cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Lands Spot on Ballot Medical Marijuana Lands Spot on Ballot Posted by CN Staff on June 19, 2004 at 08:05:17 PT By Tracy Davis, News Staff Reporter Source: Ann Arbor News It's official: A question on medical marijuana use will be put before Ann Arbor voters this November. Final ballot language has not yet been approved, said Ron Olson, acting city clerk, but the petition with 7,000 signatures was certified by the city clerk's office on June 11. City council is scheduled to sign off on the ballot language during its first regular meeting in July. "We're very pleased with this and looking forward to a very successful outcome," said Charles Ream, a Scio Township trustee who spearheaded the initiative to collect signatures. The question would ask voters to amend the city charter, adding language to allow people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes to avoid prosecution. Ream, chairman of the Washtenaw Coalition for Compassionate Care, said medical marijuana advocates were considering a state petition drive in order to put the question before all Michigan voters as early as 2006. Ream added that he hoped federal marijuana laws would change by then instead, however. The coalition, which also goes by Medical Marijuana in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Saline, is loosely affiliated with the Detroit Coalition for Compassionate Care, which got a medical marijuana question placed on the August ballot in the city of Detroit. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/lands.htmSource: Ann Arbor News (MI)Author: Tracy Davis, News Staff Reporter Published: Saturday, June 19, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Ann Arbor NewsContact: letters annarbornews.comWebsite: http://www.mlive.com/aanews/index.ssfRelated Articles & Web Sites:MINORMLhttp://www.minorml.org/Detroit Coalition for Compassionate Carehttp://www.mmdetroit.org/Initiative Legalizing MMJ May Be on Nov. Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18828.shtmlMedical Marijuana Issue May Make Nov. Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18801.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by Richard Paul Zuckerm on June 20, 2004 at 13:18:59 PT: MEDICAL HYPOCRISY They put mercury in vaccines, causing U.S. Rep. Weldon to recently submit a Congressional Bill to bar mercury from vaccines. They put monkey virus in polio vaccines and administered same to Baby Boomers, causing many many casualties. They purposely spray junk into the air, causing an increasing frequency of respiratory disease, www.bariumblues.com. THEY are the same people causing the wars! THEY launder $600 Billion per year of drug money thru Wall Street, www.fromthewilderness.com, while Americans are targeted for criminal prosecution for relatively small amounts of drugs, an awful hypocrisy!!! Please consider sending Dr. Rath a letter in support of his COMPLAINT OF GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PHARMACEUTICAL CARTEL, www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/The_Hague/complaint/; www.gulfwarillnesses.com/news/RATH.html; contact dr-rath-foundation.org? I have already sent him my supporting letter! What about you people?Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, New Jersey, 08840-0159, (Cell telephone number)(908) 403-6990, richardzuckerman2002 yahoo.com. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by The GCW on June 20, 2004 at 08:31:46 PT Who else? Ann Arbor, Montana, Alaska, Nevada. Arkansas is due up for bat also.Am I missing anyplace? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on June 19, 2004 at 20:18:03 PT An article whose time has come The scientific estlishment has spent so much time trying to squeeze out every last negative thing that can minutely detect about pot, meanwhile the research on the disastrous effects of cancer treatment on one's ability to think and function has only just begun:http://health.yahoo.com/search/healthnews?lb=s&p=id%3A59397Seeking Solutions to 'Chemo-Brain' What Causes It? Who's at Risk? June 18, Just about anyone who's had any experience with cancer knows that chemotherapy can cause some unpleasant side effects. Nausea, fatigue, and hair loss are all common complaints.Over the past few years, though, a lesser-known side effect -- the cognitive dysfunction commonly called "chemo-brain" -- has been getting more attention from patients and doctors."We have increasing numbers of long-term cancer survivors who are trying to get back to a normal routine, and that's where you begin to notice things like cognitive side effects of chemotherapy," said Tim Ahles, MD, who gave a presentation on the problem at a recent survivorship conference sponsored by the American Cancer Society. 