Vice Documentary : Stoned Kids
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How Medical Marijuana Eases Chemo Effects
For anyone involved in the medical marijuana community, it’s well known that THC and CBD oil extract have amazing beneficial effects on patients who are undergoing chemo therapy in order to treat cancer. One of the most famous ones is the Rick Simpson Oil. Chemo is used to treat most type of cancers, but while it’s effects are helpful to most people, to some specially young children, chemo can be extremely dangerous.
This week in the Huffington Post there is an article about Mrs. Sierra Riddle who after seeing her son suffer through chemo therapy, which was used to help her son Landon treat his Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) , decided to move to Colorado in order try medical marijuana as a last resort.
In Colorado, Mrs. Riddle contacted the Stanley brother’s who are the owners of the Realm of Caring Foundation. The Stanley’s brothers are known for appearing in the reality TV show “American Weed”, for cultivating and breeding medical marijuana strains with high levels of CBD and for appearing Dr. Sanjay Gupta “Weed Documentary” in which they breeded a special strain known as “Charlotte’s Web”, which was used as epilepsy treatment for Charlotte Figi’s.
The Stanley brothers high CBD strains immediately started helping Landon with his chemo effects
“He finally began to sleep through the night, the nightmares and terrors went away, the pain vanished, he regained his appetite, he started eating, his energy started coming back, he was weaned of all narcotic pain medications, slowly but surely he started to regain all that chemo and cancer had robbed him of. I still find it amusing that Landon had a prescription for synthetic marijuana to increase his appetite, yet it was illegal for him to be given a prescription for the natural plan itself.”
If you live in a state where there is no medical marijuana laws, or you don’t have access to high CBD strain like Stanley brothers specialize in, sign up at Marijuana University and learn how to grow weed and create your own CBD extracts (just like the one Landon and Charlotte medicate with), all of this info comes directly from the breeder themselves, including the Stanley Brothers.
Healing Cancer with Medical Cannabis Oil: The Story of Rick Simpson and RSO
About 3 weeks ago, the first part of a three part series was released. This documentary is about Rick Simpson and his cancer curing RSO(Rick Simpson Oil). In this first part, Mr. Simpson talks about how he decided to try cannabis for head trauma that he suffered while working at a hospital, how 3 suspicious sports turned to skin cancer and how he killed them with his homemade cannabis oil, how the Canadian federal government wanted to send him to jail for cultivation, possession and trafficking, even after he went out and talked to his local government officials, doctors and and everyone who wanted to listen. Mr. Simpson also talks about how he wasn’t doing this oil for money, but that he was doing it just to help everyone that needed help with any disease. If you want to learn how to grow pounds of cannabis required to make RSO sign up at marijuanauniversity.com
Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN “Weed” Documentary
CNN’s Dr. Sajay Gupto who January 8, 2009 wrote on the Times, a column named “Why I Would Vote No On Pot” and said
Smoking the stuff is not going to do your health any good……. malingerers that just wanted to get high
Now, Dr. Sanjay has completely changed his mind and even went on CNN Piers Morgan and apologized on TV. Dr. Sanjay mentions how everyone has being mislead by the media and government by focusing on the harm that marijuana causes instead of the benefits. Dr. Sanjay for more than a year researched a lot medical cannabis research and found out amazing things which completely changed his mind. He documented everything in his documentary “Weed” Which you can watch below..
Some of the things Dr. Sanjay documentary mentions is how useful medical marijuana is for epilepsy treatment, chronic pain, how medical marijuana helped a holocaust survivor treating psychological pain, the benefits medical marijuana strains with a high CBD level.
THC vs CBD
Marijuana is obtained from the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. This herb, which has numerous pet names like ganja, pot, marijuana, and Mary Jane also contains numerous compounds called cannabinoids.
THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is one of the cannabinoids found in marijuana. Its also the psychoactive component or the one that is responsible for making medical marijuana patients “high”.
When marijuana is inhaled, the THC travels to the brain through the bloodstream and binds to cannabinoid receptors known as CB1 and CB2.
THC and CB1 Receptors
CB1 receptors are associated with the psychotropic effects of marijuana. These receptors are located in many parts of the brain and the effects of their activation depend on the part of the brain where they are located. These effects are as follows:
1. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the hippocampus, which regulates learning new information, results in impaired short term memory.
2. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the cerebellum, which regulates coordination and balance, results in impaired muscle coordination.
3. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the basal ganglia, which regulates planning and starting muscle movements, results in slowed reaction times.
4. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the amygdala, which regulates emotions like fear and anxiety, results in panic attacks and paranoia.
5. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus, which regulates eating and sexual behavior, results in increased appetite.
6. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens, which regulates motivation and reward, results in euphoria or feeling good by causing increased dopamine release.
7. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the neocortex, which regulates complex thinking and feeling, results in altered judgment and sensation.
8. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the brainstem, which regulates transmission of information between the brain and spinal column, results in anti-nausea effects.
9. THC activation of CB1 receptors in the spinal cord, which regulates transmission of information between the body and the brain, results in altered pain sensation.
These effects of THC on various parts of the nervous system also enable it to be used medically for relieving chronic pain and nausea, stimulating the appetite, reducing muscle spasms and preventing convulsions.
THC and CB2 Receptors
CB2 receptors are mainly involved in immune regulation and are not associated with any psychoactive effects. Activation of these receptor results in suppression of immune system activities like immune cell activation and the production of inflammatory mediators.
CBD
CBD or cannabidiol is another cannabinoid found in marijuana. It does not have psychoactive effects and therefore it does not make patients “stoned”.
CBD works differently from THC since it has minimal tendency to bind to cannabinoid 1 and 2 receptors. It works by inhibiting fatty acid amide hydroxylase (FAAH) which is the enzyme that metabolizes anandamide.
Anandamide, or arachidonoylethanolamide is a cannabinoid that is naturally found inside the body. It binds to cannabinoids receptors like CB1 and causes them to turn off the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters. This stops the release of dopamine and consequently its effects.
By inhibiting FAAH which breaks down anandamide, CBD ensures that anandamide effects are felt for much longer.
CBD also triggers the release of another cannabinoid that is naturally found in the body known as 2-AG or 2-arachidonoyl glycerol. This endocannabinoid activates both the cannabinoid 1 and 2 receptors.
As a result of these effects, CBD has similar pharmacological properties to THC. It is therefore the better options for patients looking for epilepsy treatment, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, glaucoma and other conditions that are treated with medical marijuana since it can relieve their symptoms without making them high on their medication.
CBD effects on THC
CBD is able to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC in the body by antagonizing the action of THC at the CB1 receptors.
CBD also has antipsychotic properties of its own which can counteract those produced by THC. It can therefore relieve cannabis-induced anxiety as well as anxiety from other causes.
THC and CBD
Despite having several unwanted effects for medical marijuana patients, THC is still a vital ingredient for medical cannabis since cannabinoids are more effective when taken together rather than when taken individually.
Research done at the Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco has shown that CBD not only reduces the rate at which breast cancer cells grow and metastasize, but it is best able to do this when it is combined with THC.
CBD is also a very potent anti-oxidant. It is even more potent than vitamins C and E and thus it effectively reduces free radical cell damage in the body which is associated with many disease processes. This anti-oxidant potency of CBD is increased by combining it with THC.
THC to CBD
Currently in the medical marijuana market there are many cannabis strains with high THC content since psycho activity was the most desirable trait in the underground marijuana market. These strains were developed by cross breeding various cannabis plant and removing strains that were not psychoactive. This marijuana strains had THC levels of more than 10%. This high thc cannabis plants also have high THC to low CBD ratios.
This cannabinoid profile is gradually being changed to a THC to CBD ratio of 1:1 since this has been found to be the most effective ratio with the least amount of unpleasant side effects for medical use. This ratio is so effective that breeders of medical marijuana strains have started to create plants with perfect 1:1 ratio. Some of this strains can be found at your local medical marijuana dispensary or at marijuana seeds banks online.
Top Medical Marijuana Strains
Marijuana has a long history of medicinal use with evidence dating back to Shen Nung who was farmer turn legendary ruler of China in 2737 BCE. Marijuana or better known as cannabis in the medical marijuana circles is considered one of the 50 Fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine.Recently in the medical marijuana community, there has been a movement to create medical marijuana strains with high CBD content. This is the completely opposite of what is out there right now in medical marijuana dispensaries.
