Medical Cannabis in Alaska

Medical Cannabis in Alaska — back in play?

by Herb Growell

Medical Cannabis may be where it's at after all, if legal Cannabis states want to side-step our federal government’s recent re-consideration of outright Cannabis prohibition. We all know that our nation’s top prosecutor seems to see nothing but red when it comes to the sacred green. Never mind that his position is in outright opposition to many of the fundamental underpinnings of our democracy, including majority opinion and state’s rights, and of capitalism itself.

It’s not just about the nonsensical over-regulation of a harmless plant that does nothing but positive things for humanity. We used to know this, during our greatest war, when the phrase “Grow Hemp for Victory” was more than an official slogan; it represented nothing less than a path toward a freer world. Now that this has all been flipped around, this useful plant is under attack by the some of the same forces in our government that once sang its praises.

Back in January, we brought you a YIELD column called “Alaska’s unlikely — but totally legit way to protect legal marijuana”. In it John Arrano summarized the recent history of federal Cannabis prosecutions, and how they gave rise to what is referred to as the Cole Memo, issued by President Obama’s Justice Dept. in 2012. This memo essentially made it the policy of the federal government to abandon the federal prosecution of marijuana users. While it wasn’t quite a change of law, this memo represented more than just an advisement of priorities.

Shortly after that YIELD column came out, a federal appeals court issued an opinion, determining that a congressionally-approved provision can be invoked to block the Department of Justice from spending money to defend against appeals from people convicted of medical marijuana activity that was in compliance with state laws. This is a big deal.

The Cole Memo was put forth as re-assurance that the federal government wouldn’t interfere in the incubation of what is fast-becoming our nation’s next multi-billion dollar industry. It was written largely in response to, and to protect the states of Oregon and Washington, who had both just passed recreational Cannabis laws. In seeming response to the Cole Memo California, representing our country’s largest economy, passed their landmark Proposition 64.

California isn’t just the largest and fastest-growing state economy in our union. It also represents the sixth-largest economy in the world. Under the promise of protection by various state and federal elected legislators, there’s been a lot of money invested; not just in California but also the entire Pacific Northwest, including the 49th state. While Alaska can’t compete with California’s GDP our economy is in a tougher spot, and we could use the income.

It’s been said that depending upon state politicians, to protect an activity that is illegal under federal law, is nothing short of a fool’s errand. I would suggest that that the rescinding of the Cole memo may well support this idea. Even if the Executive Branch of our federal government has decided to throw a big legal wrench into the works (the biggest!), we still have the court system protections, at least for medical Cannabis, at least for now.

The federal government was set to shut down on March 23rd

at midnight, if action was not taken on this spending bill.

Unfortunately, in the rush to decriminalizing recreational Cannabis, Alaska did nothing to shore its Medical Cannabis protections. While these protection were semi-groundbreaking at the time they were passed back in 1998, AS 17.37.010 only provided for individuals with qualifying debilitating diseases to legally possess, use, and cultivate limited amounts of marijuana. The law did not provide any way for medical dispensaries to be licensed or operate legally.

Last year, the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer appropriations amendment was initially included as part of a Senate appropriations bill thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), yet was absent from the House’s funding proposal because House Rules Committee Chair Peter Sessions (R-TX) refused to allow House members to vote on it. In the past two days as the negotiations reached their peak, over 10,000 members of NORML (National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) contacted their federal officials to urge them to maintain these protections.

In a cruel twist, additional pro-Medical Cannabis language was stripped from the Senate version of the same appropriations bill, known as the Veterans Equal Access amendment. Originally passed last year in the Senate appropriations committee by a vote of 24-7, Republican Congressional leadership thought it prudent to deny American military veterans the ability to participate in state-lawful Medical Cannabis programs through their VA doctors.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, namesake on the Veteran’s amendment and the co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus said, “While I’m glad that our medical marijuana protections are included, there is nothing to celebrate since Congress only maintained the status quo. These protections have been law since 2014. This matter should be settled once and for all.”

Blumenauer continued, “Poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans, across every party, strongly favor the right to use medical marijuana. Instead, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is doubling down on the failed War on Drugs and Republican leadership in Congress—led by Chairman Pete Sessions—is stonewalling. They’re ignoring the will of the American people.”

The bill did pass by 256 to 167 in the House, as they wrapped up what may be their last major legislative achievement ahead of the midterm elections in November. But the 2,232-page spending bill remains mired in controversy as it heads to the Senate, where leaders hope to speed the bill to a vote if they can persuade all 100 senators to sign off on the plan. Hopefully Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., won’t re-visit his shenanigans from this past February.

