Medical Cannabis And Its Impact on Human Health

This Medical Cannabis Documentary contains information from physicians and researchers about the demonstrated effects marijuana has on an individuals health.

It presents a comprehensive synopsis of real science surrounding this plant that has had so much controversial stigma over the years.

Some topics included are:
*What the consensus is from over 15000 scientific and medical trials
*What conditions have been proven to benefit from medical marijuana
*Its historical use as medicine dating back over 5300 years

Marijuanamovie.org

Some kinds of Epilepsy can be controlled by anti-convulsant drugs, but there are forms of epilepsy that do not react well to the usual conventional pharmaceuticals. These pills can have some serious side effects as well, including swelling of the gums, emotional instability, decreased production of red blood cells, and bone softening. On top of that anti-convulsants only completely stopped seizures in 60% of epileptic patients.

Since the 19th century marijuana has been investigated for it’s anti-convustant properties, and to this day many people with epilepsy prefer Mary Jane compared to most conventional prescriptions out there. A lot of people found if they smoked or ingested marijuana on a daily basis seizures became less frequent and most found them to stop completely. Many use it combined with their prescribed pills finding they need much less of a dosage then they would regularly without cannabis.

Most people just want what works best for them, and everyone needs to be treated differently and individually, but if marijuana can stop your seizures and lessen your need for pills with harmful side effects, then you should definitely look into talking to your doctor and getting your MMAR card.

Many people know that medical marijuana can be used in the treatment of Cancer, but not many know it is used to relieve symptoms from many different types of other conditions as well.

People are using marijuana to help aid them with anything from arthritis to epilepsy to Tourette’s syndrome. Not only can it be used as a eating and sleeping aid, but also reduces pain and inflammation as well. That’s not even the half of it! Here’s a list of 6 helpful things about marijuana, that you might not know! Marijuana can:

Reduce swelling and inflammation.

Swelling and inflammation can occur after an accident or can be a symptom of many ailments. Marijuana has been known to reduce swelling and inflammation in a series of illnesses and conditions. Anyone who has felt these symptoms, will agree that living a normal everyday life can be difficult with such a hindering problem, and most find that marijuana definitely helps relieve such symptoms and will improve the quality of life.

Reduce seizures in epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy can cause spastic seizures which can result in unconsciousness.
Many people with epilepsy use marijuana and find that it curbs the symptoms by reducing the amount of seizures and muscle spasms which in turn can prevent the loss of consciousness.

Reduces muscle spasms, tics and tremors.

Muscle spasms, tics and tremors can be a painful and embarrassing experience. Many people suffer from these symptoms from different ailments. You can experience muscle spasms if you have Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury or disease, quadriplegia, or any other condition affecting the nervous system. The herb has been known to reduce and prevent muscle spasms and tremors, which in turn reduces pain and discomfort.

Reduce eye pressure.

High pressure in the eye can not only increase the risk of developing glaucoma, but also can be a very distracting hurdle in your day to day life. Glaucoma is a serious progressive illness which can eventually lead to blindness. Marijuana has been not only known to help reduce pressure in the eyes, but can curb any other symptoms that can be related to glaucoma, such as headaches or nausea.

Increase appetite and help in weight gain.

People can suffer from eating disorders other then the usual anorexia or bulimia, there are millions of people who struggle to eat everyday. There are a number of conditions and illnesses can cause nausea or fatigue, leaving eating on bottom of the list of things to do. Loosing a few pounds might sound ideal to some, but to others can be devastating. Cannabis is an excellent aid in increasing the appetite and weight gain. Anorexic and patients doing chemotherapy use marijuana all the time in weight gain, so can you!

Reduce Nausea.

Nausea is a symptom caused by many things and can seriously decrease the quality of life. Nausea is often accompanied by vomiting and the two together can be one of the worst feelings ever. Pot has been known to reduce nausea for many people and stop vomiting, also increasing the appetite marijuana can be a real help for anyone who suffers with an upset stomach.

Growing marijuana can be an exciting experience, with so many options on how to grow, it’s hard to decide where to even start. Hydro, dirt, organic, nutrients, it’s easy to get lost in options. First of all, you must decide where you want to grow, and I don’t mean address wise, I mean just as simple as indoor or outdoor. There are pros and cons to both, and it’s important you weigh out your options before you get started.

