cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 15, 2006 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- June 15, 2006 Posted by CN Staff on June 15, 2006 at 13:40:45 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Cannabinoids Offer Novel Therapy For GI DisordersJune 15, 2006 - Mainz, GermanyMainz, Germany: Cannabinoids protect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from inflammation and abnormally high gastric secretions, and could potentially treat numerous GI-related disorders such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowl syndrome, according to review data published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. Investigators at Germany's Johannes Gutenberg University report that activation of the body's cannabinoid receptors protect the gastrointestinal tract from inflammation and modulate gastric secretions and intestinal motility. "For such protective activities, the endocannabinoid system may represent a new promising therapeutic target against different GI disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases, functional bowel diseases, and secretion and motility disorders," they conclude.Though the use of cannabis to treat symptoms of GI disorders has been reported anecdotally for several decades, virtually no clinical trials on the subject have been conducted. Survey data reported last fall in O'Shaughnessy's: The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice, found that Crohn's patients experienced subjective benefits from cannabis, including pain relief and increased appetite. German investigators at the University Hospital in Munich are now assessing the efficacy of cannabis extracts for the treatment of Crohn's.Researchers in the United Kingdom also reported last year that cannabinoids promote healing in the gastrointestinal membrane, and may provide therapeutic relief to patients with irritable bowel syndrome.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract," appears in the current issue of the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6931NORML Launches Daily "AudioStash" New 30-Minute Podcast Available At 4:20June 15, 2006 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: NORML has launched a new daily, 30-minute edition of its weekly podcast. The original programming, entitled "NORML's Daily AudioStash: The Growing Truth About Marijuana," is available via podcast and direct MP3 download every weekday at 4:20pm at either http://www.normlaudiostash.com/ or http://www.norml.org/ Archived shows are also available online.Episodes of NORML's Daily AudioStash will feature breaking news stories and interviews, NORML Chapter profiles, music and comedy sketches, as well as regular segments on cannabis and health, legislative reform efforts, and hemp technology. Featured guests on the show have included NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, Mitch Earleywine - author of the book Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence - comedian Tommy Chong, and NORML Board Member Dominic Holden, among others."With so much happening in the world of cannabis law reform, there was an urgent need for the creation of a daily audio show to capture the various voices of the reform movement and keep consumers up to date with the latest pot-related science, news, and events information that you won't find anywhere else but on NORML's AudioStash," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said.NORML's podcasts rank as one of the most popular political audio programs available on the Internet, according to tabulations released by Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store.For more information, please visit: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6685 or http://www.normlaudiostash.com/DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6932Counties' Prop. 215 Challenge Can Go Forward June 15, 2006 - San Diego, CA, USASan Diego, CA: A lawsuit filed earlier this year by San Diego County supervisors arguing that the state's ten-year-old medical cannabis law should be pre-empted by the federal Controlled Substances Act can move forward, a Superior Court judge has ruled. The ruling rejects a motion filed in March by state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who argued that the supervisors "disliked" the law, but had no legal standing to challenge it.The judge is expected to set a trial date in the case imminently.San Diego supervisors filed suit in January rather than comply with a 2004 state law mandating county officials to issue identification cards to authorized medical marijuana patients.Local governments from San Bernardino and Merced Counties have since joined the suit. According to a recent telephone poll of San Diego county voters, 78 percent of respondents said that they opposed the supervisor's lawsuit.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. The case is County of San Diego v. San Diego NORML et al.