The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) seems to disagree with the

Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA)’s Schedule I designation of Cannabis

The language of this rider prevents the Justice Department from spending federal tax dollars to investigate, arrest and prosecute all law-abiding members of statewide medical marijuana programs. It’s the only document on the books that has even comes close to keeping the world of medicinal cannabis safe from random federal raids and shady harassment tactics.

As pointed out in January’s YIELD article, “there actually is already a way to protect Alaska's marijuana industry. The legislation exists. And it comes from the unlikeliest place: the desk of arch-conservative Sen. John Coghill (R-North Pole).” Back in n early 2013, the president signed 23 executive orders addressing gun safety. Then-Speaker of the Alaska House, Mike Chenault (R-Nikiski), was watching. He introduced HB 69, which would have nullified any laws passed affecting gun rights in Alaska, in apparent violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Coghill swooped in to the rescue, offering an amended bill (SB 75). His edit was a much more laissez-faire approach, that directs the state to tell FBI agents to go right ahead enforcing new laws restricting firearms. But state officers aren’t allowed to help. Not with arrests, detainment facilities, technology – don’t even ask to borrow a cell phone. He used the Tenth Amendment toward blocking what he perceived to be threats to states' rights on gun ownership. But it could work just as well for legal marijuana. But don't take our word for it: Take California's.

When Trump became president and nominated Sessions, California Assembly member Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) lifted Coghill's bill language and applied it to marijuana. California’s Assembly Bill 266 mirrors Alaska’s HB 75, and would “prohibit a state or local agency, as defined, from... using [resources] to assist a federal agency to investigate, detain, detect, report, obtain information, or arrest a person for commercial or noncommercial       cannabis activity that is authorized or allowed under state and local law” in California.

As John mentioned in January’s YIELD article, “It's a legislative cut and paste job that would take one of our elected officials five minutes to put together”. All they would need to do is take the gun protections out, put Cannabis protections in their place, pass it and make it law.

Along these lines inside Alaska, Alaska Representatives David Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks), Jason Grenn (D-Anchorage), and Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) are asking citizens to help them rewrite a bill opposing federal prohibition, HJR 21, through a Facebook page entitled “Alaska's Voice on Marijuana Policy.” It seems the great State of Alaska is trying to step up to the plate.

HJR 21 "FEDS RESPECT STATE REG ON MARIJUANA" was just read across the floor and voted on a few days ago. Alaskan's voices were heard loud and clear in the house, where it has been approved with 38 yeas and 0 nays. This was nothing less than a shot across the fed’s bow in support of state’s rights, hopefully our senate will have the courage to follow suit.

Our federal government still classifies Cannabis as Schedule I in the Controlled Substances Act. This means Cannabis is still viewed as severely as heroin, and treated worse than speed and cocaine, objectively much more harmful drugs. Just possession of any amount can get you up to one in year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000, repeat offenses can result in felony charges.

Much of our federal anti-Cannabis laws have been historically enforced with racist intention, and were reportedly written as a way to get anti-Vietnam war activists under control by the Nixon Administration. Indeed, Nixon aide John Ehrlichman said (much later), “We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities.” Illegal oppression then became legal ‘drug enforcement’.

Support for recreational Cannabis from our current federal executive branch’s administration is uncertain. I encourage all of our Cannabis-friendly state politicians, as well as our Cannabis business associations, to consider putting forth legislation that includes regulations and protections for Medical Cannabis dispensaries, caregivers, and healthcare providers.

It may be the best way to preserve our recreational marketplace, as unintuitive as that sounds.

Irie for Life,

Herb is a long-time Cannabis enthusiast, advocate, evangelist and self-medicating

patient, helping to spread light wherever there is darkness.

Medical Cannabis and Cancer

The science behind the cure

by Herb Growell 

THC in Cannabis oil killing cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells alone
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-_uV1-xwI)

If you’re at all informed on health matters, it’s depressingly clear that cancer is a bad disease to ‘catch’. It often ends in death or mutilation, and virtually everything we do, consume, or even think about can cause it. From drinking beer to eating bacon, many or our favorite meals are becoming examples of living dangerously. As our environment become more toxic, the places we live and even visit can harm us. Don’t forget about that cell phone that’s glued to the side of your head either, let’s just say that the jury’s still out on that one but it’s not looking good. 

While cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, the 411 isn’t all bad. Just as there are many causes, there are many ways to prevent or reverse cancer. But the news can be bewildering. Just recently I’ve read that new research shows: calcium supplements could cause cancer, eating broccoli with mustard prevents cancer, human skin bacteria has “cancer-fighting powers”, pawpaw fruit prevents colon cancer, and that coffee is a cancer preventative. 

Due to this confusion it seems the best advice for a cancer patient is to stay informed, so you aren’t constantly chasing your tail by acting on the latest headline. Because if you believe them, cancer is a simple proposition that can be reversed by making a single change to your personal routine or environment. The truth is that most cancers are complex in nature, and are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It’s hardly ever caused by a single one. 

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 300 activities and substances that could cause cancer, and nearly the same number that could prevent it. It’s patently impossible to keep track, especially when much of their advice seems contradictory. We do know that 30% of all cancers are currently attributed to known and avoidable risk factors.

We’ve known for decades that Cannabis can play an important role in oncology. Let’s start with the official line. According to the National Cancer Institute, the potential benefits of Medical Cannabis for people living with cancer include: nausea prevention, appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. Physicians in the United States who recommend Medical Cannabis for their cancer patients do so predominantly from a symptom management perspective. It’s also very important to provide relief for the traditional treatments for cancer, as many of these can be quite debilitating to the patient. Chemotherapy in particular has a horrible bevy of side-effects, to go along with its anemic rate of success, and radiation isn’t much better.  

These states and territories have legalized Cannabis for medical purposes. States that have legalized 
only one cannabinoid, such as cannabidiol (CBD), are not included in the map.

Medical Cannabis has been long-known to counteract chemotherapy’s negative affect on the patient’s appetite, and it also helps with the nausea. Good nutrition is very important to cancer patients, to maintain the stamina their immune system needs to keep fighting their cancer.

What we’re (re-)learning now is that Medical Cannabis’ potential is for much more than just the management of cancer’s symptoms. The U.S. Government has known about the effectiveness of Cannabis against certain types of cancer since 1974. While the study itself went down the War on Drug’s memory hole, an article about that study published by the Washington Post survived. Written by Victor Cohn, the story was entitled, “Cancer Curb Is Studied: Doctors Eye Drug Found In Marijuana”. Cohn reported that “the active chemical agent in marijuana curbs the growth of three kinds of cancer (lung, breast, and viral-induced leukemia) in mice”.

The exciting news these days is that research into the ability of Cannabis to actually cure and prevent cancer, rather that just treating its symptoms, is finally starting to explode. Because Cannabis is still on Schedule I of the U.S. Controlled Substance Act, meaning it has “no medicinal value”, almost all of this research is being conducted in other countries. But that hasn’t stopped U.S. Citizens and alternative caregivers from pursuing these treatments, and many states have legalized Medical and even recreational Cannabis in support.

Let’s get into what everyone’s getting so worked up about. While we have long known about the potential for Medical Cannabis to treat cancer, it’s exciting to see the research being formalized, and people getting starting to be saved in larger and larger numbers. What is it about Cannabis that makes it so effective in tackling such a wide variety of diseases? In a word it’s about cannabinoids, and how they interact with our bodies’ endocannabinoid receptors.

In recent decades, the neurobiology of cannabinoids have been analyzed. The first cannabinoid receptor we discovered, CB1, was identified in the human brain in 1988. A second cannabinoid receptor, CB2, was identified in 1993. The highest expression of CB2 receptors is located on B lymphocytes and natural killer cells, suggesting a role in our immune system. Endocannabinoids have been identified and appear to play a significant role in pain modulation, movement control, feeding behavior, mood, bone growth, inflammation, neuroprotection, and memory.

Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids that our body manufactures, and exocannabinoids come from an external source. The exogenous cannabinoids produced by cannabis are also known as “phytocannabinoids,” where the prefix “phyto” comes from the Greek word for “plant.”

But what are cannabinoids? In a nutshell they are a group of unique molecular compounds, that are found in varying ratios in species of Cannabis plants. The main psychoactive constituent of Cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In 1986 an isomer of synthetic delta-9-THC was licensed and approved, for the treatment of chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting under the generic name dronabinol. Another important cannabinoid found in Cannabis is CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is an analog of THC, meaning that it typically limits the psychoactive affects of THC. A product called nabiximols (Sativex), a Cannabis extract with a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD, was approved in Canada for symptomatic relief of pain from advanced cancer and multiple sclerosis, as existing therapy has been historically unsatisfactory.

