I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to read this overview regarding your proposal on Medical Cannabis dispensaries. I have been a resident of our community since the early 1960’s. I am a researcher involved in science and technology. During the recent city council meeting, I noted a few questionable ideas or perceptions that need to be fact-checked.
I sought out information on the dispensary in question and went to visit it (I’m a patient with a legal cannabis recommendation). I was quite pleasantly surprised that it is in a discreet location, at the rear of a larger unit that faces the street. It’s very clean, and well lit. The employees are diligent in checking authentication, are polite and informed. No one was ‘lurking’ or loitering. Patients entered, got their medication and left. In 8 months (at this writing – Fall ‘08) of operation there have been no ‘secondary effects’ (code wording for crime) on the community whatsoever (we checked with city officials). The dispensary in question has repeatedly stated their interest and willingness to adhere to local and state law and act as a model for setting up a proper collective or cooperative. It is tax revenue folks… at this point in our current economic situation, turning your nose up at serious tax revenue is just foolish.
After hearing interest in the last council meeting of officials making visits to the facility, I was somewhat encouraged. I was very unhappy to discover that the no members of the council, the fire dept and/or police dept have responded to the dispensary’s offer to come inspect their facilities.
It’s important to note at this point that the human body and brain have cannabinoid receptors built in (they are called ‘endo-cannabinoid’ receptors). Just like we have opiate receptors in our brains that respond to pain-killing medication, as well as connections to substance abuse… but unlike opiate receptors the ‘endo-cannabinoid’ system (which is throughout the body) responds to cannabinoids and endorphins and is NOT involved in the dopamine reward system that is a central part of substance abuse/addiction problems. Cannabis has been used nutritionally and medicinally for over 5000 years
Not far back in our history we used ‘Willow Bark’ as an analgesic; 180 years ago they isolated one of the primary active ingredients in Willow Bark, and it ended up as Aspirin! Now they only isolated one element from Willow Bark, but look at what that one element has done for the world! Incidentally, researchers are returning to White Willow Bark, because they believe there are other complementary compounds in the plant that are beneficial. Prior to the isolation of aspirin, cannabis was the medication of choice as an analgesic; it had been part of the U.S. Pharmocopea (U.S.P.) until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 (‘Prohibition, the sequel’) removed it.
We have over two hundred ten compounds to be isolated, studied and examined for their physiological activity, and beyond isolated testing we need to see how various elements work in synergy with each other. Example: THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive ingredient in medical cannabis, but another ingredient has been studied extensively, CBD (Cannabidiol). CBD is an amazingly powerful anti-inflammatory and if present in sufficient amounts along with THC, the CBD inhibits the psychoactive properties of the THC. There are others among the cannabinoids that effect the body in different ways that can help patients (they are not all isolated as of yet, and the best synergies are yet to be explored)… some stimulate appetite, some suppress nausea, and there are many other exciting developments (like cancer prevention, cancer treatment, Alzheimer’s treatment, MS treatment, Crohn’s treatment and much more). Really important recent news is that cannabis compounds have been found to kill MRSA (the deadly antibiotic resistant bacterial infection raging through hospitals like wildfire).
Outside the United States medicinal cannabis research is exploding with some of the most exciting studies that are proving the therapeutic effects of components or mixtures of components of the various cannabinoid acids that comprise the active ingredients in medical cannabis. Research is confirming that cannabinoids help prevent some types of cancer (breast, prostate, brain), and that furthermore they are unique in that they can kill brain cancer cells and stimulate the creation of new neurons in the brain! Other research shows immense promise for the military in treating traumatic brain injuries, PTSD and other forms of trauma (check the research the Israeli military is doing). While the DEA restricts research in the U.S., we are also looking forward to a flood of medications internationally that can treat a broad variety of serious illnesses (for example: GW Pharmaceuticals ‘Sativex’, recently accepted for stage III clinical trials by the FDA).
There are a couple of common scenarios I’ve discovered in talking with numerous health care professionals… Many folks are seriously allergic to taking opiate-based medication, and they are left with little or nothing in the way of alternatives. As my doctors and therapists have noted, I have a ridiculously high pain threshold, not responsive to non-IV opiate-based pain medications. Some family members and I share this biochemistry; our livers process stuff out of our systems at an amazing pace, so the only way to touch those opiate receptors is via IV (alas, we still get the negative side effects!). I’m still scared that (gawd forbid) some other fun thing might happen and I’ll be the guy waking up on the operating table! I turn a lovely shade of green when I see needles, so the potential for me to abuse opiates is pretty much NIL.
My pain management clinic tried literally every form and dose of mainstream pain medication, including some of the strongest pain medication, which they reserve for terminal patients. It was suggested that I contact a local doctor and get a legal recommendation for medical cannabis.