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6930 New Zealand: Parliament To Debate Measure To Legalize Medical CannabisJune 15, 2006 - Wellington, New ZealandWellington, New Zealand: Members of Parliament will debate legislation that seeks to allow authorized patients to use cannabis therapeutically. The proposal, backed by the Green Party, would allow physician-supervised medical cannabis patients authorized to register with the government and be issued an identification card exempting them from criminal arrest."Strict regulation of medicinal cannabis and supervision of use by a doctor will allow patients access to an effective medicine and prevent the unjust conviction of those for whom it provides relief from their illness," the Green Party stated in a press release.Cannabis offenses comprise 80 percent of all drug arrests in New Zealand. Statistics indicate that New Zealand law enforcement arrest a greater percentage of their citizens for marijuana violations than any other nation.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.norml.org.nzDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6929Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: June 15, 2006Copyright: 2006 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #36 posted by whig on June 20, 2006 at 02:47:09 PT Alcohol This is a portrait of an unrepentant Alcoholic:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_CheneyI think it explains a lot.Two DWI's. Drank and went hunting: Shot a man in the face. This is your vice president? He's not even a dry drunk. He's a drunk drunk. [ Post Comment ] Comment #35 posted by Hope on June 19, 2006 at 08:47:16 PT Overcoming shyness. I had it bad and yet, was fairly content in my safe little world. Then one day in my early teens I was approaching a corner of the school building and heard two people around the corner...talking about me! I stopped and listened. They said I was "so stuck-up".Me? Stuck-up? No way. I was just stone faced timid.I had always been so impressed with a girl in that school that was older than me. She was so charming. She even spoke to me everytime she saw me. She spoke to ME! It was so amazing. Her name was "Rosie". She was beautiful and she had long glorious red hair. I still remember her pretty face. She had a powerful effect on me. I thought about her a lot and the way she interacted with people. It occurred to me that she was so kind and that she was reaching people amazingly...to me...by just smiling and saying "Hello", like she meant it.Timid or not, I started doing that. It made a huge difference in my life and my quietness never came off as some sort of arrogance again, that I know of. The speaking and smiling and looking the people I spoke to in the eye...really seeing them and really caring about them, made a huge difference in my relationships with everyone. A smile and a "Hello" made all the difference in the world.A couple of years later a teacher described me as "Vivacious". That was so funny to me that I never forgot it. A few smiles and greetings can change a lot.Paxil sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad I had an overheard conversation and Rosie as an example, instead of Paxil. [ Post Comment ] Comment #34 posted by FoM on June 19, 2006 at 07:51:08 PT whig That was a good article. I am a wall flower type but as you know I can talk a lot when I am with a few people. Put me in a crowd and I go blank. I am not an extravert but a person who would rather take a little time and smell the flowers and take a little time and watch the grass grow. That's words from a Christian Song I always liked. The last sentence is: Oh how He loves you so.Why does everyone need to be an extravert? I am not interested. [ Post Comment ] Comment #33 posted by whig on June 19, 2006 at 07:03:25 PT OT: SSRI (Paxil) article in Slate "Extroverted Like Me: How a month and a half on Paxil taught me to love being shy."http://www.slate.com/id/2143243/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #32 posted by whig on June 18, 2006 at 20:18:10 PT Max e-mail for you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #31 posted by FoM on June 18, 2006 at 11:11:06 PT Off Topic: North Korea NKorea Threatens To 'Wipe Out' US Forces in Case of War - KCNA ***June 18, 2006 SEOUL (XFN-ASIA) - North Korea threatened to 'mercilessly wipe out' US forces in case of war during a national meeting to mark leader Kim Jong-Il's 42 years' work at the ruling party, according to a ruling party report carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The threat came as North Korea was reportedly preparing to test-fire a long-range missile despite strong protests from the United States and its allies. Complete Article: http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/06/18/afx2822575.