”
Tobias: “No, I’m not using his name.”
David Goldstein: “That he has nothing to do with this?”
Tobias: “OK, you can believe what you want to believe, but that’s not the truth.”
That’s not the only place we obtained certificates without ever seeing a doctor.
Undercover producer: “Are you a doctor?”
One man said he worked under a doctor — whatever that meant. We got a recommendation from him one day.
Undercover producer: “Hello.”
“Are you a new patient?”
Undercover producer: “Yeah.”
The next day we went there he was the receptionist.
And at another clinic, a man answered to the name of Dr. Scott. We caught him smoking something in his car after he pulled up outside the clinic where he works.
Dr Scott: “Nice to meet you. We’ll get you in there soon.”
Our undercover producer met with him. He asked her a few questions about her ailment and immediately came up with a solution.
Dr Scott: “Have you ever tried marijuana?”
But when she asked about his qualifications…
Undercover producer: “I was just wondering…you say you’re a doctor right?”
Dr Scott: “P.A., yes.”
He admitted he was just a P.A. or physician’s assistant. But in less than four minutes she was licensed to buy pot.
Dr Scott: “Are you taking any other medications?”
Undercover producer: “None.”
Dr Scott: “Let’s get you licensed then, OK?”
Undercover producer: “Great. It’ll be $60, huh?”
The recommendation was stamped with the signature of Dr. Jerome McCuin. He’s an anesthesiologist who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, 50 miles away.
Doctor McCuin: “This is a forgery.”
Doctor McCuin also claims his name is being used.
Doctor McCuin: “This is not me. I mean I don’t know anything about it.”
The California medical board is trying to take away Dr. McCuin’s license for an unrelated matter. He admits he worked briefly at the clinic a few months ago. But says he never gave his permission to use his name.
Dr Scott: “You want to fill one of these out.”
We caught up with Scott at the hemp convention in downtown L.A. last week, where he was issuing marijuana recommendations with a huge crowd waiting in line.
David Goldstein: “You a doctor?
Dr Scott: “Physicians assistant.”
David Goldstein: “You giving our recommendations here?”
Dr Scott: “We’re doing recommendations at our booth, yes.”
David Goldstein: “How can you do that? Only a doctor can do recommendations?”
Dr Scott: “I don’t have to talk with you, dude.”
David Goldstein: “But only doctors can do recommendations.”
Dr Scott: “Actually, if you look at the statutes of California, you know the appropriate answer is yes, we can do it.”
But the Governing Board of Physicians Assistants says that while P.A.’s can evaluate a patient, only a physician is authorized to recommend medical use of marijuana.
In all we went to five clinics and got recommendations signed by five different doctors.
“There you are. Your signature right there please.”
We never saw any of the physicians during the evaluations.
“They’re simply out there trying to make a buck.”
This undercover LAPD detective investigates the city’s growing medical marijuana trade and says these clinics are popping up everywhere.
“Not a surprise there is a number of places that are set up as medical marijuana recommendation mill that simply operate on a daily basis to churn out as many recommendations for cash as they can,” the LAPD detective said.
Because of our report, police now say they will start investigating the clinics after we found doctor-recommended medical marijuana without ever seeing a doctor.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
If you need an evaluation by a licensed MD please visit our website at www.accsocal.com to pre-qualify or call us at 866-420-7215
Related articles by Zemanta
- LA Sued Over New Marijuana Laws (huffingtonpost.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=de9bb87d-15ab-4cba-b1bf-fd05d54635fe)
,
March 29th, 2009
Marijuana advocates were not the only ones overjoyed when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that he was ending federal raids on medical marijuana facilities unless they are in violation of both state and federal laws. In budget-strapped California, for one, taxpayers are grateful. There, the fed crackdowns, which had continued despite the end of the state’s own raids, got in the way of upwards of $100 million in revenue from medical marijuana sales taxes in 2007, according to Americans for Safe Access (ASA), an advocacy group for prescription pot.
