As a medical doctor what do you think of medical marijuana?
My professional opinion is that there isn’t currently enough high quality evidence for the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana, nor is the manufacturing process and the concentration of the active ingredient(s) standardized enough for me to recommend it for my patients. Where legal, patients can consider it on their own accord but I wish they would inform their health care provider so cautions can be taken about interactions.My personal opinion? Drugs (with the exception of the most lethal stuff like the ‘legal highs’) should be legalized for sale in licensed shops so that they can be taxed, the quality monitored and pushing for harder drugs and selling to minors stopped. Penalizing drug use has not kept people away from drugs and has only succeeded in stigmatizing drug use which can discourage users from participating in society and from seeking help. As for medical marijuana I think it can provide relief for some people. It has potential to be more suitable for some patients than many of the medicines doctors can order. While it is not without side effects neither are most drugs doctors prescribe. It should be made easier for doctors to study the effectiveness of cannabis compared to other medicines so that the practice of medicine can be advanced. In recreational use cannabis can be much safer than alcohol and of the two I’d rather see the latter banned. There are valid concerns about the safety of smoking cannabis but alternative, possibly safer methods of delivery, exist.I would note that the bar for me to recommend something as a professional doctor is much, much higher than the requirements for me to recommend something as a lay person or try something myself. For doctors there are much higher expectations and ramifications for ‘opinions’ whereas in other situations pretty much everyone is entitled to one without sanctions. Hence the discordance.
Do you think marijuana should be legal in Canada?
If the questioner has not seen the short film ‘Reefer Madness’ I highly recommend they do, it is hysterical. Mind you I mean hysterically funny but it is also hysteric in it’s fear mongering propaganda which the questioner may still buy into. It was done in the 30s or 40s I believe.What is funny today about the fear mongering around legalizing pot is how off base it is along with unscientific. Does alcohol lead to harder drugs? It may be a first step for individuals but there is nothing to say it’s a cause. Legality also is not likely to be a cause. There is lots of fear out there about what to do about people driving stoned. Well what have we done about all the people driving stoned for the last few decades? Fact is controlling pot will allow for more tools to control driving stoned.WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE CHILDREN!? Again controlling it will offer more opportunity to keep it out of the hands of minors. What about harder drugs like say the crack smoking the questioner is trying to connect here? Well if the supplier of weed (gov’t regulated) is no longer also in the business of supplying crack chances of one leading to the other are greatly diminished NOT increased.Fear is so seldom thought through well. I know, I’m afraid of heights and when it comes to it fear paralyzes much of my rational thought. It’s just the way it is I guess.
What do you think of the marijuana subculture?
Some of the most enjoyable times of my life and most memorable periods of my life have been due to marijuana.I have had countless "smokes" in different country's and with all sorts of different people in the 15 or so years I have enjoyed partaking in a puff or two of "the weed" and this has enabled me to meet many likeminded people and be welcomed in to stangers homes amongst other places with warmth and without judgement. The majoruty of weed smokers ar peaceful people who are good citizens that just happen to enjoy using something that is more natural than alcohol yet is frowned upon by most people.
Marijuana...what do you think?
What do you think about weed. You cant overdose. Its not addictive. The drug abuse foundation not to long ago founded an investigation to find evidence that marijuana causes cancer and ended up finding that marijuana Helsa prevent it. Most drugs you have to change with chemicals. Weed grows like that. In India a group smokes weed every day for religious beliefs and they do it for years. A 125-year-old woman, said to be one of the oldest women in India, died at her home in Orissa, her family said Sunday. Fulla Nayak claimed that smoking cannabis every day was her secret to long life. Fulla Nayak, a resident of Kanarpur village in the coastal district of Kendrapada, died of old age complications Saturday. According to her 72-year-old grandson, Fulla was 125. But as per a voter photo identity card issued by the government in 1995 she was 120 years. The grand old woman lived in a small mud-walled thatched house in Kanarpur, about 25 km from the district headquarters. She is survived by two of her four daughters and around two dozen relatives. Her eldest daughter, Jamuna, 92, lives in the same village. Her husband died at the age of 50. Fulla was in the news when her grandson Narayan Nayak claimed last week that she could be the oldest woman living in the world. He had said that he would write to the Guinness book authorities to record the claim. Fulla was known for her love of smoking ganja and cigars and palm juice. She also loved steaming hot tea. She had never suffered any debilitating ailment throughout her life. Except for her weak eyesight, Fulla maintained good health and used to walk without support. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/6334932/an/0/page/0
Do you think marijuana can really cure cancer?
