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The real “Dope” about
Medical Marijuana/Cannabis use
By
David Hopkins (contact
David)
My name is David Hopkins. I have been asked
to write some useful information concerning medical
Marijuana and its use.
I
am also a medical Marijuana grower/smoker. I’m what
many would call a “veteran user”, having smoked
Marijuana for pleasure on and off for the last forty
years. I now suffer from an advanced medical condition
that causes me severe pain daily, and my weight has
fallen from 250 pounds down to 135 pounds in a little
over a year. My appetite is practically non-existent as
well. Now my reasons for smoking Marijuana have changed.
For me and countless others, Marijuana is a safe,
effective and predictable source of relief from many
medical conditions/symptoms.
It
is still, however, illegal in many parts of the world.
It can also be a very dangerous outing to try and locate
some “dope” from dodgy sorts standing in darkened
corners of the street who may just as easily run off
with your money, or hand you a packet of something that
doesn’t even resemble Marijuana. Buyers
beware! Don’t put yourself in illegal and
potentially harmful situations just to “score” a
little pot for your personal use. Growing your own is a
much better…and safer…option. I’ll tell you more
on that subject a little later.
Having
said all that, things are slowly changing for the
better. And with continued pressure from those of us who
express a real need for this easily-grown natural
remedy, the people in public office who compose and
enforce these ridiculous laws that we all are expected
to abide by will change their narrow-minded thinking and
see Marijuana for what it really is. A natural, medical
marvel.
My
condition has advanced to the point that I now require
Morphine Sulphate patches every day. These must be worn
constantly, but even morphine patches are not enough to
keep my pain completely at bay. So, I supplement the
patches with Marijuana that I grow right here in my own
home so I can control its overall quality and grow any
kind of Marijuana I like. The combination of the two
medications makes my life live able. I am able to think
more clearly, eat, move around and even “work” on my
computer. This gives me the opportunity to tell others
who seek more knowledge concerning relief for their own
physical problems, about the amazing benefits of this
most misunderstood of all plants.
Now
that you know a little about me and my recent medical
history, we’ll move on. You should understand that
“Marijuana” and “Cannabis” are two different
names that refer to the exact same plant-- Cannabis
Sativa. But rest assured that no matter what you call
it, Marijuana or Cannabis, they are one-in-the-same
plant. “Hemp” is also a variety of this versatile
plant, but it’s grown for fibre and oil production
rather than for THC content. Hemp only contains an
average of something like 0.00025 percent THC. In other
words, you cannot get “high” by smoking it, no
matter how much you consumed. For our purposes we’ll
stick to talking about the more familiar
Marijuana/Cannabis. But what’s in a name?
American’s,
Canadians, and many other “Western” cultures refer
to this wonderful, most helpful weed (and it is exactly
that…a weed) as “Marijuana”, which originally was
a derogatory slang term for young Mexican men who
secretly smoked the wild herb a couple of centuries ago
in old Mexico. The name somehow attached itself to the
plant, and it is known to many as Marijuana to this day.
In
most European countries, however, the plant is called
“Cannabis” which, of course, is half its proper
name. Some of the more common slang terms for Cannabis
are: Pot, Reefer, Puff, Ganja, Grass, Pot, Gear, BoB
Hope (Dope…Cockney rhyming slang), DirtY DeeD
(Weed…Cockney rhyming slang), Herb, Dope, Mary Jane,
etc. Slang words for Marijuana and Cannabis may be
completely different in your part of the world.
Now,
here’s a bit of information about the plant itself.
There are three distinctly different kinds of
Marijuana/Cannabis. They are: Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis
Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis. Cannabis
Ruderalis is a variety that grows wild in parts of
Eastern Europe and Russia. It’s occasionally
used in hybrids (an intentional crossing of two
different types of Cannabis) to help the resulting
plants be better able to cope with the cold weather. It
is not generally thought of as a consumer strain, so
we’ll confine our talk to Sativa’s and Indica’s.
The
“high” a person experiences when smoking a
sufficient amount of pure or mostly pure Indica-- such
as Warlock or Medicine Man-- is more of a heavy “body
stone”. You may feel lethargic, tired, unwilling to
attend to reality tasks. Experienced users call this
“Couch Lock”. You really just want to let alone to
sit and think deep, intellectual thoughts as you enjoy
the pain relief. You may find it very hard to stay awake
as well, so this sort of strain would be good for those
having trouble sleeping. This is the best sort of
“high” for easing pain and most of the other
symptoms already listed here. A good Indica/Sativa cross
can also offer the best of both worlds. There are many
breeders who work hard to develop strains that will
accomplish just that-- give you a great head high
coupled with a relaxing and definitely
medically-beneficial strong body stone.
Sativa’s,
on the other hand, offer more of a “head high”. This
type of high is the one most associated with hilarious
fits of laughter, long discussions about nothing,
enhanced audio and visual senses. You hear things in
songs you’ve never heard before, see things in movies
you’ve watched a dozen times but never noticed before.
