--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECT00017Date: 08/22/97 From: ALEX VASAUSKAS Time: 07:35am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Medical Marijuana News A NON PROFIT LEGAL, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION The NORML 1001 CONNECTICUT AVENUE NW Foundation SUITE 1010 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036 T 202-483-8751 ? F 202-483-0057 ? E-MAIL NORMLFNDTN@AOL.COM Internet http://www.norml.org . . . a weekly service for the media on news items related to marijuana prohibition. August 21, 1997 Netherlands Hospital To Begin Research On Medical Marijuana And Multiple Sclerosis August 21, 1997, Rotterdam, the Netherlands: The academic hospital of the University of Groningen in Rotterdam will begin researching the therapeutic value of marijuana on patients suffering from spastic disorders, according to an August 19 article in De Volkskrant, a popular Amsterdam newspaper. Fifteen patients suffering from multiple sclerosis will participate in the research study to determine how effectively marijuana decreases muscle spasms. The medical-ethical commission of the hospital approved the experiments earlier this week. "When marijuana shows to be of therapeutic value, we should work with great dedication to develop it further," said research professor Dr. J. de Keyzer. Keyzer will head the Groningen study. There exists clinical and historical evidence that marijuana is effective in treating a variety of spastic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, epilepsy, and quadriplegia. A number of animal studies and a handful of carefully controlled human studies have supported marijuana's ability to suppress convulsions. A summary of these findings was reported by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine in 1982. Many of these studies specifically indicate cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, to be a potent anti-convulsant. According to the United States government's premiere marijuana expert, Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly of the Marijuana Project at the University of Mississippi, "CBD [cannabidiol] is famous for [its] anti-convulsant activity." Recently, results of a study published in Volume 38 of European Neurology demonstrated that more than 70 percent of multiple sclerosis patients surveyed perceived that using marijuana reduced their spasticity. Researchers concluded: "The ... results clearly indicate ... a high level of improvement after cannabis for the general categories of pain, spasticity, and tremor. These results are consistent with those obtained in [previous] clinical trials. ... The present study, taken together with the content of previous reports, strongly suggests that cannabis may significantly relieve certain symptoms of MS, particularly spasticity and pain." For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. Copies of the study in European Neurology are available from The NORML Foundation upon request. California Jury Deadlocks Over Whether Marin County Doctor Qualified Under Proposition 215 August 21, 1997, San Rafael, CA: The first jury instructed to consider California's medical marijuana law as an affirmative defense deadlocked yesterday on whether to convict a Marin County man for growing marijuana he allegedly used to treat chronic back pain. Law enforcement officials arrested Dr. Alan Ager last September for growing 135 small marijuana plants. Ager's lawyer, NORML Legal Committee member Lawrence Lichter, claimed his client smoked marijuana frequently to reduce back pain suffered in a 1978 car accident. Before the trial, Marin County Superior Court Judge Vernon Smith ruled that the jury could consider Proposition 215 retroactively as an affirmative defense in the case. The jury decided 10 to 2 in favor of conviction after eight hours of deliberation. Judge Smith declared a mistrial after deciding that the two holdouts could not be swayed. Deputy District Attorney Teresa Leon has until September 3 to decide whether she will retry the case. NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, Esq. called the result a positive step for medical marijuana patients. "Courts and juries in California appear to be interpreting Proposition 215 in accordance with the spirit of the voters," he said. "When there exists a gray area in the law, they are giving sick people the benefit of the doubt." Nancy Bernard, one of the two jurors who voted to acquit, told The San Francisco Chronicle that she believed there was sufficient evidence that Ager grew marijuana under the guidelines of Proposition 215. "I didn't think there was enough information for me to say he didn't use marijuana for medical reasons," she said. "He has back pain. He had a doctor's recommendation. Who's to say what's too much?" Ager's marijuana was supported in court by his sister, Dr. Phyllis Ager. Ms. Ager had previously conducted studies on the effects of marijuana on cancer patients, and testified that inhaled marijuana held therapeutic benefits unavailable in oral THC capsules. Alan Ager currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a non-profit Cannabis Buyers' Club. For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup, Esq. of NORML @ (202) 483-5500 or Lynette Shaw of the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana @ (415) 256-9328. Prison Beating Caught On Video The Result Of War On Marijuana Smokers August 21, 1997, Jefferson City, MO: The war on marijuana smokers played a role in the videotaped September 18, 1996, beating of Missouri prisoners by Texas deputies, charged NORML Chairman Dan Viets, Esq. The taped incident, which surfaced earlier this week, shows deputies donned in riot gear and at least one private guard kicking crawling inmates, allowing a dog to bite an inmate, and using a stun gun. Jail officials said that suspicion of marijuana smoking among inmates prompted the show of force. Viets, a Columbia, Missouri attorney and member of NORML's Legal Committee, called the incident "shocking," and charged that state policies cracking down on non-violent drug offenders were partly to blame. "Missouri jails are operating well over 100 percent capacity and forcing state inmates to be housed in other states like Texas," said Viets. "This overcrowding is because 80 percent of inmates entering the Missouri Department of Corrections are non-violent offenders, many of them convicted on marijuana charges." Viets added that he personally had clients serving time in Texas jails for marijuana violations at the time of the videotaped incident. "Have suspected marijuana users been demonized to the point where we allow them to be beaten, stunned, and bitten?" Viets asked in reference to the deputies' explanation for the assault. The emergence of the videotaped led Missouri to terminate its $6 million contract to house inmates in the Brazoria Texas County Detention Center. For more information, please contact Attorney Dan Viets @ (573) 443-6866. -END- MORE THAN 10 MILLION MARIJUANA ARRESTS SINCE 1965 . . . ANOTHER EVERY 54 SECONDS! --- * Origin: 61 deg. 25' N / 149 deg. 40' W (1:17/75) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00000Date: 08/24/97 From: JANE KELLEY Time: 09:42am \/To: DAN SNODGRASS (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: ?Zen DS>JK> electromagnetic energy around us. DS> I am very worried about "ME" I am afraid i understood much of what s DS> said here. I also think that we have to be pointed in the right DS>direction DS> to receive this information. NOrth, south, etcetera. Even northeast. Some folks never get "centered" enough to get it. --- SLMR 2.1a If this were an actual tagline, it would be funny. * Origin: My Desk, Puyallup, WA (253) 845-2418 (1:138/255) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00001Date: 08/24/97 From: JANE KELLEY Time: 09:42am \/To: DAN SNODGRASS (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Acupuncture DS>I don't usually answer or question things i read here. They are usually DS>Just interesting enough to me to wade through the keys to see what is DS>going on. Pain. Pain is what brings me here to espouse a bit. DS>My darling wife Helen is fifty years old now. I am fifty four and soon to DS>be fifty five. Cutting to the chase now. My Darling has back pain. Why does she have back pain? The source of the pain is very important here. If it is due to an accident or surgery, I cannot comment. I also have arthritis, avoided rheumatoid arthritis I am now finding out by the food supplements I have been taking for some time. I have tried various things besides vitamins and minerals, use glucosamine and chondroitin with good results. I have food allergies, one of the known ones is the nightshade family. A new doctor suggested I try a topical cream for burning pain in both legs which is "left over" from the other arthritis pain. I was unaware that the active ingredient is made from pepper until after it went on. A coule of days of that on only one knee with Bengay as a control on the other has amply demonstrated to me the importance of MY allergies in MY pain. I would suggest that you see a good specialist in this area also and make very certain that you aren't making things worse with a faulty diet. Incidently, I found out about the glucosamine in this echo. --- SLMR 2.1a It's only a hobby ... only a hobby ... only a * Origin: My Desk, Puyallup, WA (253) 845-2418 (1:138/255) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00002Date: 08/24/97 From: JANE KELLEY Time: 09:42am \/To: CRAIG LOEWEN (Read 1 times) Subj: Ancient Wisdom Lost CL> ** I'm a new subscriber here in the Gettysburg, PA area and a CL>hardcore herb freak. I'd say if you've made a positive ID and it isn't CL>growing too close to a road, go for it. I'm certain it is chamomile. Problem is that I delayed too long in deciding to harvest it and it is long past its prime. The flowers have changed to seed. Huge crop next year! CL>JK>Just got some sage and rosemary to put in with some other low shrubs. CL>JK>I am going to keep looking for herbs for that area. CL> You got rosemary to grow? I love that herb, using it often in cooking CL>with vegetables, but I have no success in getting it to grow. You'll have to CL>tell me your secret. I had some in with my dwarf rhoddies last year in full sun. It grew and grew, finally then died out. This time I am putting it with some other small plants in an area that will get some shade. CL>JK>I planted an oak tree next to my two holly trees. I think there is CL>JK>something way back trying to say something:) CL> Now if you get yourself an ash tree, you'll have quite a, shall we CL>say, druidic collection? Ash tree? I'm not certain what that is but will ask. CL> I do try to grow a lot of herbs, but my favorite is the mint amily. CL>I just got true peppermint this year to go along with the apple mint, CL>pineapple mint, orange mint and chocolate mint. There is a greenhouse orth CL>of me in Grantham, PA called Ashcombes and they are celebrating their herb CL>festival tomorrow with all their herbs on sale for $.99. Hopefully, I'll e CL>able to complete my mint collection. I have seen some mint, but not lately. The herbs seem to be more plentiful in the spring. Then I will get some mint for iced tea. ----- Operator Halted! --- JCQWK * Origin: My Desk, Puyallup, WA (253) 845-2418 (1:138/255) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00003Date: 08/24/97 From: JANE KELLEY Time: 09:42am \/To: MARK PROBERT (Read 1 times) Subj: Marijuana & Addicti [1/3 MP>MP>You are coming into this thread well after Jane has shown that she is MP>MP>adamant about researching medicinal use of marijuana. Jane does not MP>MP>want facts, just diatribe. I've got the FACTS and the kind of diatribe I find from those who are defending their right to use this noxious weed and to make it available to kids makes me want to go right through the screen with a machette in hand and lop off whatever is handy. MP>Damn. Answer one message about marijuana, and I did not even realize MP>that I moved to South Carolina. MP>Maybe Jane is right. Very hard for anyone under the influence of this stuff to make sense consistently. They just think they do and are so intelligent. --- SLMR 2.1a Press any key to continue or any other key to quit * Origin: My Desk, Puyallup, WA (253) 845-2418 (1:138/255) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00004Date: 08/24/97 From: GEORGE LAGERGREN Time: 04:51pm \/To: JANE KELLEY (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Marijuana & Addicti [1/3 -=> Quoting Jane Kelley to Steve Kemp <=- JK> The research indicates that the frontal lobe of the brain is ^^^^^^^^^^^^ JK> permanently damaged by drug use, that higher mental processes such as JK> the ability to plan are heavily damaged by drug use. The research also Jane --> Do you know what functions that the frontal lobe controls? ... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message." ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] --- Amie v0.98 * Origin: The Edge BBS * Severn, MD * (410)551-2586 (1:261/1454) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00005Date: 08/24/97 From: GEORGE LAGERGREN Time: 04:51pm \/To: ALEX VASAUSKAS (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Medical Marijuana News -=> Quoting Alex Vasauskas to All <=- AV> Institute of Medicine in 1982. Many of these studies specifically AV> indicate cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AV> to be a potent anti-convulsant. According to the United States Alex --> If scientists could change (gentically alter) the marijuana seed to eliminate any psychoactive ingredients, maybe then the debate about the use of marijuana would die down. Do you know of any current scientific effort to gentically alter the marijuana seed? ... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message." ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] --- Amie v0.98 * Origin: The Edge BBS * Severn, MD * (410)551-2586 (1:261/1454) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00006Date: 08/24/97 From: GEORGE LAGERGREN Time: 04:51pm \/To: JANE KELLEY (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Pharmacutical Companys To -=> Quoting Jane Kelley to George Lagergren <=- GL> Mark --> The FDA and the international pharmacutical ompanies GL> want to regulate vitamins and herbs so a doctor's okay would GL> be necessary to obtain them. They are also trying to use GL> international treaties as a means to accomplish this. JK> I've found an M.D. who is also a naturopath and will prescribe herbal JK> remedies. Jane --> I wish more medical doctors understood natural remedies. But doctors are not taught nutrition in medical school. ... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message." ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR] --- Amie v0.98 * Origin: The Edge BBS * Severn, MD * (410)551-2586 (1:261/1454) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00007Date: 08/22/97 From: ANN YOUNG Time: 10:13pm \/To: JANE KELLEY (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: A Drink Or 2 A Day *** Quoting Jane Kelley in a message to Eric Mcdonald *** JK> Not according to Dr. James Milam of the Milam Recovery Program in JK> Seattle. Dr. Milam began modern treatment for alcoholism in this JK> state several years ago withhis theories and has sparked research JK> which has found genetic reasons why people drink. JK> His research indicates that alcoholism is most severe in cultures who JK> have had it the shortest length of time, such as the American Indian. JK> The Scandinavian nations have done 40 years of research using Where do you get these fact's about the Native indain's,if it is true it's due to the white man!,why the american indain's are the way they are today. --- Telegard v3.02 * Origin: The Hawk Inn, Wellington, NZ (3:771/1550) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 257 ALTERN. MEDICINE Ref: ECU00008Date: 08/23/97 From: DIA SPRIGGS Time: 11:14pm \/To: ALEX VASAUSKAS (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Open minds > The fact is that is legal for some in the U.S. and many in > other > countries. And fidonet is international, isn't it? > > What damage? To how many people? > This echo is based in the US and accountable to it's laws, right wrong or indifferent....this is NOT a debatable subject...PERIOD! --- D'Bridge 1.30/002111 * Origin: THE SOURCE BBS Miami, Fla 305-624-2190 135/68 (1:135/68)