Traditional pharmaceutical medicine isn’t doing the trick. I know there is a great desire to refine these elements into a simple pill that can be bought at CVS, but the reality of the situation is that the DEA has a stranglehold on research, because they are digging their heels in and will neither remove nor reschedule medical cannabis from a Schedule I ‘dangerous’ drug (originated in 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act), a designation it irrationally shares with Heroin! I don’t see any reasonable scientific basis for keeping medical cannabis scheduled on the CSA. Outside the United States, there is a flurry of research being done on medical cannabis. The easiest and most accessible information comes typically from the British Journals on Medicine and Pharmacology, but peer-reviewed research studies continue to be conducted all around the world (Israel, Italy, England, Spain, etc.) Eventually, with Cannabis de-scheduled or reclassified, there will be an explosion of research in the United States, and we will very likely see pills available at CVS, but it will take many years.
You would think that the Federal IND (Compassionate Investigational New Drug) program that ran from 1978 to 1991 (Federally grown and supplied MMJ), the Federal approval of the development and sale of Marinol (ironically Schedule III in the CSA, not Schedule I) and the approval of Stage 3 FDA clinical trials for Sativex would set legal precedents and make a strong case for de-scheduling or rescheduling medical cannabis, yet the DEA apparently doesn’t want to confuse the issue with logic or scientific fact. Pres. Bush (41) closed enrollment to the IND program in 1991 due to high demand (AIDS especially) and political pressure. 7 patients still receive MMJ from the Federal IND program.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was briefly lifted for the production of industrial hemp-based rope for the thousand of new ships being launched for WW II. The Act was completely motivated by politics, corporate lobbying, racism and fear mongering, not facts. The AMA was against it then, and most currently the AMA’s most progressive segment continues to be against federal prohibition of medical cannabis.
The United States ‘War on Drugs’ started in 1970 and since then we’ve seen the following occur:
the price of an ounce of cannabis was $10 (that’s right TEN Dollars), and now it costs $75-85 per 1/8th of an ounce (that’s ONE EIGHTH of an ounce!) of quality medical cannabis strains, and $500-600 for a full ounce. There are cheaper strains available, with broad variation in effectiveness. I priced this 10 years ago for a dear friend dying from liver cancer, and the prices haven’t really changed. It’s important to note that contrary to erroneous, intentionally misleading and hyperbolic reports, the potency of modern medical cannabis is about twice (maybe 3x) that of cannabis from the 1970’s, not 20-30 times!
MARINOL® (dronabinol) Capsules, the sole active ingredient is syntheticdelta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), which is a naturally occurring (and psychoactive) component of Cannabis Sativa/Indica. A 1-month prescription for Marinol can cost $1400. Unfortunately, a great many cancer and AIDS patients who tried it reported that while it got them high, it did NOT help their nausea or their appetite. People who either smoked their naturally whole cannabis (preferably using a Medicinal Cannabis vaporizer which eliminates most of the undesirable effects of smoking), or ate it got the response they were looking for. It controlled their nausea and stimulated their appetite significantly, while helping with the pain of cancer as well. It is scientifically possible to breed a plant that emphasizes specific cannabinoids and terpenoids, and you could tailor a different ratio profile (plant strain) for different types of treatments (MS, chronic pain, cancer/AIDS, Crohn’s, etc.)
So the multi-billion dollar war on drugs has succeeded only in driving the price up to the point that it’s now worth enough that people are willing to kill over it. Prohibition launched the largest expansion of organized crime in our history. The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! The DEA should be focused on seriously dangerous drug problems like heroin, cocaine, crack, ‘designer drugs’ and the methamphetamine labs that are polluting our country and cities with toxic chemicals, microscopic toxic debris from home brewing and resulting in disastrous drugs that consume lives and destroy families,
In 1996 the voters of California overwhelmingly voted for proposition 215 (the California Compassionate Use Act), and subsequently in 2004 a legislative statute was passed (SB420) clarifying and expanding on prop 215. These laws made medical marijuana use legal in the state of California. The DEA disagrees, and it’s been a classic struggle of states rights against federal law. The California State Supreme Court has made it clear that the Federal prohibition of Cannabis does NOT preempt State Law. The U.S. Supreme Court has opted NOT to invoke Federal supremacy against the 14 states of the union who have established state laws for medical cannabis. Neither is the U.S. Supreme Court prone to hearing cases that have already been refused by State Supreme Courts (the U.S. Supreme Court recently denied a hearing for the appeal of Garden Grove vs. Kha., a central case in MMJ law, and more recently denied appeals from San Diego and San Bernardino counties.)
The DEA has been using strong-arm tactics in recent years, with tragic results. They’ve denied quality of life care to catastrophically sick and terminally ill patients, and imprisoned primary caregivers. What is disturbing is that in almost all cases, local police, sheriff personnel and/or the local District Attorney have assisted them. There is legislation at both the state and federal level to restrict DEA funding for such ventures, and prohibiting local law enforcement from collaborating with the DEA in MMJ cases. Since the November 4th 2008 General Election these state and federal efforts at reigning in the DEA have gained significant support.
In August 2008, the Office of the Attorney General of the State of California issued guidelines for proper operation of a medical cannabis dispensary, and is adamant that state and local law enforcement shall enforce state and local law, NOT federal law. The California State Supreme Court has just ruled that the legislation in question is constitutional and is state law (San Diego and San Bernardino counties have lost a series of very expensive legal appeals regarding their ban of dispensaries and failure to participate in the state Medical Marijuana ID Program). As of mid-October 2008, 46 of the 58 counties in California have MMP ID card systems in place. However a deluge of cities have been passing bans on medical cannabis. Cities have to adhere to state law as well. There should be a great deal of trepidation over the city being litigated into bankruptcy. It is in your fiduciary best interest to work with a responsible dispensary operation willing to follow the Attorney General’s guidelines and develop a regulative program that is agreeable to all parties. Part of the employment contract and oath taken by all agents and officials in the State of California, is an oath of allegiance to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of California! State employees need to look up the legal definition of malfeasance.
The city now has an opportunity to help define the future of medical cannabis in Orange County and beyond. The argument over its legality or desirability is becoming moot (radical amounts of hyperbole, distortion and misrepresentation notwithstanding). The state is likely to pass a law within the year making it illegal for the DEA to fund or engage state or local law enforcement in any medical cannabis cases, and federal legislation will likely accomplish the same thing. State law has already been clarified, as has the U.S. Supreme Court's position on respecting state law in this area.
Almost all the ‘dispensaries’ I initially visited operate in a decidedly FOR-profit mode. While they generally have a good selection, they charge ‘street’ prices for medical cannabis, and offer lip-service instead of helping patients who have meager resources (typical of most seriously ill patients). There is a dearth of locations for legal patients to obtain their medication in Orange County, most travel to Hollywood to established dispensaries. Laguna Woods (nee Leisure World) is looking for a viable model, due to the number of residents who are medical cannabis patients (hospice, quality of life care).
I agree with California State Attorney General Jerry Brown, all such operations should be non-profit collectives or cooperatives that adhere to those definitions. This should lower costs to patients significantly. As there are clearly variable costs of the overhead of operating such an organization, location, security, power, water, nutrients, a vault, misc. supplies, including living wages and benefits for employees, all those would be factored in to the operating costs of the non-profit.
Established dispensaries, which provide a broad range of strains of cannabis, including edibles and concentrates, are operating in the blind scientifically. Let’s engage future collectives/co-ops in research into which cannabinoids/terpenoids are most successful in treating specific illnesses. Each strain/crop should be tested with a gas chromatograph, breaking down the various cannabinoids which can then be correlated with patients responses to specific strains (each has an individual ‘fingerprint’ of its ratio of cannabinoids/terpenoids, with an accompanying difference in physiological effects); this gas chromatograph could also allow for screening for toxins (pesticides, fungicides, heavy metals, mold, bacteria, hydrocarbon contaminants)... although it appears there are potentially far more cost effective measures for toxin screening.
Patients can then be given scientific advice and guidance regarding strains that are most effective for their condition. Edibles should show ingredient lists for immune compromised patients who often have food allergies, and should also show the dosage of cannabinoids/terpenoids they contain.
Members of Americans For Safe Access, and other affiliated organizations desire research to breed specific strains to isolate each cannabinoid and provide sufficient amounts for testing The results of this show serious promise; we can eventually fine tune the right combination of cannabinoids for specific diseases. This will also provide safe standardized strains that patients can rely on.
For now, with only a handful of dispensaries in Orange County, patients are traveling to Hollywood to get their medication. When you’re sick and in pain, a trip like that takes an enormous effort, if you can make it at all. Let’s show compassion for quality of life, like Laguna Woods, and make sure that there is a legitimate collective or co-op operating in our city.
If you’ve lived through a friend or relative dying in hospice, I know you would have given anything to lessen their suffering. Should we continue to demonize something that has shown positive benefits in the appropriate context? ‘Reefer Madness’ propaganda, William Randolph Hearst’s yellow journalism and our broken policies have been thoroughly and repeatedly discredited, welcome to the 21st century.
Benjamin Franklin’s friend – (Poor) Richard Saunders
# As appeared at Before It's News: http://members.beforeitsnews.com/story/36/198/Medical_Cannabis_Overview.html
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