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November 18, 2006

Fred Gardner previews his survey of CA cannabis physicians

Posted by Gary Storck
Saturday, November 18, 2006

Fred Gardner is the editor of O'Shaughnessy's Journal click here of the California Cannabis Research Medical Group. I first met Fred at my very first NORML Conference in Washington D.C. in 2001. At the time, Fred was working for then San Francisco District Attorney Terrence Hallinan.

Since then, Fred has gone on to chronicling the trials and tribulations, along with the successes and knowledge gained of CA doctors reccomending cannabis to patients.

Gardner has lately been previewing the results of his survey of CA doctors, and the results are very interesting. Last week, in "Marijuana, the Anti-Drug" he wrote how CA cannabis physicians are finding that patients using cannabis are reducing use of conventional prescription medications or even discarding them completely.

November 11 / 12, 2006 Pot Shots Marijuana, the Anti-Drug

By FRED GARDNER

The extent to which medical cannabis users discontinue or reduce their use of pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs is a recurring theme in a recent survey of pro-cannabis (PC) California doctors. The drug-reduction phenomenon has obvious scientific implications. Medicating with cannabis enables people to lay off stimulants as well as sedatives -suggesting that the herb's active ingredients restore homeostasis to various bodily systems. (Lab studies confirm that cannabinoids normalize the tempo of many other neurotransmission systems.) The political implications are equally obvious. Legalizing herbal cannabis would devastate the pharmaceutical manufacturers and allied corporations in the chemicals, oil, "food," and banking sectors. Put simply, the synthetic drug makers stand to lose half their sales if and when the American people get legal access to cannabis.

Read the rest of the article:
Counterpunch: click here
DrugSense: click here

This week, Gardner offers more from his survey results:

November 18 / 19, 2006 California Medical Survey The Adverse Effects of Marijuana

By FRED GARDNER

In the past 10 years, California doctors have authorized cannabis use by at least 350,000 patients. What have they learned about its adverse effects?

According to a survey of 19 doctors associated with the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, side-effects are relatively rare, mild, and transient. There have been no deaths, no major adverse events attributed to cannabis -with one exception involving a claim by an establishment psychiatrist that cannabis induced and exacerbated psychosis in an 18-year old whom she had on a regimen of Lexapro and Zyprexa.

Comments by the SCC doctors follow.
(continue reading on Counterpunch click here.

Posted by Gary at November 18, 2006 01:23 PM

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