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #30 posted by Max Flowers on June 17, 2006 at 18:06:32 PT Psyllium Oh and I should clarify, that's whole-husk psyllium. The powdered psyllium is not nearly as effective. [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by Max Flowers on June 17, 2006 at 18:02:00 PT Dankhank & CQ Dankhank: by enzymes I mean broad-spectrum digestive enzyme supplements. They are available in any good health food store, and even other places sometimes. They can be capsules or tablets, but are usually capsules. Broad spectrum meaning ones that have all the main types---protease, lipase, cellulase, amylase, etc. Most people with IBS have problems breaking down fats and proteins, so lipase and protease would be the most important ones in those cases.Probiotics are also health supplements. Usually they are a blend of bifidobacteria and acidophilus types. They boost the numbers of these, which are found in our bodies naturally but because of all the cooked food and bad food and antibiotics in the food chain, etc, we don't have nearly enough of them and the pathogenic bacteria multiply in us. Supplementing with probiotics is equivalent to "sending in fresh divisions of troops" to reinforce the ones that are constantly losing the battle with the baddies. Very key stuff for GI (and thus general) health.CQ: It sounds like that was not nearly enough of the probiotics to do anything, if they were just add-ons to an enzyme product. For these to work, you sometimes have to take lots. Neither enzymes nor probiotics can harm you, so you take lots until you get an effect. Enzymatic breakdown of food is a chemical reaction!! The enzymes are the catalyst. They can't not work---you just keep it up and increasing the amount until you get an improvement. I'm lucky I guess, in that fairly standard amounts do it for me. Others may need more, we're all different. With probiotics you could eat a whole bottle at once and it couldn't possibly hurt you. But I would suggest getting a bottle of each and doing 4-5 caps of enzymes with each meal (I do the same, one with the first bite, the second about a quarter way through the meal, the third about halfway through the meal, then the last with my last bite). As for the probiotics, take a lot, like 3 times what the label says at least. They are your friend, big time. Regarding what doctors say about IBS, they are clueless in my opinion. I know 10x more than most of them do about it, simply because I have concentrated on the subject and they don't have the time (nor do they usually believe in anything but pharm drugs). Psyllium works for most people. Again, it would be very difficult for it NOT to, because the way it works is simple and mechanical. It absorbs water, swells up, passes through your tract and scrapes/pushes waste along while restoring bowel tone. You just have to find your amount. I use two heaping tablespoons in 8 oz of juice every day. You might need 3 or 4 tablespoons, you have to find out what works for you. Again it is very safe stuff, so be bold in your experimentation. But if you try it once or twice and it was not enough, and you become convinced that it doesn't work, well that's not good and not the supplement's fault. So keep trying. I hope you find some relief. [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by charmed quark on June 17, 2006 at 15:55:55 PT Yes, which enzymes? I've tried several types of fiber, both soluable and insoluble. Since then, doctors have changed their minds and recommend only soluable fiber. I would also take the critters that are in yogurt, lactobacillus and others, both as active yogurt and as supplements. The enzymes I took were part of a "digestive enzyme" pill that included stuff like pepsin, invertase,cellulase,lactase, and others, plus I think it had the active ingredient in papaya that breaks down proteins.They really made no difference in me. I discovered that I have difficulty digesting wheat. While not gluten intolerant, cutting WAY back on wheat helped a lot. Rice gives me the least trouble, corn is in between.A low wheat diet , plus the peppermint and ginger as needed, plus possibly the Marinol I take, manages the IBS pretty well. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by Dankhank on June 17, 2006 at 13:35:36 PT: Max wrote: I believe cannabis can help with IBS in that it calms the nervous system, but in my experience it doesn't address root causes of it. In my case, what works for me (and many others I have turned on to this cure) is the combination of three things: fiber (psyllium), enzymes (taken with every meal), and probiotics. If I keep up with those three things every day, I have no problems. If I slack off on any one of them (the fiber especially), the problems begin again.Hey Max, how 'bout some specifics?What enzymes ... what is probiotics ...wondering minds would like to know.thanx [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by Max Flowers on June 17, 2006 at 12:19:40 PT charmed quark Really, you've tried copious doses of enzymes with your food and that did nothing? That would be amazing. That bloating, usually, is basically an immune reaction to the food not being broken down right, so enzymes should make a big difference. They can't hurt you really, so take a lot, perhaps as many as 4 or 5 capsules/tablets with each meal. I would be stunned if that had no effect, as it would seem to defy the laws of biochemistry...I don't mean to sound preachy on this subject, but it's like the only time I've ever seen/experienced a huge improvement in my health that was tangible and where I could tell what had done it. I tend to be hopeful that what worked for me will work for others, but I know that it won't always. I suspect that IBS has as many subtle different causes as there are people who have it.Currently I'm trying to help my girlfriend solve her problem which is characterized mainly by chronic constipation. She has a