What is Medical Marijuana | Chronic Pain Relief | THC & CBD
Cannabis 101 Guide
These are Joe’s 30 mg morphine pills. Joe is a badly injured Vietnam vet who no longer takes morphine thanks to cannabis. Cannabis freed him from the debilitating side effects of morphine and allows him to effectively manage his pain.
In 2011, Christopher Williams’ Montana state-approved medical marijuana operation was raided by the DEA. Since that time, he has lost everything he cares about, including precious time parenting his teenage son. Chris is now 22 months into a five year prison sentence. His case caught my attention when I watched Code of the West, an excellent documentary about the fight over Montana’s medical marijuana laws.
Because federal law trumps state law, the fact that Chris and his business partners (who by the way included an attorney and the person who wrote Montana’s medical marijuana law) were operating under a state license was not allowed to be entered into evidence. During Chris’ trial and sentencing, federal judge Dana Christensen made clear that the court did not consider him in violation of Montana’s medical marijuana act. He also expressed regret and reservation about having his decision forced by mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines.
What has happened in this case and many other non-violent marijuana related cases is unconscionable to me. How is it that murderers, rapist and pedophiles get shorter sentences? The problem lies in our federal cannabis policy, our skewed and illogical social view of the dangers of cannabis and with mandatory minimums. Chris’s business was considered the “gold-standard” in Montana. Instead of taking a plea deal Chris opted to have his day in court. As a result Chris’ sentence is vastly different from his co-defendants. In fact, Chris has been sentenced to more prison time that any other citizen subjected to the federal cannabis raids of 2011.
Originally Chris was looking at life in prison. Because of the incredible amount of media coverage of this trial, federal prosecutors backed off – a little. The “deal” he was made was that he would get 5 years if he agreed not to appeal. Now, his only option for a shorter prison stay is by the mercy of the President. Thus, Chris has applied for Clemency with the Office of the Pardon Attorney via the U.S. Department of Justice. If it passes that hurdle it will be advanced to the President for a decision.
If you feel that Chris has been treated unjustly like I do, please take a moment to write a letter to the Pardon Attorney in support of his request. To make it as easy as possible for people to support Chris in his request for Clemency, we have a downloadable letter here for you to sign, print and put in the mail.
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Chris Williams Clemency letter in Word format |
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Chris Williams Clemency letter in PDF format |
If you would like to keep up with Chris you can do so through his new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/freechristopherwilliams. Should you want to help support Chris financially you can find instructions on his Facebook page. Please note that any donations provided through the old Facebook page, via PayPal, is no longer a valid way of supporting him. You can write to Chris directly at Christopher Williams, Federal Prison Camp Unit 6 #8, P.O. Box 6000, Sheridan, O.R. 97378.
To put money on a prisoner’s books you have two options:
Marijuana POWs
Chris is one of many people serving unjust and absurd sentences for non-violent cannabis offenses all across this country. Their stories will break your heart. Some of them are in prison for life and some of those merely for possession. Check out Cheri Sicard’s monthly Marijuana POW column http://marijuana.com/news/ to learn more about Marijuana POWs and what you can do to help them. Chris William will be profiled in November.
This blog was written by Nishi Whiteley the curator of www.MyChronicRelief.com and the author of the forthcoming book Chronic Relief: A guide to cannabis for the terminally and chronically ill.
“Cannabis is the single most versatile herbal remedy, and the most useful plant on Earth. No other single plant contains as wide a range of medically active herbal constituents.” – Dr. Ethan Russo, Neurologist, Botanist and Cannabis Expert ; President, International Association for Cannabinoid Medicine
Imagine one day that you are seemingly enjoying perfect health. Then all of a sudden, you notice that your hand is shaky. In a matter of months other muscles in your body are twitching, then your speech becomes heavy and you start to notice that breathing isn’t as easy as it once was. It becomes difficult to do simple tasks like bathe and clothe yourself. Even a few trips to the doctor yield no result. Lifting of any kind seems impossible. You have no energy and find yourself laughing and or crying uncontrollably for some unknown reason. Before you know it, your body is weak, your muscles have atrophied to the point you are a shell of your former self. You can no longer breathe on your own and require a ventilator to live and you are confined to a wheel chair where you sit idly, drooling and unable to control your body. This is the work of the horrific disease of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). While no two people will have the same experience of the symptoms that I mentioned above, they will all suffer many indignities associated with their ability to move, eat, speak and breathe. And most will die of respiratory failure.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, generally strikes people between the ages of 40-70. A degenerative motor neuron disease, ALS according to the ALS Association, “affects the motor neuron cells in the brain and the spinal cord.” When the motor neurons die, the brain can no longer initiate nor control muscle movement.