'Subtle Shifts'People who have chemo-brain may find themselves unable to concentrate on their work, or unable to juggle multiple tasks. Some find they don't remember things as well as they used to."The impact on the individual really depends to a large extent on what kind of demands they have at work or in life in general," said Ahles, a professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and director of the school's Center for Psycho-Oncology Research. "People who have very demanding or stressful jobs, or have to multitask and need high cognition, those people are going to notice subtle shifts."Subtle or not, chemo-brain is frustrating to patients, who may suddenly find themselves unable to accomplish tasks they formerly completed with ease. And it's a mystery to doctors, who are still trying to understand what causes it and who is likely to suffer.But researchers are making progress, and new studies have yielded more insights.More Than Anemia or DepressionIn the past, Ahles said, doctors assumed chemo-brain was merely a byproduct of other chemotherapy side effects like anemia, fatigue, or depression. All of these have the potential to cause problems like memory lapses and concentration difficulties. Treating them, though, can often resolve the problem.The real riddle, Ahles said, is how to help those patients whose chemo-brain isn't caused by one of these factors. As many as 20%-25% of patients fall into this category, but as yet there's no way to predict which patients might be affected.One reason for this uncertainty is the methods used in previous studies of chemo-brain. In most, the patients weren't given tests to measure their mental function before they received chemotherapy. Without this baseline, judging the severity of chemotherapy-related mental decline is difficult. Newer studies, though, are taking measures of mental abilities before treatment and after; those results should help researchers narrow the field of potential chemo-brain sufferers.Researchers are also studying whether certain genetic or hormonal factors may make some people more susceptible to mental effects from chemotherapy. Estrogen and a gene linked to Alzheimer's disease are two targets of investigation.Another pressing issue, Ahles said, is which chemotherapy drugs cause problems, and how. Researchers are using MRI technology to identify what parts of the brain are affected by chemotherapy."Without knowing what the mechanism is, it's hard to develop a more targeted treatment," said Ahles. "If we knew the path, we could develop ways to prevent [the condition], or at least find ways to treat it if it did occur." Finding Ways to CopeUntil such answers are found, what's a patient to do? Talking to a doctor is imperative, Ahles said. A doctor can look for the most obvious causes of chemo-brain and treat them, if possible.If that doesn't work, there are strategies that may help people deal with their chemo-brain. In a workshop held last year, breast cancer survivors described methods that had helped them function more effectively (Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 22, No. 11: 2233-2239).Many women decreased their workload and tried to avoid multiple tasks. They made lists to help themselves remember what needed to be done. They got more sleep. And they tried to avoid emergency situations where quick thinking might be required.Patients must also remember that most people do eventually recover fully from the effects of chemotherapy, Ahles said."Lots of people have cognitive problems during chemotherapy, but there is a recovery process that goes on with time," he said. "A lot happens over 6 months, more over 1 year, and some after 2 years."For a given individual, chances are that their cognitive function will recover to normal or near-normal levels a year or two after chemo." [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 19, 2004 at 10:14:05 PT Related Article from The Associated Press Ann Arbor Voters To Decide on Medical Marijuana The Associated Press June 19, 2004ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Voters will be asked in November whether they wish to amend the city charter to add language to allow people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes to avoid prosecution. Final ballot language has not yet been approved, said Ron Olson, acting city clerk, but a petition with 7,000 signatures was certified by the city clerk's office on June 11.City council is scheduled to sign off on the ballot language during its first regular meeting in July."We're very pleased with this and looking forward to a very successful outcome," Charles Ream, a Scio Township trustee who spearheaded the initiative to collect signatures, told The Ann Arbor News.Detroit voters will consider a similar proposal this August.Ream, chairman of the Washtenaw Coalition for Compassionate Care, said medical marijuana advocates were considering a state petition drive in order to put the question before all Michigan voters as early as 2006.Ream has said the group plans similar initiatives in Ypsilanti and Saline in 2006 and 2008, respectively.•__Information from: The Ann Arbor News: http://www.mlive.com/aanews [ Post Comment ] Post Comment