It’s been 80 years since the release of Reefer Madness. Ah, yes. The cautionary tale of that dangerous marijuana, or as I like to call it by its scientific name: cannabis. The film claimed that cannabis made you want to go out and kill people or listen to Satan’s music, aka Jazz.
Good grief, Charlie Brown.
Yes, this actually happened, and while most people are smart enough now to no longer buy into that propaganda there is still a costly stigma associated with cannabis use. A stigma that seems to be falling away one state at a time. So, South Carolina, are we next?
That is certainly my goal, but in order for that to happen education needs to take place. Last year I founded Cannabis Forward to fill that very need. Our first Medical Cannabis Education Forum took place in March and was attended by over 100 people. We are hosting our next forum on September 25th at Larkin’s Sawmill and we expect the attendance to be twice as many. Cannabis industry and healthcare professionals will share with you scientific facts about a simple plant with a bad reputation
The forum is open to the public. Doctors, legislators, and caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend. Since we are a 501c3 nonprofit, we do suggest a $5 donation to attend the event.
The forum will begin at 2:30 with an introduction to Cannabis by Sebastien Cotte. Mr. Cotte serves on the board of the Flowering Hope Foundation located in Denver, Co. Next you will learn about the endocannabinoid system from our Cannabinoid Educator, Joann Collins. State Representative Jonathan Hill will offer us a glimpse at what medical cannabis legislation will look like for South Carolina, and then Dr. Uma Dhanabalan will close out the day. Dr. Uma is a Cannabis Physician for Uplifting Wellness in Boston. She will be offering insight into the opiate epidemic and how cannabis can be utilized in adjunctive and conjunctive therapies. Attendees will acquire a deeper understanding of cannabis as medicine and will feel confident in sharing this science to further reduce the stigma associated with cannabis.
I personally invite you to attend. We might even play some jazz music for you.
Medical Cannabis Educational Forum September 25, 2016
A Chandler pharmaceutical company made a $500,000 donation to the campaign opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, making it the largest funder of the effort to defeat Proposition 205.
INSYS Therapeutics Inc. makes a fast-acting form of fentanyl that is sprayed under the tongue, and "may provide pain relief in as little as 5 minutes," according to its website. INSYS also touts on its website a "capability to develop pharmaceutical cannabinoids," the active components of the marijuana plant.
In a statement, Insys Therapeutics said it opposes Prop. 205 "because it fails to protect the safety of Arizona’s citizens, and particularly its children."
"...We believe that all available medicines should meet the clinical standards set by the FDA. Insys firmly believes in the potential clinical benefits of cannabinoids. Like many in the healthcare community, we hope that patients will have the opportunity to benefit from these potential products once clinical trials demonstrate their safe and effective use. To that end, we are currently conducting research with leading universities and institutions to ensure the clinical benefits of cannabinoids for unmet medical needs including epilepsy, anxiety and PTSD," Insys' said in its statement.
Cannabis plants contain more than 100 cannabinoids. Some products created using cannabinoids have been licensed for medical use, said Sue Sisley, a practicing physician who is beginning FDA-approved research on the effects of plant-based marijuana on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. J.P. Holyoak, chair of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, attacked the donation, writing in a statement the pharmaceutical company's financial backing against legalization is motivated by self-interest.
"You have a company using profits from the sale of what has been called 'the most potent and dangerous opioid on the market’ to prevent adults from using a far less harmful substance," Holyoak stated.
The recipient of its donation, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, also has the backing of two county attorneys, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and various businesses.
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Now WHY is Chandler so against cannabis that they would spend $500,000 to fight it? This will give you a big old clue!
In “Substituting cannabis for prescription drugs, alcohol and other substances among medical cannabis patients: The impact of contextual factors” (PubMed – 2015), it was noted that “Substituting cannabis for one or more of alcohol, illicit drugs or prescription drugs was reported by 87% (n?=?410) of respondents, with 80.3% reporting substitution for prescription drugs, 51.7% for alcohol, and 32.6% for illicit substances.”
And further, “The three main reasons cited for cannabis-related substitution are “less withdrawal” (67.7%), “fewer side-effects” (60.4%), and “better symptom management” suggesting that many patients may have already identified cannabis as an effective and potentially safer adjunct or alternative to their prescription drug regimen.” From “Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs: A dispensary-based survey of substitution effect in Canadian medical cannabis patients” (Informa - 2013).
Legal cannabis means that 8 out of 10 people will find that they can dump their pills and use home-grown cannabis instead! I'm a good example- at age 69, the ONLY pharmaceutical I use is thyroid pills (Armor natural thyroid, not the synthetic stuff). Most folks my age have a half-dozen or more pills to take, but for me, aside from the thyroid pills, cannabis does all the rest! And I feel GOOD, about half my age!
Now Big Pharma is TERRIFIED of legalization (with good reason!). :eek: And they will bribe, lie and do anything that they can to prevent legalization! Now that's where YOU come in! Every day I am commenting in the news to educate people about the medical facts about cannabis! I could use a little more company! :poke:
MAKE A COMMENT! If each of you reading this would comment in a couple of articles each day, we could provide those who are uneducated with the information they need! Big Pharma has the money, but we have all of you!
Now are you going to "live down to" what the prohibitionists say we are? Too lazy, unmotivated and always too stoned to do anything to help ourselves and others? :mellow:
Or will you take my challenge and become an activist?:yay: It isn't hard, dangerous or time-consuming to comment in the news! And that's all you need to do- say something! It doesn't matter where you live, Arizona, Alabama, Montana, Colorado, or even in another country- you have a voice! USE IT! - God Bless -
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