Friday Thoughts on Upcoming 420 Celebrations

Friday, April 17, 2009

Just a Couple of Friday Hemp Factoids

The Cannabis Community is all abuzz as we approach April 20th (4/20) and the various and assorted planned activities around that day. Myself...I am leery as I watch the American News media beating a rather ugly sounding anti Marijuana Drum since Barack Obama took office...I see it as a "Custer's Last Stand" on the part of the DEA who does not want to lose what has been a very profitable enforcement run for them...as example, legalization of Medical Marijuana would see enforcement issues and inspection handed over to the FDA, and Industrialized Hemp oversight would probably go to the USDA. The just say no message is being tweaked and amped up, and we have some heavy hitters (Hillary Clinton, Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder) in the Obama administration blaming the Mexican Drug War on American Pot Smokers.

Some Factoids (Hemptoids)

1. At least 2/3's of American Marijuana Consumption (both legal and illegal) is grown right here in America, and we could easily grow 100 percent of our consumption if Cannabis and Hemp were legalized.

2. The Drug Cartel's and their war is not really about Marijuana, but instead is about Heroin and Cocaine and the routes needed to get their products into America.

On 420, have fun, CELEBRATE OUR DAY, but I would ask each and every one of my fellow Budsters out there in 420 land to remember the goal of Legalization, and consider signing up to do some volunteer work for the cause. We need state and city bloggers ourselves. ASA (Americans for Safe Access) and NORML probably have lots of volunteer work waiting for a set of hands that wants to pitch in.

We cannot realize our dream without every Cannabis Friendly American doing their part for the cause, and while we are on the subject, lets not forget that our friends in Canada are dealing with many of the same issues and harrassments we ourselves face.

Tags: 420, cannabis, dea, friendly, hemp, legalization, marijuana, medical, obama,

Hemptoids-small, sometimes rarely known facts about Hemp and Cannabis.

How to Find the Best Medical Marijuana Doctors

From the Medical Marijuana Blog

Medical marijuana has been through a long road of controversy, and the field and study still have a long way to go. Currently about a fourth of US states allow patients to take medical marijuana legally for various medical conditions. The scientific evidence keeps piling up in favor of medicinal cannabis, and many patients are seeing vast improvement in their symptoms with this treatment.

Studies have shown that medical marijuana can aid in reducing symptoms of terminal illnesses such as AIDS and cancer, by helping pain and nausea from treatment and also increasing appetite. Some doctors and researchers also believe that cannabidol can help anxiety, glaucoma, depression, arthritis, convulsion and inflammation. Each new study that comes out finds new possible ways medicinal cannabis can help those who need it.

If you would like to be evaluated by a doctor to see if medical marijuana would help you, ask your current doctor for an evaluation. If you have a condition where this medicine has been used as a treatment, your doctor may give you a recommendation to try medical cannabis.

In the states that have laws deeming this practice legal, there may also be medical marijuana doctors who have a specialty in seeing patients interested in obtaining treatment. Many argue that these doctors are the best ones to go to, if this treatment is what you seek. When researching doctors, look for those that are medical cannabis specialists though before you go see one, you should already have a diagnosis and medical records from your regular doctor.

To find the best medical marijuana doctor in your area, look to a trusted source for recommendations. The WeedMaps.com website has a list of trustworthy cannabis doctors in California. The Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center also has a list of doctors at their seven Southern California locations.

If you do not have a Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center clinic in your area, specialty wellness clinics may also have medical cannabis specialists at their offices. Look for the words holistic, wellness, or natural care in the office name. These types of clinics often participate in non-traditional treatments for their patients and may be able to help you with a consultation.

The patient card is becoming the favored form of identification for medical marijuana patients, as it is much smaller and easier to carry around than the recommendation letter. This more discreet form of ID can be shown at medicinal clinics to obtain medicine and has all the information necessary on it, including your photo and an expiration date.

To obtain a patient card from somewhere other than a clinic, you can go through the state. You will need to fill out an application in most cases and pay a fee check with your local county office to see what kind of identification is needed to fill out the application and obtain the medical marijuana card. Usually you will want to contact the local Public Health office in your county.