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is estimated to have spent more than $10 million from 2005 to 2007 on raids on California dispensaries alone. (Twelve other states have legalized medical marijuana.) Legal costs are almost impossible to calculate in the Golden State. “I suspect it’s well above $10 million and that doesn’t even take into account the fee for the time it’s taking me to defend these cases. The government doesn’t have to pay for that, but it’s certainly an expense,” says Joe Elford, staff attorney for the ASA . “It’s the beginning of the end hopefully, and it will save the taxpayers millions if not tens of millions of dollars.” He estimates that $500,000 is spent on the prosecution and incarceration of each individual facing charges. (See pictures from classic Hollywood stoner cinema.)
However, though enforcement on the state and federal level may now be virtually the same in the affected states, a large legal gray area remains. “They’ve only begun to scratch the surface on this,” says Dale Gieringer, California coordinator for NORML, a group lobbying to legalize marijuana. “They’re going to have to change the whole treatment of marijuana under federal law because you can’t just have a law laying around and say, ‘well we’re just not going to enforce it in this case’ and leave it like that. If they don’t change the law there are going to be issues for years to come.”
The problem is clearly evidenced in the cases of Charles C. Lynch and 30 to 40 other individuals who faced or were incarcerated for medical marijuana-related charges before the Obama Administration relaxed its policy. Lynch was convicted in federal court in 2008 on five counts including distributing marijuana through his dispensary, Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in Morro Bay, Calif. Lynch, 47, who believed he was complying with state laws regarding the running of his clinic — he had a business license for his dispensary, a nursery license for the marijuana plants he cultivated and the blessing of local city officials, including the mayor — was charged with violating both state and federal laws. Lynch’s defense team was not allowed to inform the jury that medical marijuana was legal in the state or that Lynch was compliant with state law. (Check out if pot is good for you.)
On Monday the judge postponed Lynch’s sentencing until April 30 and requested that prosecutors provide a written clarification from the Justice Department on the Obama Administration’s newly revised position that federal agents target marijuana distributors only if they violate both state and federal law. Thom Mrozek, spokesperson for the U.S. State Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said they were reviewing the judge’s request, but declined further comment.
Lynch’s attorney Reuven Cohen, deputy federal defender, said, “The bottom line is this: if this case were brought today Charlie would not be prosecuted period. And anyone who says otherwise is either completely lying or does not know the truth or the facts. If the people at main justice are provided with full and accurate information they will dismiss this case. If they are serious about what [Attorney-General Holder] said, in other words, that someone had to be in violation of federal and state law, then they will dismiss the case.”
The prosecution paints a more complex picture, contending that Lynch’s operation was pervaded by marijuana transactions outside of the store by his employees and customers; they claim that evidence showed that though Lynch may have not known of such transactions “the atmosphere and example that defendant set, and that his employees and customers followed, was not one of strict compliance with the law, but rather a casual, almost carnival-like attitude toward the use and distribution of marijuana.” One of the most serious federal charges leveled against Lynch was that he sold the drug to over 250 minors which is defined as under 18 under state law and under 21 under federal laws.
(Furthermore, the feds can still cite the double-requirement — violation of both state and federal laws — to justify a raid. Just a week after Holder’s announcement, the DEA raided Emmalyn’s California Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco, claiming it violated both sets of laws. Evidence used to justify the raid is currently sealed and not available to the public. However, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a source in the city government said that the state law that was broken was a sales tax violation. Emmalyn’s attorney and former District Attorney for the city, Terence Hallinan says “They’ve done everything they’re supposed to do. They haven’t done any of the things they’re accused of. Here a week after the Attorney General makes a statement they go ahead and make this raid. I think it’s just a slap in Obama’s face.”)