Growing indoor is a popular option for professional growers, having your crop on premises can really make things easily accessible, especially when you need to grow year round! Most of us do not have the pleasure of living in a tropical environment 365 days a year and have to create one in our own space for our baby girls to be able to survive all year round. Having your plants indoors makes it possible to monitor and adjust growth, stunting, and progress in flowering. Adjusting temperature, light and moisture is a luxury that outdoor growers just don’t have access to. Having such a wide range of control allows you to experiment with different kinds of strains and procedures that you would not be accessible in an outdoor crop. If your serious about growing all year round, this option would be a good one for you.

However, along with anything that has pros, there will be cons. Growing marijuana indoors can be a risky experience at times. At times, the smell can be hard to mask, basically announcing to your neighborhood that your basement is full of the precious green. Even though your crop is legal through Health Canada, it still is not something you want to be announcing to the world. Theft and marijuana have been known to go hand in hand unfortunately, and drawing attention to your personal place of residence is never a settling thought. Another downfall of growing indoors is, legal or not, your current provider may not be willing to insure your property, so growing outdoors or designating a grower is always something to consider.

Growing outdoor can be a great option for those less serious about growing. Raising your plants in dirt outdoors can produce a more tasty, clean product. Outdoor season is a great, but a short time of year however. Considering here in BC it’s only hot a couple months out of the year, that doesn’t leave much time open for growing. But if you can get some seeds planted in the spring, you’ll find by fall that you will be pleasantly surprised by the lack of work needed for an outdoor crop. As long as the weather stays solid and it rains often enough, you barely need to put any work into it at all. However, it is smart to plant by a creek, just incase it doesn’t rain, you don’t want to be packing water mid season to your crop during a dry spell. Also, be sure to plant it in an area with access to enough sunlight.

Although outdoor can be relatively stress free, there are some stressful factors that can come in to play. Not having a watchful eye over your plants can leave them open to danger. People, animals and weather can become factors in not harvesting your expected crop, and considering outdoor only comes once a year, not harvesting doesn’t even seem like an option.

Certain strains do well indoors compared to outdoors and vice versa. Make sure you research which grows where best and why. Keeping track of little details like this is what can promise you a potent and staggering yield.

The Canadian Medical Marihuana Access Regulations are a complicated maze to maneuver through. A common question is: Where can I medicate?

Patients really must think of themselves as just that: patients who are using doctor-prescribed medicine, as opposed to the recreational cannabis consumer. While there should be no shame in medicating when and in the manner that best suits your needs, you must consider how your medicine affects those around you.
An example would be a diabetic, who can and should give themselves insulin injections as needed, where needed. However, injecting themselves at the dinner table or in the middle of a business meeting isn’t appropriate; many individuals get more than a little freaked out at the sight of someone sticking themselves with a needle, even if it’s for an acceptable purpose. Most likely, you’d have to excuse yourself to the bathroom or a similar private location. You should consider treating your cannabis therapeutics as such; respect others and respect your own privacy when it comes to your health.

Technically, the MMAR allows for patients to partake of their smoked cannabis medicine anywhere it’s legally acceptable to smoke tobacco. These days there are almost no indoor locations that allow smoking indoors, so this regulates legal cannabis consumers to outdoor smoking areas and the occasional ventilated smoking room. However, while some municipalities allow for smoking tobacco on outdoor restaurant/bar patios, some establishment owners have resisted cannabis consumers doing the same. In fact, there’s a Human Rights Tribunal hearing in progress in Ontario relating specifically to licensed cannabis consumers’ right to possess and consume in areas where tobacco smokers can smoke in licensed, outdoor settings. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as to the progress of this case.

In the meantime, the key to consuming in public and semi-public areas is that you respect those around you. Don’t light up when there are children nearby. Try not to blow it in people’s faces, or stand near open doorways and vents. Never share your medicine with anyone (you shouldn’t be doing that at any time) and do yourself a big favor and always leave the house with your Health Canada card on your person. Just the smell alone could raise the ire of the wrong person and next thing you know, you’ll have to explain the situation to law enforcement. Without your card, you’re no more protected from arrest than the recreational consumer (even if you can beat the charges later, you don’t want to have to go to court at all). The smell can also attract unwanted attention from criminals who would use the opportunity to harass or even rob you. Do you really want to have to explain your private health issues with a stranger for the umpteenth time?

