Community | August 18, 2008 | 10 comments

UC San Diego shrink says yes to drugs

source: http://www.collegeotr.com/university_of_california_los_angeles/uc_san_diego_shrink_says_yes_...

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JackHerer
Though medical marijuana may be taken via an oral prescription called Marinol, a UC San Diego psychiatrist named Igor Grant is lighting a fire under the *ss of legislators. A researcher for the UC Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research in San Diego (yes, it does exist), Dr. Grant supports smoking marijuana, as opposed to just taking Marinol, for decreasing pain associated with nerve damage, to help abate nausea from chemotherapy and antiretroviral therapy, and to increase appetite for patients suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome.



According to a statement Dr. Grant made to the Los Angeles Times, “Smoking is a very efficient way to deliver THC.”



Stoners have known this for years, but three recent studies have all concluded that smoking weed can mollify pain suffered in association with neuropathic pain in a way similar to other analgesics. Another study showed that amongst 51 multiple sclerosis patients, intensity of spasms was decreased by 32% after smoking up, and pain was reduced by 50%.



So why deal with marijuana if there are other comparable analgesic treatments? Grant believes that because patients do not always respond to certain analgesics, it is vital to permit different treatment options. A spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Tom Riley, disagrees fervently and said that those seeking the legalization of smoking medical marijuana “want to be exempted from the regular approval process.”



Dr. Grant was awarded the top national award from the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2007. Potheads hoping for the slippery slope effect think he’s pretty dope too.
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10 comments // UC San Diego shrink says yes to drugs

  • sativa
    • 0
      sativa  

    • The main reason it stays illegal is the main reason that its stupid to leave cannabis as an illegal drug. The whole industry is massive and a massive amount of the profits are taken to fund seriously bigger issues, such as grow the weed yourself to make 20 times what it costs to supply the money for the cocaine that then gets sold and ending up with thousands more £'s of profit.
      No doctor can agree with you using it but how many of those doctors would recommend use if it was a legal substance never mind a medical treatment.
      Personal experience of 18 years knows the ups and downs of it and personal experience tells me the only true down of the whole situation is no regulation of the supplys that are always there are making a very very usefull substance a very very difficult decision for a lot of people to take.

    • 3 years ago
  • AntiFacistCanuck
  • saveplanetearth
  • advertisehere
  • TopScruffy
  • bimmer_man
    • 0
      bimmer_man  
    • saveplanetearth:

      yea, i mean the government spends a lot of money on the "drug war" now and employs a lot of police that focus only on narcotics. Not to mention the DEA. Does anyone watch the vice cop show on spike? those guys are a bunch of power hungry rednecks who like to tell young black kids it's dumb to sell dope. The just like to slam people on the ground and scream "don't resist, don't resist" Fucking cops man.

    • 3 years ago
  • bimmer_man
    • 0
      bimmer_man  

    • yea, when you make it illegal it puts criminals in charge of the supply. If the legalized it or decriminalized it and taxed the sales of it we would be much better off.

    • 3 years ago
  • saveplanetearth
    • 0
      saveplanetearth  

    • Why shouldn't it? Has it ever killed anyone? The closest it has come to killing people is over it being illegal, trafficked through dangerous people who are hungry for money. Not all traffickers have evil intentions though.

    • 3 years ago
  • ihateyou
  • TopScruffy
    • 0
      TopScruffy  

    • Smoking it really is the best way. Vaporization for those who are allergic to smoke. THC has a different effect on the body when it is ingested.

    • 3 years ago
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