Strolling through brightly-lit malls becomes a whole new
and exciting adventure. In other words, smoking a pure
Sativa or mostly Sativa hybrid will make you feel great!
Energetic and social and ready for fun! And depending on
the particular strain of Sativa/Indica cross you smoke,
you may get a good measure of pain relief in the deal as
well. Consuming (eating) either strain or hybrid of the
two results in a stronger, longer-lasting high. But it
doesn’t feel as good as smoking the herb does to many
who have tried it. It’s a matter of experience and
personal taste. It really depends on what effect you are
looking for when making your seed selection and choosing
a way to ingest it.
Now,
here’s a bit of boring, but very important,
information regarding the weed you’re interested in
smoking or eating. You should always find out as much
about something you’re going to put into your body as
you can, before
you try it.
THC
(Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive component
present in Cannabis. In other words it’s the component
in Marijuana that gives you the pleasant “high”
feeling. But it doesn’t work alone to produce that
feeling. There are a cocktail of chemical components
found in Cannabis. Recent research has proved THC to be
medically useful. CBN is a non-psychoactive agent, and
is the component that makes the weed smell and taste so
nice after it’s harvested and cured properly. It can
also cause drowsiness and other similarly unwanted, but
mild, side-affects.
Different
strains help different types of medical conditions. Some
of the additional chemical components found in Marijuana
are: Cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC),
cannabidiol (CBD), delta-8-THC, cannabicyclol (CBL),
cannabinol (CBN), cannabitriol (CBT), cannabavarin (THCU).
All are known to have psychoactive and pharmacological
effects.
Animal
testing has shown that CBN and THC reduce IOP (intraocular
pressure), but CBD does not. CBD has, however, been
found to have anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects.
Also, unlike THC, CBD alone is not effective in treating
pain. Though it does act as a sedative and can relieve
muscle spasms. Medical studies also show CBD can improve
sleep. CBD is also reported to be effective for
treatment of dystopias, Huntington’s disease,
Parkinson’s disease, and neuropathic conditions.
The
most desirable strains for medical use are ones that
have been genetically developed by experts to have an
extremely low CBN concentration while maintaining an
available range of THC concentrates. These include:
“Durban Poison” (Nirvana
Seeds), “Haze” (Nirvana
Seeds), “Reclining Buddha” (Soma
Seeds), “Power Plant” (Nirvana
Seeds), and “Skunk #1” (Dutch
Passion Seeds).
Note: I offer no testimonial
to the standing-- good or bad-- of any of the seed banks
listed above. I am simply guiding you toward sites where
these particularly-beneficial seed strains are readily
available. DH
Cannabis
Properties
Cannabis
has been claimed to help with a large number of
wide-ranging symptoms. However, research has concluded
three major properties which are medically useful.
Cannabis is:
-
an
analgesic (relieves pain)
-
an
anti-emetic (relieves nausea and vomiting)
-
an
appetite stimulant (induces hunger)
A
very large and growing community of people with medical
complaints such as severe chronic pain use Cannabis for
medicinal purposes without the after-affects and damage
associated with many of today's commonly-prescribed
medications. Typically, medical Cannabis use is
practised by AIDS and MS patients, but it is certainly
not limited to just these conditions. THC is also one of
the safest active substances known to man, and has a
wide variety of therapeutic applications including, but
certainly not limited to:
-
Reduction
of muscle spasms.
-
Relief
from chronic pain.
-
Relief
from nausea and increase of appetite.
-
Marijuana
is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the
following conditions:
-
AIDS.
Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss
of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by
various AIDS medications.
-
Glaucoma.
Marijuana can reduce interlobular pressure, thereby
alleviating the pain, and slowing -- and sometimes
stopping -- the progress of the condition. Glaucoma
is the leading cause of blindness in the United
States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure
over time.
-
Cancer.
Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate
nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects
of chemotherapy treatment.
-
Multiple
Sclerosis. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and
spasticity caused by the disease, as well as
relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. Multiple
sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological
disability among young and middle-aged adults in the
United States.
-
Epilepsy.
Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some
patients.
-
Chronic
Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often
debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and
injuries.
-
Many
patients also report that Marijuana is useful for
treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps,
alcohol and opiate addiction, depression and other
debilitating mood disorders.
Nearly
all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects.
Marijuana is not such a substance. There is not a single
record in the extensive medical literature describing a
proven, documented, cannabis-induced fatality. Simply
stated, researchers have been unable to give animals
enough Marijuana to induce death. In practical terms,
Marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of
drug-related toxicity. In strict medical terms,
Marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly
consume. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the
safest therapeutically-active substances known to man.
DEA
Administrative Law Judge, FL Young, 1988
Here
are some great sources for individual research regarding
Medical Marijuana and its use, trends, current laws,
etc., Additional reference material can also be found at
these Internet addresses.
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13625.html
http://www.marijuana-as-medicine.org/
http://www.csdp.org/news/news/medmar.htm
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