cannabis recommendation for IBS, and cannabis helps her a little, but we can tell it is not getting to the cause.The latest thing we are looking into as a possible culprit, and maybe you (and all IBS sufferers) should too, is a condition called hypochlorhydria---insufficient hydrochloric stomach acid production. Apparently this condition is very common and capable of creating all kinds of bad GI symptoms, including IBS type problems. [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by charmed quark on June 16, 2006 at 15:49:23 PT sam adams - delivery method I don't think ti matters what the delivery method is - as I understand it, it docks with cannabinoid receptors in the gut. Any method should get it there.I have IBS. While I do take THC on a fairly regular basis it doesn't seem to help that. I suspect it's because my dose is too low, or maybe pure THC is the wrong cannabinoid.I have tried probiotics, fiber, you name it, without any success.My IBS is primarily very painful bloating. So painful that I oftne end up curled up in a ball. It's really tiring.Enteric peppermint tablets help the bloating, as does stong ginger tea. That's about all I've found that helps. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on June 16, 2006 at 09:29:45 PT BGreen My DVD Recorder is going to the great video highway in the sky.I tried to watch HOG and it didn't play right and I thought it was a defective DVD. We connected our old DVD Player and it worked just fine. I know I will get another Recorder sometime in the future but as long as I can play what I have already I'm happy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Max Flowers on June 16, 2006 at 09:25:44 PT mai_bong_city (and anyone suffering from IBS) I believe cannabis can help with IBS in that it calms the nervous system, but in my experience it doesn't address root causes of it. In my case, what works for me (and many others I have turned on to this cure) is the combination of three things: fiber (psyllium), enzymes (taken with every meal), and probiotics. If I keep up with those three things every day, I have no problems. If I slack off on any one of them (the fiber especially), the problems begin again. If you aren't doing those three, I strongly suggest you try them. They took me from a debilitated, near-Crohn's Disease state, to totally normal. And no doctor had a clue about it, either. I had to piece it together for myself after doing a lot of reading.Enzymes, and the body's loss of the ability to synthesize them endogenously the way they did when we were younger, are a central part of the problem. The GI tract starts losing its ability (usually in our late 20s in most people) to make these enzymes, and break down the food all the way with them, which leads to partially digested food staying in the tract. Then that sticks around and ferments in the gut and becomes putrid (sorry to be so graphic here) and that leads to inflammation and it gets impacted and on and on, progressing into a disease state.So you see how the "trinity" works: enzymes finish the work our bodies can't, fiber cleans out the stuff that our bodies can't seem to on their own, and probiotic bacteria complete the work by consuming the putrefactive bacteria and restoring a balance of "good" microbes to the system.If any of you guys are hurting from IBS, I urge you to try this easy regimen. It really does work for most folks, you need no doctor to help you, and it doesn't cost much. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by BGreen on June 16, 2006 at 09:17:12 PT FoM re: your DVD recorder Did you get your DVD recorder fixed or buy a new one?I was having trouble with mine and I wondered exactly what your problem had been.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by FoM on June 16, 2006 at 09:13:03 PT unkat27 Thank you. I know that alcohol is toxic to the Liver and I have known a few men who drank heavily for years that died fairly quickly in their mid forties. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by unkat27 on June 16, 2006 at 08:44:39 PT Alcohol is Bad for Gastronomic System This news makes perfect sense to me, although my experience is not exactly the same, I have had similar problems with my gastric track. One point that i want to emphasize, from my own experience, is that in my own case, cannabis use has helped me curb my abuse of alcohol, and at times, has kept me away from alcohol for long periods of time.The reason I want to point this out is because, unlike cannabis, alcohol abuse has a very bad effect on the gastronomic system. It gave me an ulcer, it once ruptured my spleen, and the pains in my lower back, which are highly suspect, tend to get worse when i use alcohol. I would like to use this argument in favor of a justifiable reason for medicinal cannabis use, but I'm fairly sure that the doctor would simply tell me to stay away from alcohol and prescribe some pills that don't help. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by FoM on June 16, 2006 at 08:07:33 PT Had Enough I have only seen Living With War advertised on CNN and Comedy Central and only a couple times. We spent yesterday watching and rewatching Heart of Gold The Movie. I have never watched a music DVD that was so soothing and beautifully done. It's currently number one in sales at Amazon.com. -- http://tinyurl.com/qwvv9They have a PG Warning on HOG because of drug lyrics. Well duh! It's Neil Young for goodness sake. LOL!I am listening to LWW now and I just love how Neil can be so sweet in one album and fired up in the next album. I thought on the Drug Years Series they would have mentioned No More and or Needle and the Damage Done but they only mention Hip Hop Artists that I never heard of. We are looking forward so much to the CSNY Freedom of Speech Tour. We will see them two times. What a treat this will be.Updated CSNY Web Site with Music: http://www.csny.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by whig on June 16, 2006 at 07:58:56 PT Psych drugs We really don't have such an accurate model of the brain as to be able to say that chemical X does Y. This is theorized and the effects are divided into "primary" and "side" categories but it is really kind of arbitrary. A drug does what it does, if something gives you a headache or a skin rash it isn't a "side effect" it's just an effect, albeit not one presumably desired.What we do know is that cannabis has been around for longer than humans, it has been with us since the beginning of civilization and its effects are well understood to be safe and without known toxicity at any dose. This certainly cannot be said for Prozac or any psychiatric medicine.I'm not trying to encourage anyone to stop taking anything they are prescribed. Especially because withdrawal is very dangerous. And I don't know anyone's specific circumstances thus it would be highly irresponsible to presume to treat someone I had no knowledge of even if I were a medical doctor.I do have an instinctive distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, which very much wants to sell drugs for profit and even with the best of intentions that can substantially affect one's biases.As a larger, sort of meta-criticism of the medical "industry" in this country, while I'm perfectly happy to see people make and do good things and be compensated for them it is not the best model for dealing with emergency and necessity. If you want to buy a triple mocha latte at the Starbucks and they want to charge an outrageous price, it's no harm if you decide you want it or not, there's no life or death involved. But if you need a treatment to stay alive (or if you believe you need it to stay alive, more to the point) you aren't really able to negotiate, you cannot walk away from the transaction.At least necessaries like food have competition in that you can choose to eat or not eat any particular thing. If you had a little land you could even grow your own. And if cannabis were legal it would be an alternative that would make a lot more people relatively less dependent on pharmaceuticals and might work better too. We just can't do the studies yet, so it's all anecdotal or theorized until it's possible to obtain legal cannabis for research. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by zandor on June 16, 2006 at 07:56:19 PT Therapy For GI Disorders This is nothing new to me I have know this for many, many years and with no rectal bleading as a side effect either. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by whig on June 16, 2006 at 07:40:07 PT E_Johnson http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/01/03/prozac.documents/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by afterburner on June 16, 2006 at 07:35:33 PT Living With War "Well the radio stations can have all the blackouts they want. Many will hear this music along with its message."To those who can get it: Q107 is having a "When I'm 64" Classic Rock Weekend, starting today 3 pm in honor of Paul McCartney's 64th birthday. http://www.q107.com/station/classic_weekends.cfmThey play Living With War too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by E_Johnson on June 16, 2006 at 07:29:30 PT Reuptake removes a substance from your bain What reuptake does is remove the molecules and make them unavailable to your system.Inhibiting reuptake of a molecule in your brain means your brain ends up with MORE of that molecule available for use by your brain. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on June 16, 2006 at 07:26:45 PT whig I'm not sure this is accurate "Prozac doesn't fix serotonin imbalance. It creates a serotonin imbalance by inhibiting reuptake. This apparently has the effect of reducing emotional feeling and for those who are depressed it makes them feel their depression less intensely. Unfortunately the depression doesn't really go away with this approach it just gets masked, and outcomes like suicide are actually increased with Prozac over placebo."As far as I have read, outcomes like suicide happen in the window when the Prozac relieves the amotiovational part of depression BEFORE the improvement in mood kicks in.And inhibiting reuptake does not increase the imbalance. It increases the time the serotonin in available in the brain for working to improve mood. So in effect it restores the balance.I believe this is how the science works.I have never read any version of the science that sounds like yours, whig, sorry. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by whig on June 16, 2006 at 07:22:51 PT mai_bong_city The psychiatric drugs are pretty much all dysphorics, IMHO. And we know the pharmaceutical companies are drug pushers.The fact that a perfectly natural herb could work better for most if not all of the conditions they currently prescribe chemicals for is anathema to them but at least for some people it does seem to be true.The main problem with cannabis for this purpose today is availability of supply. Someone could have good results but not be able to take it regularly because they cannot obtain it. Any doctor will tell you that if you played those kinds of on-again-off-again games with the psychiatric medicines it wouldn't be good for achieving any kind of mental stability, and if someone is using medical marijuana for the same purpose the same consideration applies. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by mai_bong_city on June 16, 2006 at 07:12:51 PT right whig it's the flawed re-uptake and i just don't understand why they can't see that there could be a similar condition in the brain's endocannabinoid system - like those who are depressed that seem to get benefit from a manipulation of the serotonin reuptake, it would seem that there are those whose natural endocannabinoid systems are faulty or lacking in some way - what i think is wrong with my body, integrally. it occurs to me that perhaps the endocannabinoid system is sort of the body and mind's natural mr. fix-it system - the repair shop central - maybe. it certainly seems to cover a broad spectrum of problems and when it was shown to regenerate or grow new neurons and have protective effect on cells and stuff, well....makes me wonder. i guess until it can be openly studied we'll never know, but i hope someday the focus will be on.....so much can be learned, so many can be helped. and as to monotherapy of cannabis as opposed to ssri's, hellyeah. they're too erratic for my type of issue and sent me swinging wildly the other direction too often - cannabis is a better 'mood stabilizer' for bipolar in some cases as well, because it eases both depressive and manic states, at least from my experience. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by whig on June 16, 2006 at 06:56:50 PT mai_bong_city Prozac doesn't fix serotonin imbalance. It creates a serotonin imbalance by inhibiting reuptake. This apparently has the effect of reducing emotional feeling and for those who are depressed it makes them feel their depression less intensely. Unfortunately the depression doesn't really go away with this approach it just gets masked, and outcomes like suicide are actually increased with Prozac over placebo.I'm not a medical doctor and I certainly won't tell anyone to quit anything cold turkey because the rebounds can be worse than anything. But I suspect cannabis as monotherapy is better for depression than any of the SSRIs. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Had Enough on June 16, 2006 at 06:38:22 PT Living With War Idiot Box/Ad Machine on in far background. Just saw advertising promotion for Neil Young's latest music. The record store that was being advertised along with it was "Borders". Walked over checked it out, it was an NBC channel. The Today Show, I think.Well the radio stations can have all the blackouts they want. Many will hear this music along with its message.Thanks Neil. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by mai_bong_city on June 16, 2006 at 05:47:38 PT systemic in nature it seems the element is always 'surprise' with these things, these studies showing.....endless benefit from cannabis, and i figure it this way, just my opinion, but it comes from personal experience - there is no area of the body that is not under the direction of the brain, right? that's the central operation there - where the endocannabinoid system resides, true? so cannabis acts on the brain and rights or corrects the problem from that central point, somehow - adjusting the body's levels somehow - i mean, this illness i have is completely systemic in nature as well - it has taken over every part of my body, and it kinda' reversed itself, turning good cells into bad, twisting everything backwards, my own body viciously gnawing itself. the drugs that are used to treat the symptom from the point of visibility all wreak havoc on me....but cannabis takes it from where my brain is all wrong, for some reason - and somehow, inner-corrects it's own self.... what most of all impresses me is that here is a plant, a substance, like no other we've seen - that has no bad end, really - i'm talking purely medical use - really, what else can that be said about? with anti-depressant use so high in this world, why don't they see how simple it is? serotonin imbalance? prozac fixes it. endocannabinoid imbalance? cannabis fixes it. it is a real system, being almost completely ignored. i have visions that in my next life, i am born and my mother has had cannabis to relax her and ease the pain of delivery.....that i am on a planet not destroyed but green and vibrant....that people have little need to intoxicate themselves with chemicals, and that when and if i get sick, i am allowed to have cannabis to heal me. while i love holland, i want the right to live that way anywhere i please, thank you. now my stomach is telling me it is time for my meds - peace, y'all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by mai_bong_city on June 16, 2006 at 05:23:22 PT no kidding i have ibs, and only two drugs have helped me at all in the pharmas, whereas cannabis has always been the most 'sure cure'...there is a high risk of colon cancer in my family too, but i've not gotten it....nor have i needed the ulcer meds and other drugs to heal raw and damaged areas.....cannabis manages it, somehow. without cannabis, my intestinal system seems to stop working, things stagnate, fester, and the pain....egads. i have very little trouble at all as long as i get my minimum daily requirement - marijuana. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Patrick on June 15, 2006 at 19:30:41 PT Schedule 1 From the US Department of Justice and its new no knock I’m gonna bust your door down for a baggie of weed black robed mullah wanna be jihadists website:http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/agency/csa.htm(1) SCHEDULE I. (A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. Oreos and French fries come to mind.(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Viagra, play-dough, and Lone Star Beer come to mind.(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision. O Deaths as a direct result of consumption.I would actually welcome my Doctors supervision instead of remaining in the dark so as to spare him and me the harassment of the DEA. Guys with guns bureaucratically and politically decide what drug or substance is enforceable with lethal force and which ones are not. And today they no longer have to YELL OPEN POLICE!Just things that make you go hmmmmmmmay prevent cancer growth, potential relief for a variety of symptoms, used to be in the Pharmacopeias of the U.S. as a MEDICINE prior to the marijuana tax act of 1937, no more addictive physically than coffee I mean no more potential for abuse than chocolate unless you take into account fear arrest, jail, denial of education benefits, job opportunities and the like. then it gets pretty dangerous when a kid gets mixed up in juvi with real problem kids but then if we regulated it instead of prohibit it maybe the kid would know what's going on and grow up needing to be say 21 to buy it instead of being 12 years old under the current program. it don't take rocket science to figure that we will fix this some day, but it sure feels like it's gonna take rocket science to get it fixed! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by mayan on June 15, 2006 at 18:19:07 PT Blinding Them With Science From the first article...Cannabinoids protect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from inflammation and abnormally high gastric secretions, and could potentially treat numerous GI-related disorders such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowl syndrome, according to review data published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.What great news! Maybe the neo-cons in D.C. could smoke some herb because they are stinking up the entire country!Science is on our side. Deception is on theirs.THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Premiere Screening of "September 11 Revisted - Were Explosives Used To Bring Down The Buildings?" at So. Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon: http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20060614/bs_prweb/prweb398789_19/11 and the Fictional War on Terrorism - By William Hardiker: http://tinyurl.com/hd3ezBarrie Zwicker at the Chicago Conference: "Agents of the State" (video): http://www.truthmove.org/video/barriezwicker.htmlMorgan Reynolds DVD Bootleg Available! http://mujca.com/reynoldsdvd.htm911podcasts.com presents Whats The Truth Full Movie: http://www.911podcasts.com/display.php?vid=95 [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on June 15, 2006 at 18:08:58 PT I feel sorry for the people oppressing us When they get IBS, all they can do is suffer. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on June 15, 2006 at 18:06:36 PT Eating it works best in my experience I don't have IBS but I have had to take meds that burned holes in my stomach lining and I can testify to the healing effect of a nice cannabis cookie several times a day. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on June 15, 2006 at 17:03:49 PT CQ IBS I wonder what the best form of delivery is? Do you need to take the cannabis orally for it to work, or is inhalation OK?Look at the Green Party in New Zealand. I wish we had some Greens in Congress. Of course our election laws ensure that will never happen. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by charmed quark on June 15, 2006 at 16:40:45 PT IBS? It would be amazing if cannabinoids helped regulate IBS. Currently, there are very few effective treatments. A drug that was suppose to be a breakthough (for women only), Lotronex, was withdrawn from the market after very serious side effects, including deaths, were found. But because there are so few treatments, it was allowed back with extremely stringent prescribing guidelines. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment