[fmichael]

An amazing tale of the war initiated by the California State Board of Medical Quality Assurance (SBMQA) against Allan Frankel, MD, a once prominent Santa Monica internist who discovered the value of medical marijuana for pain and upon recovery began dispensing it for pain. http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/07/...t-deemed-sane/

And for those in the Los Angeles area, I have been authoritatively advised that Dr. Frankel is the "go to guy" in town for medical marijuana, where he prescribes not something that could give you lung cancer, etc, but a distilled "tincture of cannabis" instead. And while I know from my prescribed use of the significantly inferior Marinol - an exact replica of one of nine naturally occurring THC molecules - that pot is the best thing going for CNS induced spasms, it's off limits to me if I want to remain with my current pain doc, who has to cover his tail with the DEA on a regular basis. And I do. So I don't.

Mike

[fmichael]

What's also fascinating about the story is that after destroying the SBMQA's expert witness on cross-examination before an administrative law judge - a psychiatrist who had prepared an apparently "made according instructions" negative evaluation of Dr. Frankel - the good doctor is now maintaining a medical malpractice action against the shrink, concerning which his attorney is explicitly stating that he will be seeking discovery regarding all communications between the shrink and the SBMQA!

If this flies, consider the possibility for suits against a doc who perform "Independent Medical Examination" (IME) for insurance companies. Or defendants in general. . . .

Are you there, Dubious?

[Russell]

Sure,
Let's all get stoned while the enemy walks right in and takes over. Hugo would love it........

[fmichael]

Please read the article. Dr. Frankel is talking about about a a whole different variety of marijuana, hybridized for its medicinal rather than it's psychogenic properties. And as back issues of the last 30 years of High Times will attest, a great deal of energy has gone in the opposite direction.

The implications are profound: if you can produce a distilled version of the stuff, molecules that act on pain and spasms without getting people wasted, then why not legalize it as a controlled substance? Just consider the possibilities for people with MS, to say nothing of CRPS!

Have a

Mike

[cindi1965]

My Bonus-Mom lives in CA and she always tells me to come out and stay for a awhile and get a medicinal marijuana card...a friend of hers makes the "Bud Butter" and has the card. She eats 5 pieces of homemade THC chocolates a day and is completely pain free and has a full productive life...I so wish they would legalize it as an oil or tincture or even a pill...I know it would be better for my liver compared to the 19 pills a day that I take just so I can just walk!!!