Two people in 100,000 are diagnosed with ALS or approximately 5,600 people per year. At any given time there are 30,000 Americans suffering with ALS. Thanks to the ALS Association Ice Bucket Challenge, over $50 Million have been raised to research this terrible disease. To date, pharmaceuticals barely provide any modicum of relief to these patients and certainly do not offer a slowing or cessation of the development of the disease. There is NO cure. These patients often experience rapid health decline causing immense stress for the patient and their loved ones. It is rare for someone to live with this disease 7-10 years after diagnosis.
Enter the cannabis plant…This safe, effective and non-toxic herb offers some hope to those with ALS.
Cannabis is both an anti-oxidant and a neuroprotectant as documented in the federal government’s patent 6,630,507 on cannabis. In the case of ALS, this is critically important because the neuroprotectant and anti-oxidant properties of cannabis may help slow the progression of the disease by protecting the motor neurons the disease attacks and kills (Gregory T. Carter 201). The anti-oxidant properties of cannabis help reduce the oxidative stress at a cellular level that contributes to cell death.
Animal research has shown that both synthetic and plant derived THC (one of the many active components of the cannabis plant and the primary psychoactive component – see Cannabinoid & Terpene section below) counteracted neurodegeneration (Stephen Byer 2013). This research has not yet been conducted in human clinical trials but a study by Dr. Mary Abood has shown that symptomatic relief was measured for appetite, insomnia and spasticity in ALS patients (Stephen Byer 2013). The two studies and the large body of scientific work that has already been conducted prove the safety of cannabis warrants further investigation of cannabis and cannabinoids for treatment of ALS.
From a symptom management or palliative care perspective, cannabis can provide great relief for ALS patients. The symptoms of ALS that cannabis can help address are as follows:
Image Source: (Gregory T. Carter 201)
Dr. Gary T. Carter, Medical Director of the St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane Washington, gave a presentation at the 2014 Patient’s Out of Time Eighth National Clinical conference on Cannabis Therapeutics that addressed the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. Speaking about the safety and efficacy of cannabis for ALS, Dr. Carter said, “we know more about cannabis than 95% of other medicines. Cannabis is custom made to treat ALS (Carter 2014).” Dr. Carter is an expert in treating neuromuscular disorders and has seen many ALS patients benefit from the use of cannabis.
Cannabinoids are the primary pharmaceutically active chemical in the cannabis plant. There are over a 100 that have been discovered but only a handful have been well researched. The two most common cannabinoids are delta-9 tetrahydrocanbinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBD). Each of these cannabinoids are important in the management of ALS.
THC is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis and can be helpful in reducing inflammation and pain. CBD dampens the negative effects of THC (rapid heartbeat/unwanted psycho-activity), and provides a happier high than with just THC alone. CBD helps relieve muscle spasms, is an anti-inflammatory and a more powerful anti-oxidant than vitamins C or E (Russo 2010). Other important cannabinoids to ALS suffers include cannabinol (CBN) and anti-convulsant, tethrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) an anti-inflammatory, cannabichormene (CBC) an anti-inflammatory, analgesic (pain killer) and promotes brain growth, and cannbicyclol (CBL) a pain killer (Carter 2014).
Every cannabis sample will have a different chemical make-up of a variety of active chemical components including cannabinoids and terpenes. Terpenes are the most widely occurring class of chemicals in nature and are considered safe by the FDA. You find them in lemon, lavender and pine trees to name a few. Terpenes in cannabis are thought to provide a synergistic effect with the cannabinoids, meaning some of the “therapeutic effect” of cannabis and much of the experience of the “high” are driven by the terpenes.