Marijuana advocates believe that what happens with Lynch will be a bellwether for other individuals currently facing charges related to medical marijuana. “All of these people are in a wild state of flux that Mr. Holder and Mr. Obama have placed them in,” says Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML. “[Charlie Lynch] is the case that will probably inform society where we’re going to go on this because he got arrested under the Bush Administration. He was a Main Street medical distributor who enjoyed the support of the town council, the mayor, quintessential local acceptance. His case has been caught up for months now in the [transition between the two] administrations. These defendants are caught in this sort of Alice in Wonderland of medical marijuana, between the states and federal government.”
While the Obama Administration cannot reverse the charges against Lynch, St. Pierre says it has great latitude over his sentencing. (State prosecutors have recommended the minimum mandatory sentence of five years in federal prison.) “They could commute his sentence. They can pardon his sentence. That will be very demonstrative as to what this new Administration will do about medical marijuana. They can influence it. They can dial back what had been overt federal opposition to medical marijuana and allow, as they should have from the beginning, local mores and values to dictate who is going to run afoul of the law.”
What do you think about this article? We would love to hear your opinion!
,
March 5th, 2009
The use of medical marijuana can no longer be the sole grounds for losing driving privileges.
In a policy revision — or clarification, depending upon who you speak with — the state Department of Motor Vehicles has determined, in writing, that the use of medical marijuana prescribed by a physician is to be treated the same as any other prescription medication that may affect safe driving.
The update came about after the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) filed suit on behalf of a 53-year-old Atwater woman who lost her driver’s license due to her use of medical marijuana.
”Despite Ms. [Rose] Johnson’s clean driving record, not having caused an accident in 37 years of driving, the DMV revoked her license on July 26, 2008,” according to the Americans for Safe Access’ announcement.
The specific DMV language, according to the ASA, cited Johnson’s addiction to or habitual use of a drug preventing her from safely operating a vehicle.
Prior to the case going to trial, the DMV added the change to its Driver Safety Procedure Manual and reinstated Johnson’s driving privileges, according to the ASA.
”The new DMV policy is a significant departure from how the agency approached medical marijuana in the past,” ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford said. “Drivers no longer have their licenses suspended or revoked simply because of their status as medical marijuana patients.”
DMV Information Officer Armando Botello said the agency has had the policy, but only now has put it in writing. Specifically, medical marijuana has been added, in writing, to the general class of prescription drugs that may affect driving, but do not warrant a suspension or revocation of driving privileges on their own.Americans for Safe Access media liaison Kris Hermes disputes that noting the number of medical marijuana patients whose licenses have been revoked or suspended because they had medical marijuana prescriptions continued in recent years.
”Advocates assert that the DMV policy of suspending and revoking the licenses of medical marijuana patients was widespread, occurring in at least eight California counties, including Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Glenn, Merced, Placer, Sacramento and Sonoma,” according to the Americans for Safe Access news release.
The employees of the Eureka DMV office said they are prohibited from speaking with the media, and Bortello said the agency’s classification of reasons behind license suspensions or revocations isn’t tracked by something as specific as being medical marijuana patients.
The cases are referred to regionally based hearing officers, he said, who receive lots and lots of cases.
”Medical marijuana might be one of hundreds,” Bortello said.
Hermes said Wednesday in a teleconference that the issue has nothing to do with driving under the influence — both Johnson and an earlier patient whose license was suspended did not drive while using medical marijuana or under its influence.
”It’s still a crime to drive under the influence of marijuana,” ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford said. Elford represented Johnson in the group’s lawsuit.
Instead, the issue was the DMV’s policy to revoke or suspend the licenses of medical marijuana patients solely on the basis of being medical marijuana patients.
What do you think about this article? We would love to hear your opinion!
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) — New research out of Spain suggests that THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — appears to prompt the death of brain cancer cells.
The finding is based on work with mice designed to carry human cancer tumors, as well as from an analysis of THC’s impact on tumor cells extracted from two patients coping with a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.