Lastly, unless you’re at a rally or protest of some sort and/or you know you’re surrounded by like-minded folk, I’d avoid smoking in public while decked out in a bunch of 420 gear (e.g. pot leaves, Rasta colors, stoner logos, etc.). Again, most likely you’ll not run into trouble, but why take the chance? If you’re dealing with some sort of chronic illness (which you are, or you wouldn’t have a license in the first place), can you really afford to expend the energy required to deal with either law enforcement or the general public hassling you?

It depends on tolerance level of where you are. For instance, while walking down the street smoking a joint may not attract too much negative attention in Vancouver or Montreal, it very well could in cities like Calgary or Saskatoon. So if you want to save yourself some trouble, keep this in mind: JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD.

While inhaling cannabis smoke hasn’t been proven to cause any serious, lasting damage to the lungs, heavy smoke inhalation can make you more prone to chronic bronchitis and sinus irritation. Smoking cannabis also exposes others to your medicine through second-hand inhalation and while you might appreciate the skunky, pungent aroma, others may not.

Of all the methods of inhaling cannabis, vaporization is the safest for long-term use and most widely accepted by doctors whose main concern regarding inhaled cannabis therapy is exposing the patient to smoke of any sort. Vaporization heats the plant matter to a temperature that’s high enough to vaporize the active ingredients into a vapor that can then be inhaled (between 180°C [356°F] and 200°C [392°F]), but low enough not to cause combustion (burning) of the plant material (approximately 500ºC to 700ºC [932ºF to 1292ºF]. Vaporizers heat the plant material (or concentrate) either through conduction (heating it directly against the heat source) or convection (heating the air around the plant material, which in turn, heats the medicine). Which method is best for you really depends on personal preference.

Widely regarded as the “Cadillac of Vaporizers,” the German-made Volcano uses convection to make vapor, which is then collected in food-grade bags, much like balloons being filled with air. Depressing a specialized mouthpiece allows you to inhale the vapor, while keeping the unused portion within the bag. The most hygienic approach is to wipe down the mouthpiece with an alcohol swab before use and to not place your mouth directly on the mouthpiece, instead, depressing it with your finger while inhaling. There are several versions of this type of very efficient vaporizer on the market today, including those with distinctive and stylish stainless steel finishes and digital temperature displays, but they tend to be pricey (around $500-700) and the forced air system does make noise similar to a blowing fan.

For those who prefer a quieter, passive system (rather than air being blown through the plant material, one inhales, drawing the air past a heating element, through surgical tubing, into the lungs), there are even more models available and they tend to be more reasonable in price ($150-400). A personal favorite is the Silver Surfer, which uses a high-grade ceramic heating element. One can benefit from essential oil aromatherapy heated on top of the vaporizer, while at the same time, benefit from vaporized cannabis medicine. For those who prefer the clean flavor of vaping with glass-on-glass technology and want a system that looks more stylish than your average medical equipment, the Silver Surfer might be the answer.

Whichever style of vaporizer you choose, do your research (www.Vaporizers.ca is an excellent resource) and if your local retailer offers the service, try renting various styles for a few days first, so you’re familiar with each model before buying.

Along with improper flushing of nutrients from plants before harvest, another cause of the dreaded “joint that won’t stay lit and breaks off in big black chunks” is improperly cured cannabis. Curing is so much more than simply drying cannabis. It’s the penultimate step in ensuring you’re producing the highest quality medicine possible (the final step is storage, but we’ll talk about that a little later).

Curing gradually breaks down sugars and chlorophyll stored in the plant, improving flavor and combustibility. If the drying/curing process happens too quickly, these processes cannot take place and you’re left with harsh-tasting, poorly burning medicine. While cannabis can be re-hydrated (I exhale a couple of times into the container and close it up quickly, allowing a small amount of moisture to soak back into the plant material), you can’t cure if the plant material has been allowed to dry out completely.

After harvesting, hang plants or place on screens in a cool, dark, dry, well-ventilated environment. Putting a dehumidifier in the room is a great idea. Remove only large fan leaves, but leave some “sugar leaves” intact, as these protect the bud and are a good indicator of the next step in drying. If drying in a garage or old basement, it’s recommended you throw sheets of cheesecloth over the buds to keep dust from settling on them. This also keeps them away from the light and slows the drying process. You want to dry your buds as slowly as possible without having them mould.

When the sugar leaves are crisp and crumble between your fingers (the bud itself may not be dry), remove the bud from the large stems if you haven’t done so already and place in large, brown paper grocery bags (do not use plastic bags, as this promotes mould growth and ammonia is released), folding the top of each bag closed. Place bags in a cool, dry, dark place. Every day, open the bags and gently shake or stir the buds around to ensure even drying.

When the buds have dried enough that their stems snap when bent, place buds in glass jars with airtight lids and put them back into the cool, dark storage area. Every few days or so (once a day for the first few days), open each jar and move the buds around, again to ensure an even cure. Try not to handle the buds too much during the process, as this will damage and possibly knock off trichomes, lowering the potency of the medicine.

You can substitute plastic containers for glass at this stage of curing, but static electricity in plastic containers suck trichomes off the buds like a magnet, so glass is recommended.

Beyond the drying phase, this final phase of curing should be done for a minimum of two weeks, but four to eight weeks is highly recommended to bring out the connoisseur-quality characteristics of the world’s finest cannabis.

Those who rely on you for their health and wellbeing deserve no less.

The people who produce medicine for others, take on a real responsibility to do things right, with the interests of the patient in mind at all times.  This is just one example of how patients benefit from obtaining their marijuana from licensed growers.

With out a doubt, there are a great many unlicensed growers who take the time and care to produce a product every bit as good as their licensed counterparts.  However, there are an even greater many who do not, who produce substantially more product that makes it to the unsuspecting, often ill informed user.

By becoming licensed, growers now operate with a much greater degree of transparency with regards to their methods and means of production.  These people are knowingly and willingly making their jobs more difficult, but they do it anyways, because they care about the well being of those whose medicine they grow.  They take pride in what they do, as well they should, but sadly, more often than not, their extra efforts go unnoticed and come without any reward.

Growing exceptional marijuana has always been something of a secret achievement for those that do it.  Given the illegality surrounding marijuana production, growers have traditionally been lumped into one group in the eye of the public.  A grower is a grower.  A grower is a criminal.  Criminals are bad people without morals.  It’s funny that the “criminal” grower (minus the criminal record) can fill out a few forms and become a legal producer of medicine within our country’s laws, which begs the question, “Why don’t more illegal growers join the program and get licensed?”  There are many answers to this.  Some illegal growers are simply doing it to make a buck, and these are typically the ones willing to cut corners and take the easy ways out of the many problems that can surface during the crop’s cycle.  They have no interest in growing medical grade product, and no interest in helping people heal or cope.  These are people who are quite happy to apply a systemic insecticide late in the flowering cycle, knowing the dangers it poses to the end user.  Legal growers have no other incentive to become licensed other than the sense of accomplishment that accompanies doing a good thing for a good reason.

The reality is that it’s probably fair to say that the majority of people cultivating marijuana, legally or illegally, are decent folks with a lot in common.  But through the eyes of a medical marijuana user, it’s worth making the distinction between the two.  When you buy your medicine off the street, you have no way of knowing what went into it or what chemicals may have been applied to the crop.

When you buy your medicine from a legal grower, from the source, you have the opportunity to ask questions and stay informed with regards to your medicine. You can take some comfort in the fact that your grower took the trouble to get licensed, thus significantly reducing the likelihood of them producing a scummy product.

Becoming an excellent grower is no less of an accomplishment than becoming excellent at anything else.  It takes a long time and requires dedication, discipline, and patience.  Most importantly, it requires care, and its these qualities that medical users depend on when they buy their medicine.

So to all you medical marijuana users out there, don’t take for granted the quality of product you get, or the people who produce it for you.  Your legal grower is almost certainly growing big sticky green circles around the competition.  And they’re doing it just for you.