If you don’t like the experience of a particular plant sample, try another one. In states where cannabis is legal, be sure to buy cannabis that has been tested for safety and that provides a chemical profile of the percentages of the different cannabinoids and terpenes present in the sample you buy. This will go a long way in helping determine a strain of cannabis that provides the desired effect.
Each human body is different and will respond differently to the different chemical make-up in each plant sample. It may take a while to find the best plant material, chemical ratios and intake methods for the patient. Although cannabis is classified as a Schedule 1 drug and considered to have “no known medical value” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, cannabis is considered to be one of the safest and most active pharmacologically active plants on the planet. It is a safe and versatile medicine with no lasting side-effects and very low toxicity.
Talk to your doctor about what will be best for you. If you do not have a doctor in your area, see if you can find a cannabis savvy physician who will give you a consult over the phone. The following are some of the primary intake methods of cannabis.
Inhalation – One of the benefits of using inhaled cannabis to treat these symptoms is that one will get relief almost immediately and have the ability to titrate the medicine as they need. The most popular ways of using inhaled cannabis are via a cannabis cigarette called a joint, a pipe or a bong. Each of these methods directly combust the plant material creating bi-products such as smoke and tars that can irritate the lungs. A gadget called a vaporizer is thought to be a much better choice for anyone using cannabis for therapeutic use. A vaporizer heats the plant material to a certain temperature that activates the cannabinoids releasing them and their complementary terpenes into a clean vapor that can be inhaled with considerably less potential for irritation.
Edibles – Cannabis edibles are preferred by some patients because they get both a stronger effect from the cannabis and sustained relief. It is important to note that when cannabis is ingested it must be metabolized in the liver which can take 30 minutes to three hours depending on one’s body chemistry, potency of the edible and amount of food in their system. It is much more difficult to titrate a cannabis edible than when vaporizing. It may take some time and practice to find the right dose. Each patient is different and therefore, so will their therapeutic dose. Over-consumption of a cannabis edible can be fairly uncomfortable. Avoid this by starting with extremely small doses and waiting three hours before taking more. Depending on one’s body chemistry, the potency of the plant material and the amount of cannabis consumed, an edible can provide sustained relief for 6-9 hours.
Tinctures -Tinctures are suitable for feeding tubes (Carter 2014). In this case, and in the case of patients swallowing the cannabis tincture, the tincture will be processed and metabolized in the body in the same way as a cannabis edible providing similar activation and relief times. If the tincture is taken under the tongue it will move the blood brain barrier almost immediately acting more quickly in a similar fashion to inhaled cannabis. The patient may experience 45 minutes to 3 hours of relief depending on their chemistry, dose, and tincture potency.
Topicals – Topical cannabis applications have strong anecdotal evidence for providing relief for joint pain. There is little if any research in this area, however, many people do report getting sustained muscle and joint relief by using topical products.
Oil – High concentration cannabis oil made from the cannabis plant – NOT HEMP – has anecdotally been reported to help fight cancer, M.S., A.I.D.S. and a variety of other diseases that either attack the nervous system, or result in damage to the nervous system. Visit our Cannabis Intake Methods page for more information about cannabis oil. The science in this area is lacking but promising.
Cautions for Using Cannabis with ALS
While cannabis is safe and has very low toxicity, it can provide undesirable side effects for some including heart palpitations and dizziness. Generally speaking this is caused by the patient using too much or using a plant sample that is not ideal for their body. In the case of overconsumption or low tolerance the unwanted side effects will subside in 45 minutes to three hours for inhalation and 6-9 hours for an ingested preparation.
Please talk with your doctor about cannabis!
BLOG DEDICATION: This blog is written in honor to Terrell Hamann and Gay Lindgren, two people from my hometown who have recently been diagnosed with ALS and family friend Jimmy White who has been fighting the good fight for years!
NOTE: This blog was written by Nishi Whiteley the author of the forthcoming book Chronic Relief: A guide to cannabis for the terminally and chronically ill and the curator of the website www.MyChronicRelief.com . This information is for educational purposes and is not intended to replace medical or legal advice. Cannabis is illegal at the federal level and in most states. If you live in a state that allows cannabis for medical use, please consult with your doctor in advance of utilizing cannabis.
References:
Carter, Dr. Gary T. “Cannabis in the Management of Neuromuscular Disorders.” The Endocannabinoid System and Age Related Disease. Eight National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapuetics Binder. Portland: Patient’s Out of Time, 2014.
Russo, Ethan B. “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects.” British Journal of Pharmacology, 2010: 1344-1364.
Stephen Byer, Barbara Byer. Medical Marijuana. Madison, Wisconsin: ALS World Wide, 2013.
Cannabis has 20 times the Anti-Inflammatory Power of Aspirin & 2 times more than Hydrocortisone.
Worldwide Marijuana March on the Texas Capitol Set for Saturday May 3 at 4:00 PM
April 30, 2014 Austin, Texas – The annual Worldwide Marijuana March occurs on the first Saturday of May across the globe to raise awareness for the need for global cannabis law reform. The Austin chapter of Texas NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), will host one of approximately 300 marches occurring on Saturday May 3rd throughout the world. Austin participants will assemble at 4:00 pm at the Austin City Hall and walk up Congress Avenue to the Texas Capitol. Speakers are scheduled to begin at 5:45 pm and will include: Bill Norton, Co-Founder of Texas NORML; Heather Fazio, Marijuana Policy Project; Vincent Lopez, Texas NORML’s Director of Patient Outreach and the founder of the Patient’s Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics. Music will be provided by Jessica of The Love Leighs.
Cannabis possession is illegal at the federal level based on policies that have NOTHING to do with science but instead are based in fear, greed, ignorance and racism. Current cannabis laws are a drain on our tax dollars for a war on drugs that is not working, retards economic growth, promotes black markets, stresses our criminal justice system diverting attention from serious crime and makes criminals out of otherwise productive citizens. Twenty-one states have established medical cannabis laws that allow access to cannabis for medical use with Colorado and Washington voting also for legalization of recreational use. However, federal law trumps state law, leaving every patient, grower, cannabis business and cannabis user vulnerable under federal law. The U.S. Attorney General has the authority to change the schedule classification of cannabis and has ignored the recommendations from three Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrative Law Judges, that recommended that they do just that. The AG has abdicated responsibility to the President who has yielded to Congress on the issue – thus far. In Texas, cannabis laws must be changed at the legislative level. A public ballot initiative is not an option as it has been in many other states. Thus, it is important for cannabis advocates to let their state and national elected officials know that cannabis law reform is a critically important issue to them so lawmakers can carry out the will of their constituents.
Currently, cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug which is considered by the DEA to be highly addictive and have no known medical use. Yet, the science shows that cannabis is less addictive than caffeine, has no serious side effects and has tremendous versatility to treat a wide variety of chronic symptoms such as pain, inflammation, nausea/vomiting, depression and more. Science also indicates that components of the cannabis plant have strong anti-cancer properties including slowing tumor growth and in certain cancers it has created cell death in human cells.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently holds patents on cannabinoids – one category of active components of the cannabis plant – for their neuroprotectant and antioxidant properties. How is it possible that one branch of government sees the medical value of the cannabis plant for not only its ability to manage many chronic symptoms of disease but also the possibility of using cannabis to change progression of diseases like diabetes, cancer and Alzhiemer’s, and another branch says that it has no known medical use?
Polls done by the Marijuana Policy Project (9-2013), the Texas Tribune (2-2014) and the Austin Business Journal (2-2014) show that a majority of Texans support the legalization of cannabis. The March on the Capitol is a great opportunity for the public and the media to get educated about this issue and show their support for cannabis law reform. Many well informed people will be on hand to answer your questions including cannabis educator and author, Nishi Whiteley, the author of the forthcoming book, Chronic Relief: A guide to cannabis for the terminally and chronically ill.
*If you live outside of the Austin area, contact your local NORML chapter for their march details.
Fear | Greed | Racism | Ignorance What do these words have in common? They are the basis of our National Cannabis Policy. Not Science. Learn more about cannabis science at https://www.mychronicrelief.com.
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