I’m sorry Boudica, i am not having a go at you. This is not a personal back and forth.
You stated that you knew someone who died from cannabis use. I merely found this highly unlikely and wrote as much.
In a perfect world, all i would want is for the stigma of cannabis to be removed so that anyone who feels they might benefit from it, could ‘suck it and see’. I thought your post would undermine this ‘libertarian ideal’.
Considering that my efforts in these forums are to lend some reassurance or perhaps even enlightenment in some slight way, (with the last thing wanted being to antagonise or exhaust), i shall leave it as is.
I just feel that those with MS should feel free, absolutely free, to try anything and everything that might help alleviate their burden.
All the very best and my unreserved apologies for any overheating.
[/quote] thanks for your apologies Paolo. I accept them graciously.
Cannabis can be bought, shipped and sold in whatever form the user would prefer to take it: cookies, brownies, pills, tea, lip balm, massage oils or simply something to stick in yer pipe and smoke.
The highest court in the land has found that anything to undermine this would contradict ‘Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to life, liberty and security of the person.’
With the utmost sincerity, i hope the UK can find some momentum to realise the same sort of positive change in legislation, so that those people who are merely trying to help themselves, are not made to feel reprehensible if they should ever find the courage to do so.
I know that some MS sufferers have the courage to ‘go bandit’ in order to derive benefit from an illicit herb. I also know / hope that some others have not quite crossed that ‘criminal line’ but frankly, are approaching a point of desperation where they fail to see any alternatives…
Far be it for me to promote or endorse a lifestyle of naughtiness, but i will forever want to fuel the thoughts of the inquisitive;
For those who might fear that an availability of medicinal marijuana within a society, would inevitably result in a more wide spread abuse of the deadly weed, especially among the vulnerable and ever impressionable youth:
“… the results of this study showed no evidence for an increase in adolescent marijuana use after passage of state laws permitting use of marijuana for medical purposes…”
A statement applicable to UK law makers:
“Policies might sometimes be shaped by preconceived notions that do not end up being true.”
Good news comes almost every week. I love my adoptive country, but even more, the city i call home…
'The City of Vancouver has become the first in Canada to regulate illegal marijuana dispensaries, despite strong warnings from the federal government.
In a eight to three vote, councillors approved imposing a $30,000 licensing fee, requiring stores to be located 300 metres from schools, community centres and each other, and banning shops from certain areas.
But in an unexpected move, council voted to create a two-tiered licensing system, allowing non-profit compassion clubs to pay a fee of just $1,000.
Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose had warned the city and police that over-the-counter sales of marijuana is illegal in Canada and she expects them to uphold the law.
But the city has blamed the federal government’s restrictive medical marijuana laws for the rise of pot dispensaries in Vancouver – from 20 to 94 over the last three years.
City manager Penny Ballem has said the goal of regulation is to reduce exposure to youth and protect public health, while ensuring access for those who need medical marijuana.’
Right now i thankfully have no need to use the ‘deadly weed’, but if this ever changes, i will take my tecfidera prescription to one of the stores as evidence of my condition and hopefully puff myself to a happier, pain free state.
One month since my last ‘cannabis news bulletin’ but a potentially pivotal moment has arisen. Just a small step, but one that is in the right direction and sets a precedence:
‘Well done, Durham! The news that police in the city in the north-east of England will no longer pursue small-scale cannabis growers nor arrest casual cannabis users is yet another sign that weed is winning the war on drugs.’
It is note worthy that most of the negative health impacts attributed to cannabis are when it is taken as an inhaled smoke. Legalisation of the herb would allow myriad oils and edibles to become available to those who would benefit, without the threat of respiratory disease as a side effect.
Beyond the attractive prospect of various means of administration becoming available, simple common sense needs to be endured; ie if you are pregnant or a child, you should abstain. Everyone else, should feel free to puff away, albeit in moderation.
(I saw that the word ‘addiction’ was mentioned. I may have to look into this further, as i believe this ‘class B drug’ is technically, nothing more than habitual.)
Anyway… just so you know… ignorance breeds fear and fear is control, so please educate yourself.
“Ireland to legalise cannabis for specific medical conditions… report said cannabis could be given to patients with a range of illnesses including multiple sclerosis and severe epilepsy, and to offset the effects of chemotherapy.”
"German MPs vote to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes… The health minister, Hermann Gröhe, said: “Those who are severely ill need to get the best possible treatment and that includes health insurance funds paying for cannabis as a medicine for those who are chronically ill if they can’t be effectively treated any other way.”
Even when painfully slow, progress is still nevertheless progress.
Here is an article regarding a ‘full disclosure’ type of report.
For me the take away is that whilst some risks and benefits are certainly known, ultimately, a considerable amount of further research is needed.
So whilst some might treat my attitude towards the herb with a certain degree of suspicion, the same should also be applied to those who say “no! not ever!! not even once!!!”
Thanks for posting this Paolo. Interesting and great news that ppl in Ireland will have access to this without fear of being clapped in jail. . As if MS weren’t enough to deal with. Though, I don’t think I would want to risk further upsetting a brain which seems to have amind of its own. For now, I’ll stick with wheel barrows full of dark chocolate for now. I’d prefer milk choc but am on the Swank diet.
"The UK could become the world’s biggest grower and processor of cannabis plants destined for use in prescription medications after one of the country’s most promising biotechs announced plans to ramp up its production of the plant
GW Pharmaceuticals, which in 2010 launched the world’s first prescription cannabis-derived drug in the form of multiple sclerosis treatment Sativex, is boosting cultivation and manufacturing of the crop this year ahead of the launch of another promising experimental drug called Epidiolex, which has shown to be hugely effective in treating children with a deadly form of epilepsy
GW was granted a licence from the Home Office in 1998 to grow cannabis plants for medical use and in 2010 the UK became the first country in the world to authorise a prescription medicine derived from cannabis."
Well Anon, potatoes, peaches & rice would be banned if they had recently been introduced! What with their potential to poison us all with arsenic, cyanide & Solanine they certainly would not be in the food chain, & dont forget ingestion of apple seeds.
So, with consideration, with more research, who’s to say cannabis is dangerous if its use was controlled? It obviously has its merits, & although I use it rarely these days, it does make my pain better, not everyones choice, but believe me, Id consider taking much worse if it gives any relief from constant pain. If your on prescribed meds have you read up on their side effects?!
With that in mind as Paolo says, “no, not ever, not even once”!!! Tracey
Hi guys why does Sativex cost so much, I understand MS drugs are expensive generally but it seems strange given the active ingredient is cannabis and comparable drugs are much cheaper in Europe and the West generally.
Does anyone have any information regarding lobby groups having an impact? I need more detailed info then allusions to ‘big pharma’ in this instance.
i imagine the heightened cost is due to off setting the expenses of additional licencing, security and legislative requirements, which are all in place solely due to the the source being a prohibited substance?
" Oxford University has launched a £10m research programme looking into medicinal marijuana.
It’s believed weed can have a positive effect on people suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain.
But it’s also been linked to mental health problems and, as a class B drug, being caught with it in the UK could land you with a five-year prison sentence.
The university will now look at whether it’s possible to create new treatments by isolating the positive effects. "