As more scientific studies keep being published, we will most likely see more and more doctors recommending the use of medical cannabis to reduce symptoms of many painful diseases. The controversy of medical marijuana as a treatment will decrease with time, as it often does with new treatments.

Using the internet to find a medical marijuana doctor is still the most common way. Directory listings may not give much information, but seeing which doctors trusted cannabis foundations like the Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center recommend can narrow the list down. Call to make your consultation appointment, and you can be on your way to receiving treatment.

Please let us know your thoughts on having a specialist medical marijuana doctor, treat your medical conditions.

Florida Medical Marijuana Petition is Certified

Political Action Committee pushes for medical marijuana use in Florida


The Political Action Committee (PAC) People United For Medical Marijuana (PUFMM) pushes for legalized medical marijuana use in Florida

Florida residents with debilitating illnesses would have the option of treating their pain and symptoms with medical marijuana if Florida becomes the next state to allow its use for medicinal purposes.

A petition is circulating now for signatures seeking to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2010 ballot posing the issue of allowing the seriously ill to use legalized medical marijuana (lmm) for medical treatment.

The Florida Division of Elections last week approved the petition for PUFMM (PAC) proposing the amendment, thus allowing People United for Medical Marijuana to start collecting voters’ signatures.

“Our first threshold is to get close to 68,000 signatures to give to the (Florida) Supreme Court for their approval,” said Kim Russell, founder and chairwoman of the committee. “By Feb. 1, we must have 700,000 signatures.”

Russell, a stay-at-home mother who lives in Orlando became involved in the cause because of her father’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Legalized Medical Marijuana can help stop the further degeneration associated with the illness.

She is confident enough registered Florida voters will sign the petition necessary to get the amendment question on the ballot. The group also hopes to raise $5 million to promote the cause.

The petition language says nobody would be deprived or penalized for the cultivation, purchase, use or possession of medical marijuana in connection with the treatment of diseases or illnesses when its use was recommended by a physician.

Supporters tried in 1998 to get a medical marijuana question on the ballot but it didn’t make it. At that time, Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) and other groups said campaigns are couched as a compassionate plea for the sick and dying but are really designed to be a foothold for a bigger objective of full blown legalization of marijuana.

The police chief’s association has not addressed the latest petition and will not revisit it now, according to Amy Mercer, a spokeswoman for the association. If it does become a legislative issue, then the group will take it up again.

Meanwhile, the association’s 1998 position against medical marijuana still stands, she said.

Russell says misconceptions about marijuana for medicinal purposes can be blamed on the federal government labeling it decades ago as a Schedule 1 drug with no medicinal value. Instead, it was lumped together with other drugs such as LSD and cocaine.

“It’s been proven time and time again to have lots of medicinal uses,” she said.

According to the PUFMM PAC, there are 1.7 million seriously ill people in Florida who could benefit from medcial marijuana be provided relief from their pain. Medical Marijuana could help stop the spread of breast cancer, treat arthritis, glaucoma and other conditions. In Parkinson’s patients, it stops tremors and prevents further deterioration.

The American Medical Association last December at a House of Delegates meeting in Orlando “referred for study” proposed action to support reclassifying of marijuana and urged law enforcement agencies to stop prosecuting doctors and patients in medical marijuana states.

The Florida Medical Association in 1997 endorsed medical marijuana when the issue was in California and recanted the position shortly afterward, Russell said. A spokesman for the FMA on Friday could not say what the association’s current position is on medical marijuana.

Thirteen states have passed medical marijuana laws; most recently in Michigan last November where a two-thirds majority of voters approved a ballot proposition to allow people with serious or terminal illnesses to use marijuana if certified by a doctor. If the issue gets on the Florida ballot and is passed by voters, Russell said she would like to see the law modeled after Oregon which has experienced a low abuse rate.

The Medical Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., says the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association and the Leukemia/Lymphoma Association are among groups that support medical marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The PAC’s Web site is http://www.pufmm.org/ and the petition can be downloaded, printed and mailed back to the group.