Today, in most dispensaries the majority of the strains contain extremely high levels of THC and very little CBD; this is what leads to feeling “high” and while THC does have a lot medical properties, CBD is on a whole different level. Rich-CBD strains are known to treat the symptons of many medical conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and Epilepsy all of this without feeling high. Not only is CBD non-psychoactive, but CBD actually decreases THC psychoactive properties,when they both are consumed at a 1:1 ratio. But there is one problem, CBD strains are extremely unstable, out of 10 seeds you might get 4 with high levels of CBD, this makes it a nightmare for home growers and commercial growers, but still, growers around the world have worked hard to make them stable. Here’s a list of the top medical marijuana strains with extremely high CBD content.
Stability% = 80%
THC: 2%
CBD: 4%
Harlequin of the first strains bred specifically to have high levels of CBD. Harlequin is one of the most sought after medical marijuana strains in California. Harlequin has been reported to have amazing painkilling capabilities. Some patients have reported that Harlequin painkilling effects last longer than strains with high THC and all of this without feeling “high”.
Stability: 60%
THC: 6%
CBD: 11%
Sour Tsunami, a masterpiece created by Lawrence Ringo of Southern Humboldt Seed Collective. This strain was specifically bred by Ringo to have extremely high levels of CBD. Ringo created this strain to help with his back pain, Ringo doesn’t have any disk between his 3rd and 4th vertebrate, and since he doesn’t want to take any dangerous opiate based pain pills, he only uses strains to relieve his pain. Patients have reported pain to be completely gone in less than 15 minutes.
Stability: 84%
THC:1%
CBD:19%
Created for Resin Seeds of Barcelona by Jorge Cervantes, Cannatonic medical marijuana strain while unstable has won several cannabis cup for top CBD content. In 2010, Canntonic won the 2010 Emerald Cup, which is the World’s only outdoor organic competition, this event is hosted in Northern California the mecca of medical marijuana. Cannatonic has been reported to help with pain, anxiety and removing the symptons of HCV.
Misty
Stability: 53%
THC: 10%
CBD: 13%
Misty a Montana based strain has a “misty” past. Originally, given as a seed pack from Amsterdam to someone; this strain has been grown in Montana since 1994. It wasn’t until 2009 that it was brought to a lab to be tested. While it’s origins might be unknown this medical marijuana strain has been reported to help with inflammation. Some patients have used successfully to treat muscle-spasms from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Juanita La Lagrimosa(Tearful Jane)
Stability:76%
THC: 6.8%
CBD: 8.8%
Juanita La Lagrimosa is another strain that comes out of Spain. While there is not enough information out there on this strain; Juanita La Lagrimosa was tested in 2010 at Spannabis, which is Spain’s top medical marijuana competition and results came out extremely impressive. Juanita La Lagrimosa has also won several cannabis cups in Spain. Someone definitely needs to bring this strain to American dispensaries so we can find out its medical values.
Otto #1
Stability: 82%
THC: .40
CBD: 11%
Otto #1 by Cenntenial Seeds is the pride and joy of Colorado’s medical marijuana industry. Otto #1 was created as a request by a medical research from Oahu, Hawaii and Cenntenial in conjuction with Full Spectrum Labs created this masterpiece. Otto #1 is recommended to patients seeking any kind of relief with the distraction of the effects of strain with high levels of THC.
Omrita Rx3
Stability: 38%
THC: 5%
CBD 12%
Omrita has unusual past like many other medical marijuana strains. The original Omrita genetics came in a pack of seeds of a strain called Rx from Vancouver Island Seed Company in 2009. After a failed germination with 3 seed germinated Omrita was brought to the famous Harborside Health Center. At Harborside Omrita was tested at 12% CBD and 5% THC. Then the strain was taken to CW Analytical and Botanical Analysis and the results came out. Omrita’s is mostly used to treat severe chronic pain.
Jamaican Lion
Stability: 100%(Clone only)
THC: 5%
CBD: 9%
Jamaican Lion is a medical marijuana strain with a movie-like history. In 2010 after a house robbery, Jamaican’s Lion creator who is a well traveled marijuana grower took what was left over of Jamaica’s Lion flower to Harborside Health Center. After a full analysis, the results came back extremely high levels of CBD and low levels THC, which is perfect for medical marijuana patients, but Jamaica’s Lion creator didn’t know CBD importance and thought Harborside wasn’t going to purchase it, but instead it he got an offer he couldn’t refuse. Jamaica Lion was the 6th CBD rich-strain that Harborside had discovered and it wanted to make it available to its thousands of patients. Jamaica Lion was even featured on July 29 2010 on ABC News “New Marijuana Strains Offer Relief Without the High”. Patients use Jamaica Lion for its anti-inflammatory and pain killing properties. Some patients have reported that Jamaica Lion has the pain killing effects of opiates like Vicodin and Oxycotin without the stupor.