Explaining that the introduction of THC into the brain triggers a cellular self-digestion process known as “autophagy,” study co-author Guillermo Velasco said his team has isolated the specific pathway by which this process unfolds, and noted that it appears “to kill cancer cells, while it does not affect normal cells.”
Velasco is with the department of biochemistry and molecular biology in the School of Biology at Complutense University in Madrid. The findings were published in the April issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The Spanish researchers focused on two patients suffering from “recurrent glioblastoma multiforme,” a fast-moving form of brain cancer. Both patients had been enrolled in a clinical trial designed to test THC’s potential as a cancer therapy.
Using electron microscopes to analyze brain tissue taken both before and after a 26- to 30-day THC treatment regimen, the researchers found that THC eliminated cancer cells while it left healthy cells intact.
The team also was able, in what it described as a “novel” discovery, to track the signaling route by which this process was activated.
These findings were replicated in work with mice, which had been “engineered” to carry three different types of human cancer tumor grafts.
“These results may help to design new cancer therapies based on the use of medicines containing the active principle of marijuana and/or in the activation of autophagy,” Velasco said.
Outside experts suggested that more research is needed before advocating marijuana as a medicinal intervention for brain cancer.
Dr. John S. Yu, co-director of the Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program in the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said the findings were “not surprising.”
“There have been previous reports to this effect as well,” he said. “So this is yet another indication that THC has an anti-cancer effect, which means it’s certainly worth further study. But it does not suggest that one should jump at marijuana for a potential cure for cancer, and one should not urge anyone to start smoking pot right away as a means of curing their own cancer.”
But that’s exactly what many brain cancer patients have been doing, said Dr. Paul Graham Fisher, the Beirne Family director of Neuro-Oncology at Stanford University.
“In fact, 40 percent of brain tumor patients in the U.S. are already using alternative treatments, ranging from herbals to vitamins to marijuana,” he said. “But that actually points out a cautionary tale here, which is that many brain cancer patients are already rolling a joint to treat themselves, but we’re not really seeing brain tumors suddenly going away as a result, which we clearly would’ve noticed if it had that effect. So we need to be open-minded. But this suggests that the promise of THC might be a little over-hoped, and certainly requires further investigation before telling people to go out and roll a joint.”
What do you think about this article? We would love to hear your opinion!
Rochester, New York 12/12/2009 09:00 AM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Medical Marijuana, Inc. (PKS. MJNA) has acquired 20 acres of mountain valley property in Southern California. The property is planned on being used, within government guidelines, as a research facility to target specific strains of Cannabis to be used to treat a variety of medical conditions.
MicroCap Insider is a web-based financial portal that publishes a free penny stock newsletter providing stock alerts on companies positioned to deliver high-yield gains to investors. Sign Up for our Free Stock Newsletter
Currently, California law bases a patient’s medical cannabis on the physician’s recommendation. For instance if the patient is in need of a pain therapy they would use an Indica dominant strain. If the patient needs a more energetic and less cloudy high they would use a Sativa dominant strain. By developing the most efficient strains for specific medical conditions Medical Marijuana will be able to more effectively help patients to treat their illness.
Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA), an Oregon Corporation, was founded in March 2009 for the purpose of providing advanced business solutions to the rapidly expanding Medical Marijuana industry. MJNA provides integrated tax oversight and collection solutions to local, state and federal governments, while also providing business management solutions to the industry that will confidently ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
BY Neil Nagraj
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, December 1st 2009, 11:12 AM
As more and more states relax medical marijuana laws, a budding industry is taking seed.
Across the country, educational institutions dedicated to teaching the ins and outs of – legal – cannabis cultivation are taking root, ABCNews.com reports.
At Detroit-based Med Grow Cannabis College, after a five-week semester studying pot cultivation and business basics, students graduate armed with the skills needed to grow and dispense marijuana to the ill.
They also walk away equipped with a paper certificate to prove they’re “not just some Joe Schmoe off the street,” Med Grow’s 24-year-old founder, Nick Tennant, told ABCNews.com.
