I use medical marijuana for symptoms of my Crohn's disease and my neuropathy. I get mine from a co-op, and that saves me $60-80 an ounce. Yes it is expensive, but it is nearly immediate in relief, does not produce the terrible side effects (even helps some of them) and is often the only way I can be physically active. Our co-op also offers chocolates and cookies, but I have trouble ingesting it unless I make the butter myself. . . and I am on a strict low-fat diet right now that prevents me from doing this. A year ago I made the perfect little gingerbread cookies -- the ginger helped with nausea and 2-3 of these little cookies took away all my pain for 4-6 hours! (But they did take up to 45 minutes to kick in) The next batch I made using butter from the co-op and I don't think they strained it as well, and it irritated my gut, and didn't work as well! I have flown with cookies twice now . . . I just package them as if for a party with wrapping and bows and carry them onboard!

It would be nice if personal use quanitites were no longer criminal so we could travel with our meds and not take any heat for it. . . .

I am absolutely in favor of the legalization of marijuana period,
if they can sell alcohol and deadly cancerous cigarettes with who knows what in them, besides monsanto pesticides,
-
history of the herb
Marijuana has been cultivated for thousands of years. Cannabis was first described for its therapeutic use in the first known Chinese pharmacopoeia, the Pen Ts'ao. (A pharmacopoeia is a book containing a list of medicinal drugs, and their descriptions of preparation and use.) Cannabis was called a "superior" herb by the Emperor Shen-Nung (2737–2697 B.C.), who is believed to have authored the work. Cannabis was recommended as a treatment for numerous common ailments. Around that same period in Egypt, cannabis was used as a treatment for sore eyes. The herb was used in India in cultural and religious ceremonies, and recorded in Sanskrit scriptural texts around 1,400 B.C. Cannabis was considered a holy herb and was characterized as the "soother of grief," "the sky flyer," and "the poor man's heaven." Centuries later, around 700 B.C., the Assyrian people used the herb they called Qunnabu, for incense. The ancient Greeks used cannabis as a remedy to treat inflammation, earache, and edema (swelling of a body part due to collection of fluids)

further history on the same page - I get a big kick out of -

Both President George Washington and President Thomas Jefferson were advocates of hemp as a valuable cash crop. Jefferson urged farmers to grow the crop in lieu of tobacco. By the 1850s, hemp had become the third largest agricultural crop grown in North America. The U.S. Census of that year recorded 8,327 hemp plantations, each with 2,000 or more acres in cultivation. But the invention of the cotton gin was already bringing many changes, and cotton was becoming a prime and profitable textile fiber. More change came with the introduction of the sulfite and chlorine processes used to turn trees into paper. Restrictions on the personal use of cannabis as a mood-altering, psychoactive herb, were soon to come.

http://www.answers.com/marijuana?afi...ookup&nafid=27

I would love to eventually grow it myself. I belong to a co-op and as soon as the new grower to patient ratio is rewritten here in Canada will be getting my MM real cheap, from the grower. One place I go sells for $10 a gram and the other place $9 and for 1 week once a month MMAR holders (fully legal) get 1/2 ounce for $110 from the first place. In October MMAR exemptees will be able to sign up for $130 ounces.

There are cases here where insurance companies have paid for MM, either being forced by courts or because, for them, it was cheaper than other less effective meds for their clients. A win-win situation.

For some reason I don`t seem to get off on ingesting it via cookies etc like I did when younger, although it`s suppose to increase the potency by 5 times by going through the liver. It`s amazing the wide variety of subtle effects various strains are known for.

Food is a discrete way to medicate in public, just be careful with stuff like cookies in situations where not sharing (like with the wide eyed kid staring at you) might be seen as anti-social, insensitive, or downright greedy...... And don`t share with the pilot.

In Canada you can discretely carry your limit on you (mine is 90 grams), say if you don`t want it stolen from home.

...while not water soluble, THC is very soluble in alcohol. So a portable measure that wouldn't tempt the stray four year old could be readily made up by soaking the herb in vodka at about two to one then strain. Completely extracts the active parts.

As a card carring ( Cal.) " Medical Marijuana" patient and former " caregiver" as well. I can tell you, First, Marijuana is marijuana, Medical or not! Use it or abuse it! It is a powerful drug and yes a very medicative application for my "Parkinsons Disease" ! Hence my "handle" "Buzzz" !
Yes, Yes, let them make a Federal case out of it!
I have been using the evil weed for about 8 years now or 3 years after I was diagnosed and retired. It relieves my nausea, muscle pain, aches, mental health. It has not caused any Cancer in me , Any reefer madness, such as rape, murder ,arson, any more than usual anyway ! My M.D. s including my Neurologyst and M.D. wink at my use!
In fact the most dangerous thing for is not for me to use it, but to possess or procour the so called M.M. ! You can look it up but most M.D. s including my Neurologyst and M.D. wink at my use but still can't help me with an acceptable treatment for my PK!!!

So, on the "Pot" lets call it what it is folks, debate, I say yea!

Now, on to my problem! I am having with my "stalevo" 125.
I am having severe Dyskinesias after my dosage. I want to get off the "carbidopa/levadopa routine alltogether! Now!
Any sugestions ?????
Always listening. Rarely speaking. BUZZZ

I did not mean to say in "Look it up" that most MDs endorse MM. I don't know that! What I meant to say was , look up MM and do the research yourselve, being objective of course. I don't want to put the MDs on the spot!
Buzzz.

...(IF that's your REAL name ) your problem is obvious - you've been forced to use Kentucky Bluegrass. Man, that stuff is meant for horses!

(from your Tennessee neigh-bor)

If marijuana were legalized, and the critical people smoked it, the war on drugs and....what's the new term for the war on terror ? would both end. they would regulate it so people could smoke it for illness relief and put violent drug lords and terrorists partially out of business. There are other more dangerous drugs unfortunately that no one wants to be legalized, but perhaps they would decrease in popularity.

The problem is, i don't want to deal with people driving, text messaging AND stoned. It's the irresponsible who always ruin it for everyone. The government could get out of debt lickety split - if they take it over as their own industry - bail out income. At least there would be an exchange of something rather than we pay for CEO failures as they collect bonuses.

It's a plant. But granny doesn't want to go to jail.

paula