To understand how cannabinoids kill cancer, we will first look at what keeps cancel cells alive, then come back to how CBD and THC can undo their life-support system.

In every cell in our body, there is a unique combination of factors that either mean imminent death for that cell, or extends that cell’s vitality and life. If one of these factors, called cerimide, is high, cell death is imminent. If ceramide is low, the cell is strong in its vitality. Very simply, when THC connects to CB1 or CB2 cannabinoid receptor sites on a cancer cell, it causes an increase in ceramide synthesis which drives cell death. A healthy cell conveniently doesn’t produce ceramide in the presence of THC, thus is not affected by the cannabinoid.

Within cytoplasm of most cells, there is a nucleus, mitochondria, and various other organelles. The purpose of the mitochondria is to produce energy, in the form of the coenzyme ATP, for the cell to use to sustain itself. As ceramide starts to accumulate, turning up a mechanism called the Sphingolipid Rheostat, it increases the mitochondrial membrane pore permeability to Cytochrome C, a critical protein in energy synthesis. This means that Cytochrome C is now pushed out of the mitochondria, killing the source of energy for the cancer cell.

The key to this process is the accumulation of ceramide in the system. Ceramide also causes genotoxic stress in the cancer cell nucleus by generating a protein called p53, whose job it is to disrupt calcium metabolism in the mitochondria. As if this weren’t enough, ceramide also disrupts the cell’s digestive system, which provides nutrients for its functions. This means that ceramide actively inhibits pro-survival pathways, leaving no possibility for the cell’s survival.

Why is it that the body can take a simple plant enzyme and use it for profound healing, in many different physiological systems? This endocannabinoid system exists in all animal life, just waiting for its matched exocannabinoid activator. Our human endocannabinoid system is the messenger of information flowing between our immune system and our central nervous system (CNS). It is responsible for neuroprotection, and micro-manages our entire immune system. This is the primary control system that maintains homeostasis, or our bodies’ well being. 

Endocannabinoids have their origin in nerve cells right at the synapse. When the body is compromised through illness or injury it calls insistently to the endocannabinoid system and directs the immune system to bring healing. If these homeostatic systems are weakened, we have found that exocannabinoids are therapeutic, in the most natural way possible.

"research into the ability of Medical Cannabis to prevent and cure cancer, 

rather that just treating its symptoms, is finally starting to explode"

We can visualize the cannabinoid as a three dimensional molecule, where one part of the molecule is configured to fit the cell receptor site like a key in a lock. We have at least two types of cannabinoid receptor sites, CB1 (CNS) and CB2 (immune). In general CB1 activates the CNS messaging system, and CB2 activates the immune system, but it’s much more complex than this. Among strains of Cannabis, Sativa tends toward the CB1 receptor, and Indica tends toward CB2. So sativa is more neuroactive, and indica is more immunoactive. Another factor here is that sativa is dominated by THC cannabinoids, and indica is predominately CBD (cannabidiol).

The human body can use both THC and CBD interchangeably. When stress, injury, or illness demand more symptomatic relief than can be produced by the body, its mimetic exocannabinoids are activated. If the stress is transitory, then the treatment can be transitory. If the demand is sustained, such as with cancer, then treatment needs to provide sustained pressure to counteract that demand. This means that the cancer patient needs to be invested in taking therapeutic amounts of CBD and THC steadily, over a period of time, in order to keep metabolic pressure on the cancer cell’s ability to sustain itself, which results in its death. 

A little more detail: CBD typically gravitates to the densely packed CB2 receptors in the spleen, which is home to the body’s immune system. From there, immune cells seek out and destroy cancer cells. In addition, it has been shown that THC and CBD cannabinoids have the ability to kill cancer cells directly without going through these immune intermediaries. To do this THC and CBD hijack something called the lipoxygenase pathway, to directly inhibit tumor growth. 

An interesting side note: It’s been discovered that CBD can even help the body preserve its own natural endocannabinoid, by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down anandamide (AEA). AEA is known as the human version of THC, and has been dubbed the “bliss molecule” by William Devane. Devane discovered it while working with Raphael Mechoulam, the man who, along with his research team, discovered THC. Anandamide’s word root, Ananda, is Sanskrit for bliss :)

It’s literally impossible to cover all of the latest research concerning Medical Cannabis as a real solution for cancer in one article. But I am hoping to leave you with an appreciation for the fact that nature has designed for us a perfect medicine, that fits exactly with our immune system. 

