[legzzalot]

So I was talking to a very near and dear friend (who is moving back to PA this week and it totally breaks my heart). This friend is about the same age as my mom, grew up in the 70s. And you've probably guessed where I am going with this one. He had invited me out for drinks, but considering the spinal tap tomorrow, I didn't think alcohol was a good idea. And we started going over the list of things I am not allowed to do until the swelling in the spinal cord goes down. And he looks at me with the most serious face and says "Can you smoke pot?" Which made me giggle because I have not even considered this since high school. Although I did write quite a few papers on medicinal herbs (and marijuana was always listed) back in college.

So out of curiosity I began researching this evening and was amazed at the number that popped up when I googled "medical marijuana treatment in multiple sclerosis" . I have been bombarded with information, and I am not going through it all tonight; I am just wondering about the possibility. I know this is something that would never fly in Virginia, or for the majority of the US but now my interest is peaked. I will look into it further later.

It's just a thought.

[doydie]

Tonights episode of Eli Stone was about that.

[CayoKay]

good evening, Legzz.

perhaps you can try making cannabutter, and using it in baking?

here's a detailed preparation guide:

http://cannabis.com/faqs/cannabis_re...ipe/index.html

just be sure to keep the resultant butter, and any "special" baked goods well out of the reach of children, as you would with any medicine.

with eating MM (rather than smoking), the slower and more gentle release of the THC seems to work better for my lower extremity spasticity (severe calf and foot cramps)

I don't really care for feeling stoned all the time (I've got a farm to run), and don't want the obviously recognizable odor of burning pot hanging around the house, but want relief from trigeminal neuralgia and muscle spasms, so using medical marijuana in baking works best for me... as I can control the dosage more efficiently, and obtain longer-term relief.

it's still being debated in the scientific community as to whether marijuana does anything for the immune system, or the reduction of MS flares and lesions, but it *can* be very useful for the amelioration of certain symptoms.

did you know George Washington grew medical marijuana?

Major General George Washington, U.S. Revolutionary War hero and first president of the United States, cultivated Indian Hemp (Cannabis sativa indica, i.e. medical cannabis, which could also be used for fiber, although not as well as regular hemp) on his farm.

"Make the most you can of the Indian hemp seed. Sow it everywhere."
-- George Washington, in a letter to his farm manager

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_h..._United_States

I'll be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

[legzzalot]

Really? I always thought baking it would lose some of the properties. Although our exchange student from china used to use it as an herb. (she would put it in her cream of wheat) and was dumbfounded that this was illegal here in the States.

[CayoKay]

MM loses "properties" only if you bake shreds of the leaves into your cookies or brownies, or what-have-you.

the heat degrades the tetrahydrocannabinoids, is what I've read.

if you follow the cannabutter instructions carefully, the "goodness" is leached into the butterfat molecules. and the leafy matter is squeezed through cheesecloth (and removed), which does several things.

first, the MM is preserved better, it doesn't go stale or dry out.

second, since the oil thoroughly melts *through* the baked goods, the distribution is more uniform, and not gathered in clumps of leafage (that's why medicinal dosing is more reliable),

third, there's no crunchy bits (or "off" taste) to deal with, the medicine is rendered almost invisible, and almost tasteless.

that's why you have to be so careful marking and storing your products (in the freezer, maybe marked GIBLETS or something unappealing?), as you wouldn't want a friend/neighbor/relative/child to accidentally go "YUM, these are GREAT!!" and proceed to eat half a dozen.

'cause then, they'd be swinging from the chandeliers, and dancing outside in the rain, singing nursery rhymes or something...

anyway, look over the Cannabutter recipe, and see how it's done... like I said, once the medicinal properties are subsumed into the butter (unsalted works best!), it may actually increase the medicinal value.

it seems like a lot of trouble, but it's not really, it's easy once you get the hang of it,

one recipe-batch of butter (a lb of cannabutter) makes 6 batches of brownies.

and one batch of brownies lasts me three weeks.

you can even "cheat" and use Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownie Mix, .



one small brownie at bedtime, and I sleep like an angel.

[dmplaura]

Thank goodness for living in Canada where it's 'legal' for medical reasons, but I don't even know the red tape involved in obtaining the 'magical' card to use it without the cops busting down your door.

Even then, I heard of a recent case where the cops DID bust down the door of a man who had a government issued licence to toke. Go figure huh?

But yeah for MJ!

[Snoopy]

I really doubt you will offend anyone

Many have either tried or currently use marijuana to help with their MS symptoms.

I have tried marijuana for pain but, it had no affect for me....I should say it didn't affect the pain I was having but, it did affect me

Whatever works

[Harry Z]

The use of MJ for medical purposes has been explored a lot in the last few years. At the Pain Clinic in London, ON Canada, they conducted an open label clinical trial with MJ for patients who experienced a lot of pain. The purpose of the trial was to study the side effects and compare them to what patients experienced using conventional drugs.

I'm not sure if the trial is done yet or not but the patients had the option of smoking the MJ or combining it in food. The latter worked fine but took longer to get into one's system. The MJ was supplied by government sources and of course was strictly controlled.

The neuro in charge of the trial told me that it was no question that MJ did indeed work for pain. He treated just like any other drug but of course was aware of the "stigma" that MJ carried with it.

Harry