Good Medicine
Stability: 71%
THC: 8.2%
CBD: 9.03%
Good Medicine is a medical marijuana strain that comes out of Montana. This strain was also “discovered” by accident. God Medicine’s “creator” bought the seeds of an unknown strain at an online fundraising auction and started growing it. Initially, he was very impressed with it medicinal effects, no pain and very small high. He decided to have it tested at CannabAnalysis in Missoula and the results came out really good. Good Medicine medicinal effects did not go unnoticed, in October 2010 it was discussed at the Montana State Medical Marijuana Growers Convention. Good Medicine has been reported to be beneficial for those who suffer from neuropathic pain, back pain, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. One patient who has been under Good Medicine for awhile said “It has been one of the most effective medicine I have tried to date, even including pharmaceuticals”
CBD Crew
Stability: 100%
THC: 5%
CBD: 6%
CBD Crew medical marijuana strains are the result of the collaboration of Jorge Cervantes (Cannatonic Creator), Shantibaba (Mr. Nice Seeds), and Jaime (Resin Seeds). CBD Crew strains are truly a masterpiece of medical marijuana strains. Not only have they created strains with a perfect 1:1 THC to CBD ratio, but they also have stabilized the strains to always grow into high CBD plants. Some of CBD Crew most popular strain are CBD Crew Seeds Critical Mass, CBD Crew Seeds Skunk Haze, and CBD Crew Seeds Yummy. CBD Crew seeds are bred specifically to ease the symptoms of a wide range of medical conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, alcoholism, PTSD, epilepsy, antibiotic-resistant infections and neurological disorders.
Epilepsy Treatment with Medical Marijuana
Epilepsy is a condition in which the patient gets recurrent seizures. These convulsions develop when nerve cells in the brain send out messages that result in involuntary body movements or sensations or changes in attention and behavior.
Normal human brain cells produce chemicals called endocannabinoids when they become overactive to prevent seizures. In epilepsy this process is interrupted and seizures develop. Marijuana is able to treat epilepsy because it contains chemicals called cannabinoids which behave just like the brain’s own endocannabinoids and prevents seizures.
In light of these findings, some states like Colorado have legalized the use of marijuana for the treatment of epilepsy in both adults and children.
One child who has benefitted from this legalization is Zaki Jackson.
From the age of 6 months, when he was diagnosed, to the age of 10 years, Zaki had tried 17 different prescription medications for epilepsy but none of them had controlled his convulsions effectively.
His epilepsy was so severe that at one time he was having around 250 seizures in a day. His doctor therefore recommended medical marijuana and the frequency of his seizures reduced dramatically. In fact, Zack has not had one in 9 months. His quality of life has also improved since he can now ride a swing when previously he could not.
Zack’s mother, who describes herself as a conservative Christian, was initially hesitant to use cannabis to treat her child because of the social stigma associated with it. She acquiesced due to the suffering Zack endured from his many convulsions and in retrospect, she is glad that she did.
I probably stared at him for a good three hours after his first dose and then I fell asleep. I didn’t feel any seizures after his first dose”
Parents of children with severe, intractable convulsions can therefore also relieve their children’s suffering by using medical marijuana. They do not have to watch them suffer from numerous violent convulsions each day or live through the heartbreak that ensues when their children are given prescription medications to stop their convulsions and they stop breathing.
Those concerned with intoxication can use special strains of cannabis like little Zack does. These strains are bred to have high concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD) and very low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
THC is the psychoactive compound in marijuana which makes people “stoned”. It also manages convulsions, pain and nausea. CBD also manages these symptoms but is non psychoactive. Using these low-TCH and high-CBD medical marijuana strains reduces the chance of patients getting “high” on their medication.
In fact, the low-THC and high-CBD strains used to treat severe epilepsy in children have virtually no side effects. This high CBD marijuana strains can be found at your local medical marijuana dispensary or if in case you don’t live in a state where medical marijuana is not legal, you can learn how to grow marijuana from the privacy of your own home. There are several websites online that teach you how to grow your own medicine. One of the most popular is marijuanauniversity.com, which makes extremely easy and affordable to learn.