Medical Cannabis helps us to provide for rapid and complete immune response, systemic integrity, and metabolic homeostasis. While we’re just starting to scratch the surface of all this knowledge, many people are already putting it to work toward saving their own lives.

Special bonus for our online readers:

A link to 34 medical studies, all confirming Cannabis can cure cancer!

(http://realfarmacy.com/34-medical-studies-for-the-skeptic/)

Irie for Life,
Herb is a long-time Cannabis enthusiast, advocate, evangelist and self-medicating 
patient, helping to spread light wherever there is darkness.
If you seek more information like supporting videos and web links to background sources for the 
above information please visit us online, or Herb at upliftingvapor.blogspot.com

CannaPress SPECIAL SECTION

CannaCancer news roundup

All-natural cancer treatment that may be the best

European Union: Three case studies that show Cannabis shrinking brain tumors

One of the hardest cancers of all to treat (typically considered impossible) is a brain pathology called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Nothing in conventional medicine offers hope. “These tumors are usually highly malignant because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.” Between 75% (children) and 90% (adults) are dead in five years. It turns out that GBM tumors, like many others, are rife with cannabinoid (CB) receptors. Compelling evidence suggests that cancer cells littered with CB receptors respond well to full-spectrum cannabis preparations. In an interview with Dr Wai Liu, he describes the results of their groundbreaking discovery in which cannabinoids play a significant role in treating one of the most aggressive cancers in adults and children (Liu’s also in “London.1”, below).

More EU: Whole Cannabis plant more effective against brain cancer than pure THC

Marijuana kills cancer cells in proportion to its dose and duration of treatment, researchers found, and whole plant Cannabis rich in THC was more efficacious than pure, lab-grade THC alone. Moreover, pre-treating cells with THC and CBD for four hours prior to irradiation increased the cancer-killing effects of radiation. Tumors treated this way in mouse models for glioma showed “dramatic” results, with pot-treated tumors shrinking to nearly one-tenth the size of tumors in the control group. “Taken together, our data highlight the possibility that these cannabinoids can prime glioma cells to respond better to ionizing radiation, and suggest a potential clinical benefit for glioma patients by using these two treatment modalities.”

Dr. Christina Sanchez Explains How Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells

Madrid, Spain: Molecular Biologist Explains How Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells

Dr. Christina Sanchez, at the Complutense University of Madrid, explains how Cannabis kills cancer. “One of the advantages of cannabinoids, or cannabinoid-based medicines, would be that they target specifically, tumor cells. They don’t have any toxic effect on normal, non-tumoral cells. This is an advantage with respect to standard chemotherapy, that targets basically everything.” Sanchez further reveals that the cancer-killing effect of THC is potentiated by the presence of CBD, or cannabidiol, a potent antioxidant. “I cannot understand why in the states Cannabis is under Schedule I, because it is pretty obvious not only from our work but from work from many other researchers that the plant has very wide therapeutic potential.”

London: Experts show Cannabis with radiation is the most effective for brain cancer

Research performed in 2014 was the first to show a drastic effect when combining THC and CBD with irradiation. Tumors growing in the brains of mice were drastically slowed down when THC/CBD was used with irradiation. "The results are extremely exciting. The tumors were treated in a variety of ways, either with no treatment, the cannabinoids alone, and irradiation alone or with both the cannabinoids and irradiation at the same time. Those treated with both irradiation and the cannabinoids saw the most beneficial results and a drastic reduction in size. In some cases, the tumors effectively disappeared. At the moment this is a mostly fatal disease. The benefits of the cannabis plant elements were known before, but the drastic reduction of brain cancers if used with irradiation is something new and may well prove promising for patients who are in gravely serious situations with such cancers in the future.”

London.1: Study shows Cannabis used with chemotherapy most effective for Leukemia

Research from 2017 has confirmed that Cannabis is effective in killing leukemia cells, particularly when used in combination with chemotherapy treatments. These researchers also found that combining existing chemotherapy treatments with cannabinoids had better results than chemotherapy alone, meaning that a similar level of effect could be achieved through using a lower dose of the chemotherapy. ”We have shown for the first time that the order in which cannabinoids and chemotherapy are used is crucial in determining the overall effectiveness of this treatment”, said Dr. Wai Liu, who led the study published in the International Journal of Oncology. ”Cannabinoids are a very exciting prospect in oncology, and studies such as ours serve to establish the best ways that they should be used to maximize a therapeutic effect."