“Students should feel very confident that they’re going to succeed.”
Tennant opened Med Grow’s doors in September, just 10 months after Michigan voters said yes to the state’s medical pot law.
The aspiring entrepreneur was eying opportunities in medical pot long before it became legal and was ready to hit the ground running.
“We knew the law was going to get passed,” Tennant told ABCNews.com,
In addition to Michigan, 12 other states have okayed pot for medicinal use, ABCNews.com reports: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
The school currently employs 12 people at its 4,800-square-foot facility, ABCNews.com reports, and has about 60 students enrolled during this class cycle.
And at least one other institution of higher learning is giving a kind reception to Med Grow.
“We welcome competition,” Salwa Ibrahim of California’s Oaksterdam University told ABCNews.com. “Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is change laws locally and federally.”
Oaksterdam, founded in 2007, is the nation’s oldest such institution, and, with three campuses, 50 employees, and 5,500 alums, has earned the distinction of being the Harvard of cannabis colleges.
But lest would-be students get the wrong idea and think Med Grow is a party school, Tennant was emphatic to ABCNews.com that instructors stressed lessons were for medicinal purposes only.
“I run a very tight operation here,” he said.
- Image via Wikipedia
“From years of clinical experience, I… knew that marijuana could actually help her. From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient’s debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss. I could firmly attest to its benefits.”
-Kate Scannell, MD the co-director of the Ethics Department of Kaiser
In addition to overwhelming anecdotal evidence, continued research is showing that cannabis, or marijuana, is extremely effective in the treatment of nausea and lack of appetite associated with the side effects of cancer chemotherapy drugs.
Furthermore, the side-effects of marijuana are classified as “low risk” and in some cases even desirable—mild euphoria, for example. While marijuana is contra-indicated for some patients, it is not physically addictive and often considered a preferable alternative to harsher, higher-risk treatments for pain, nausea, and loss of appetite associated with cancer, chemotherapy and radiation.
Perhaps even more exciting, recent studies are showing that cannabinoids, the chemical compound found in cannabis, may fight cancer more directly by impacting cells to prevent the growth of tumors. According to a study published by the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine, “injections of synthetic THC eradicated malignant brain tumors in one-third of treated rats, and prolonged life in another third by as much as six weeks.” [1]
If you are interested in learning more about possible benefits of marijuana for cancer patients, contact Alternative Care Clinics of Southern California at (866) 420-7215.
[1] Galve-Roperph I et al (2000). Antitumoral action of cannabinoids:
involvement of sustained ceramide accumulation of ERK activation.
Nature Medicine 6 313-319; ACM Bulletin. “THC destroys brain cancer
in animal research.”
http://www.acmed.org/english/2000/eb000305.html
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4f7f61ab-950e-471f-a41e-1598331364b4)
To further service our patients Alternative Care Clinics is offering qualified patients a voluntary Medical Marijuana Patient Verification Card.
The card fits conveniently in your pocket or wallet and is made of a high quality, super durable plastic that’s made to last. Cards will be issued to qualified patients at the time of the evaluation.
Keep in mind
*The card that ACC offers to our patients is not a state or county ID card. It is for verification purposes only and allows patients to be verified quickly and conveniently.
*The state ID card is voluntary. Some counties do not offer the state ID card yet. The fee for the state ID card is set by each county and may vary from county to county.
*Counties that offer a state issued medical marijuana ID card in Southern California:
Riverside: www.rivcommic.org
Los Angeles: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/mmip/
Orange County: http://www.ochealthinfo.com/mmic/index.htm
Imperial County Health Department: (760) 482-4438
Ventura County Medical Marijuana Identification Program http://portal.countyofvenutra.org/portal
San Bernardino Medical Marijuana Identification Card http://www.sbcounty.gov
San Diego Medical Marijuana Identification Card http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/hhsa/programs/phs/mmic/
