Pharmacist Publication on Pot

[Eryxis]

http://www.pharmacytimes.com/issue/pharmacy/2010/July2010/DrugDiversionandAbuse-0710


I'm a pharmacist and we get this magazine for free. I saw the cover with some info about medical marijuana, I read the article and have sent the editors an email already asking for the opportunity to write an article in response to this. I've spotted a million different things wrong, but want to see how much you all can rip it to shreds.

[dannno]

I have seen estimates that only about 7% of the businesses are legitimate medical marijuana entrepreneurs.

Wrong. I've NEVER been to a dispensary that did not require precisely what is required by STATE law. Ever. Just because cities may be making up their own laws doesn't mean anything in regards to the state law.




He told me that the incidences of impaired drivers high only on tetrahydrocannabinol (the main psychoactive substance in marijuana), with no alcohol, had risen over 1000% since the law had passed.


...maybe because they are now actively LOOKING for it?? Where are the statistics that accidents have increased? How are they testing for it? The substance stays in your system for a month!!

Plenty of government funded studies have shown that driving while moderately stoned produces safer drivers:

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1775.html





a smoke that has been determined to be even more harmful than that of standard cigarettes.

Wrong AGAIN. Most people who use medical grade cannabis smoke VERY little actual plant substance compared to cigarette smokers. There is also NO correlation between long-term heavy use of cannabis and lung, neck, mouth or throat cancer.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webmd.com%2Flung-cancer%2Fnews%2F20060523%2Fpot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer&ei=xFVcTL_zHYPGsAO8-tAF&usg=AFQjCNGrpJRItZueNVW7oX_-db5NEkJOkA


Not only that, it is an anti-cancer substance:

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20070417/marijuana-may-fight-lung-tumors&sa=X&ei=xFVcTL_zHYPGsAO8-tAF&ved=0CBoQzgQoADAA&usg=AFQjCNHL7m9lZokJexP1xRpdqGrCJ2Fmtg




Through my job and side endeavors, I have gotten to know some of the finest physicians in the world. Those I have asked do not recommend smoking marijuana for any disease and feel that there is ample relief available from existing pharmaceuticals in virtually all cases.

What a completely uneducated and rather insane position to take.


http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=232211

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=250314&

[Kotin]

this is a joke, right?

[Bruno]

All you really need to know about this person is at the bottom of the page. Just reading his bio you know that he will not provide information that he has not already been fed through years of B.S. government propaganda. I'm surprised he didn't say it kills brain cells, causes cancer, and lowers sperm count (lie, lie, lie).

Either that Montana cop is lying about the 1000% in crease in THC-influenced drivers, or the writer is. As danno mentioned it can stay in your system for weeks, so there is no way to know if the driver was impaired at the time with current testing methods.

He should look into LEAP.

[youngbuck]

It goes to show you how much conventional medicine hates natural substances, and Big-Pharma plays no small part in fueling this dis/misinformation. They'll try to deceitfully smear the benefits of marijuana while at the same time embracing pharmaceuticals that are exponentially more damaging to the body. Pharmacist publication? That's honestly not reputable to me, and shouldn't be to anyone other than a pharmacist who's job it is to peddle (OK, hyperbole) Big-Pharma's profit poisons.

[Eryxis]

I'm a pharmacist ...

See above.

[Bruno]

It goes to show you how much conventional medicine hates natural substances, and Big-Pharma plays no small part in fueling this dis/misinformation. They'll try to deceitfully smear the benefits of marijuana while at the same time embracing pharmaceuticals that are exponentially more damaging to the body. Pharmacist publication? That's honestly not reputable to me, and shouldn't be to anyone other than a pharmacist who's job it is to peddle (OK, hyperbole) Big-Pharma's profit poisons.

Exactly. For example, these lies and inconsistencies they are caught in:

Govt: Marijuana contains THC, it is a Schedule I narcotic with no medicinal value (though we have grown it and provided it to a handful of medical marijuana patients ourselves since 1991).

Big Pharma: Hey, we just made a THC pill, that we could make some big bucks off of. Can we sell it to the American public? (Of course it doesn't work as well as cannabis itself, and is a megadose and leaves users incapacitated. Not to mention if you have digestive issues you are going to have problems keeping the pill down, where smoking is effective immediately).

Govt: We approve the use of this THC pill. Of course, we still consider THC to have no medicinal value, other than this pill by Big Pharma, and will continue to arrest people for planting a seed in the ground or for smoking a non-federal government-approved herb.

[heavenlyboy34]

danno, I think your passion for this subject is impressive. Keep up the good work, and may the Force be with you. :cool:

[specsaregood]

Those I have asked do not recommend smoking marijuana for any disease

What a completely uneducated and rather insane position to take.

Danno, would not agree in part? I'm sure most doctors would not "recommend smoking" but rather ingesting it in a smoke-free manner, yes? Of which there are a few safe and effective methods.

[dannno]

Danno, would not agree in part? I'm sure most doctors would not "recommend smoking" but rather ingesting it in a smoke-free manner, yes? Of which there are a few safe and effective methods.

As far as edibles, the problem is that titration becomes very difficult. It is easy to eat too much or not enough. It takes over an hour to really start affecting you and the effects last longer. Sometimes it makes you tired especially if you end up eating a little too much. For some people it works well, for others, not so much. It depends on your condition, your daily schedule and if you can eat. I imagine some people wake up, take a rip so that they can eat, then eat some edibles and are fine the rest of the day on edibles if that works for them.

If a vaporizer works for you, great.. but personally I have not used a vaporizer yet that protects my lungs as much as a water filtered glass bong. That is because of the design flaw in vaporizers.. the volcano seems to be the best, but it is very expensive and still not as good as a water bong for me. The large pieces of lightly burned and likely kinda hot plant material never get filtered out and inevitably end up in the vapor and seem to cause issues for me. Water filtration only allows the smallest particles through and helps to cool down the smoke. My lungs are fine if I'm taking bong tokes. Even if I go to my friend's house and get peer pressured into taking big bong tokes and end up hurting my lungs, they feel fine the next day. They don't feel fine the next day if I smoke cigarettes, blunts, joints or do a lot of vaporizing.

Vapor can be passed through a water filter pretty easily. I will be down to convert when this process is available, affordable and relatively convenient.

You can cause pain in your lungs smoking if you try to inhale too much, but if you take small rips of high quality cannabis from a water filtered bong it isn't going to hurt your lungs in the short term or do any longterm damage.

[surf]

All you really need to know about this person is at the bottom of the page. Just reading his bio you know that he will not provide information that he has not already been fed through years of B.S. government propaganda. I'm surprised he didn't say it kills brain cells, causes cancer, and lowers sperm count (lie, lie, lie).

Either that Montana cop is lying about the 1000% in crease in THC-influenced drivers, or the writer is. As danno mentioned it can stay in your system for weeks, so there is no way to know if the driver was impaired at the time with current testing methods.

He should look into LEAP.

and here's his bio:

Cmdr Burke is commander of the Warren County, Ohio, drug task force and retired commander of the Cincinnati Police Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad. Cmdr Burke is a 40-year veteran of law enforcement and the current president of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. He can be reached by e-mail at burke@choice.net, via the Web site www.rxdiversion.com, or by phone at 513-336-0070.