Unfortunately not. I know that there are a lot of websites that convincingly claim it can, but they are wrong. Cancer is a collective term for approximately 200 different diseases. Every cell type in your body can (in principle) develop into its own type of cancer. On top of that individual cancer cells in every cancer are also different from one another. On top of that, the cancer cells interact in very complex ways with the surrounding normal cells. So it is not all that surprising that we don't have, and most likely won’t find a single cure for all cancers. This also applies to cannabis. The notion that cannabis (or more precisely THC) comes from experiments on cultured cancer cells in dishes or implanted in mice. But a cancer in a human is not the same as a cancer cell line in a dish or injected into a mouse. Such experiments are important in selecting a substance that might be developed into a useful anti-cancer drug. But you can't jump directly from results of such experiments to effects in humans. This is explained in further details here: http://anaximperator.wordpress.com/2012/... There are currently ongoing clinical trials that aim at answering if THC will be useful as part of treatment of some cancers. The fact that anti-cancer capabilities of cannabis is being researched proves that it is not being suppressed. Here is a balanced, honest and up to date review of the results of cannabis research, and the conclusions that can be drawn from it: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/...
How long do you think it will be before marijuana is lehalized in all 50 states?
9 states have fully legal recreational use. Another about 15 have medical use. The tax revenue benefit to the states with legal recreational use will in a short time make it attractive to all 50 states. I would say within the next 10 years.
Believers: Do you think that god put marijuana on earth for a good reason?
Yes, I do. I think it is to be used responsibly.
When do you think marijuana will be completely legal for recreational use in all states?
Yes And sooner than you think…Here’s why The big western states already have a few tourists who come to buy marijuana party a little and take a bit home and leave their tax money here.But few people want to or are able to travel long distances so they buy a bit from their local black market.But on the east coast, the states are a lot smaller. Once one small state like say Vermont legalizes, the adjoining small states will soon notice that their citizens are driving across the border for an few grams and leaving the tax money. It won’t be long before those states end prohibition to get their fair share.
What do you think about cannabis?
The U.S. Medical Cannabis Market is expected to be valued at USD 19.48 billion by 2024, driven by its numerous medical benefits particularly by patients suffering from cancer, chronic pain and diabetes. Favorable regulatory environment across numerous states including California and Colorado is expected to fuel the growth of the market over the next few years.Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act implemented in 2015 permits the cultivation and use of cannabis dispensaries at the state and local level which has been one of key drivers to fuel the U.S market. The rising number of states receiving approval to utilize cannabis for consumption in medical cases is expected to be one of the crucial factors to upsurge the demand for medical marijuana over the forecast period.California is known to be the first state in U.S. that legalized cannabis for medical purpose. In 2016, California recorded the highest revenue generation and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13% over the projected period. Over the next few years, more number of state governments are expected to legalize cannabis owing to its numerous benefits which will fuel its growth over the projected period.The symptoms and conditions that can be treated by the herb include cancer, arthritis, epilepsy, nausea, pain Alzheimer’s disease, anorexia, AIDS, HIV, glaucoma, cachexia, Crohn’s disease, migraines, and multiple sclerosis. Chronic pain accounted for 46% of the U.S. cannabis medical market share in 2016. The ability of medical marijuana to curb pain is expected to gain popularity among patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses and pain.Key players analyzed• American Cannabis• Canopy Growth Corporation• Greengro Technologies• Medical Marijuana Inc.• United Cannabis• Terra Tech Corp.• Mentor Capital, Inc• Cannabis Sativa, Inc.• GBSciences, Inc.• The Green SolutionFor More Information U.S. Medical Cannabis Market Size, Analysis, Research Report, 2024