Furthermore, the stigma associated with smoking cannabis can be eradicated by taking the medical treatment as a syrup from purified cannabis like Zaki does,or as in candy, brownies or any edible form.
Though marijuana has reduced the frequency and severity of convulsions in patients with severe epilepsy, critics of cannabis therapy declare that there is no concrete medical evidence that shows that marijuana is an effective form of treatment for any form of epilepsy.
They also opine that more research and clinical trials need to be done on its long-term effects on children before it can be declared a safe alternative to prescription medications.
Medical marijuana proponents disagree. They say that its safety profile is well known since it has been used for thousands of years by mankind, and that doctors say that because they’re influenced by the money pharmaceutical companies give around the medical industry.
Marijuana for Pain Relief
Marijuana is a herb that contains chemicals called Cannabinoids which have proven pain relieving effects. These analgesic properties have resulted in reputable bodies like the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses Association endorsing its use for the management of severe chronic pain.
Medical marijuana is therefore used to treat the several types of pain including:
1. Eye Pain
Glaucoma is a condition in which the intraocular pressure (IOP) or pressure within the eye rises. This results in pain and damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. Cannabis is able to reduce the pressure and consequently the eye pain. It also retards the progression of certain types of glaucoma.
2. Joint Pain
Arthritis is characterized by pain and inflammation in the joints. Marijuana is able to manage osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile arthritis effectively since it contains analgesic and anti-inflammatory compounds.
3. Muscle Pain
Multiple sclerosis is associated with symptoms like muscle pain, tremors, spasticity, numbness, an unsteady gait, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Marijuana is able to relieve all these symptoms and thus improve the patient’s quality of life. It can even slow the progression of this degenerative condition.
4. Fibromyalgia Pain
Fibromyalgia is another condition associated with chronic pain. Clinical studies have shown that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can reduce this pain. In addition, medical marijuana patients attest that it also decreases the insomnia and depression associated with fibromyalgia.
5. Cancer Pain
Marijuana is used to manage the chronic pain associated with numerous cancers. It also slows the progression of cervical and lung cancer and retards the growth of malignant cells in patients with breast cancer and leukemia.
Medical cannabis also reduces the nausea and vomiting associated with the chemotherapy used to treat cancer. Furthermore, it also stimulates the appetites of patients with anorexia due to cancer treatment regimens.
Medical Marijuana Advantages
Medical marijuana not only relieves chronic pain from a wide range of causes, it also relieves it more effectively that traditional opiate analgesics because it is not nauseating. In fact, it is a very effective anti-emetic in its own right and thus patients using marijuana does not need to take extra medications to stop their nausea and vomiting.
The nausea of opiate analgesics like OxyContin and Vicodin makes patients with chronic pain avoid eating. Marijuana on the other hand increases their appetites thereby enabling them to eat well and fortify their bodies.
Marijuana is also a better analgesic for chronic pain than opiates since it is not addictive. It does not alter the patient’s brain chemistry and leaves them addicted and in need of detoxification programs to get rid of their dependency.
Another advantage that marijuana has over popular pain medication is that patients smoking cannabis for pain relief develop minimal tolerance when compared to those taking pain killers. The result is that patients on cannabis do not need to increase their dose to get the same relief as much as those taking opioids. These tolerances to pain analgesics results in poor pain control since some patients are unable to acquire enough drugs to relieve their pain effectively.
Marijuana also reduces the pill burden for patients with conditions like multiple sclerosis since it is able to manage multiple symptoms unlike traditional analgesics which only manage pain. This saves the patient money and time spent refilling multiple prescriptions.
Marijuana is also a much cheaper treatment option than many traditional opiate based analgesics. Some patients spent up to $1000 each month on pills, unlike marijuana which you can buy at a medical marijuana dispensary for a fraction of the cost, order from marijuana delivery service or you can even grow your own. While some might think that growing marijuana is a complex and tedious process there several websites that teach you how to grow weed from the privacy of your own home.
Medical cannabis is also a safer chronic pain reliever than NSAIDS like Motrin, and Tylenol which cause stomach and intestinal bleeding, kidney damage, heart attacks and strokes.