Still England: Woman with 6 weeks to live cures her cancer with Cannabis oil

Joy Smith, 52, from Coventry, was given just six weeks to live after being diagnosed with inoperable stomach and bowel cancer in August 2016. Ms Smith reluctantly took cannabis-based tablets, alongside chemotherapy, after reading about a cancer patient in the US who went into remission after producing her own marijuana oil. Nearly two years on, doctors, who described Ms Smith as 'the luckiest woman in the world', are baffled as her scans show just a small amount of the disease is left in her stomach, which she is confident will disappear. “I'm a walking miracle. The doctors call me Wonder Woman. Cannabis oil should be legalized for medical purposes; people are dying and chemotherapy isn't curing them”, said Ms. Smith.

UK again, with Italy: Cannabis provides chemopreventive effects on colon cancer 

A study published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine, conducted by researchers from the UK and Italy showed that cannabis extracts that contains CBD can aid in the prevention of colon cancer. The substance they used had high amounts of CBD, and was successful in inhibiting the growth of tumor cells without affecting healthy cells. They also found that this action was enabled due to the activation of the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the cells. Many individuals have reportedly been able to successfully treat different stages of colon cancer with Cannabis.

More UK: The US Government FINALLY Admits Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells!

That research that was done by a team at St. George's University of London? Funded by the US Government, because we are prevented from doing it ourselves, by our own laws! A group of researchers commissioned by the United States government has unwittingly found that cannabis can actually kill cancer cells. The research found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) weakened cancer cells and made them more susceptible to radiation treatment. The study, which was published in 2014 in the medical journal Molecular Cancer Therapies, found "dramatic reductions" in fatal types of brain cancer where cannabinoids were used in conjunction with radiation therapy. Yes this was mentioned earlier here, but still…

British father of one cures terminal colon cancer, doctor was “almost speechless”

David Hibbitt, from Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom, defeated his terminal cancer via the administration of a high potency Cannabis extract in the form of oil. “The cancer returned to my lymph nodes around my groin during December 2013, however it was not diagnosed until the following February. I received the news in February that I was now terminal. I had chemotherapy for a further 3 months, then I started to take the Cannabis oil. I then completely halted chemo in August 2014 and was sent for a scan; the results showed a nodule present in one of my lungs. I then decided to up the dosage to one gram of oil per day and was soon after sent to receive a PET scan which revealed that the cancer in my lung had disappeared. I refused the following treatment and have remained cancer free ever since. The only reason I can think that it is not legally available to people medically is because they would not be able to make a profit.”

Cambridge, MA: Harvard study shows smoking Cannabis improves brain functions

Researchers from McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Tufts University have found incredible benefits from the Cannabis plant’s use, including the improvement to “our ability to utilize the knowledge acquired by mental processes in our brains.”. 24 patients were consistently measured with cognitive testing; after three months of medical marijuana treatment, patients actually performed better, in terms of their ability to perform certain cognitive tasks, specifically those mediated by the frontal cortex,” explained Staci Gruber, PhD, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at the Hospital.

Utah: Cannabis oil cures terminal cancer in 3-year-old after complete chemo failure

A 3 year-old Utah boy, diagnosed with leukemia and told by doctors that he had mere days to live, is now alive and well not because he continued his chemotherapy, but because he obtained cannabis oil treatment instead. The family, fed up with the fact that the only treatment doctors could recommend was chemotherapy--even after their little boy kept vomiting dozens of times daily and refused to eat after two months of chemo--looked into cannabis oil treatment. After researching the details, they fled Utah and traveled to Colorado where such a treatment is legal. Within just days of the treatment, Landon began vomiting less and less each day and finally began to eat. As explained on a CNN video, Landon is still cancer-free even months later. 

California: Men’s health meta-study shows Cannabis lowers risk of bladder cancer

Joe D. Goldstrich, MD, recently came across a paper from the February 2015 issue of the journal Urology, by Anil A. Thomas and colleagues from Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation. The investigators analyzed the records of more than 84,000 male patients in this groundbreaking analysis. They found that those who used cannabis but not tobacco had a rate of bladder cancer 45% lower than the norm.

Last but certainly not least, here’s a link to no less than 100 published and peer-reviewed scientific medical studies, all proving that Medical Cannabis fights cancer naturally.

(www.naturalblaze.com/2017/04/100-scientific-studies-proving-cannabis-cures-cancer.html)

Irie for Life,
Herb is a long-time Cannabis enthusiast, advocate, evangelist and self-medicating 
patient, helping to spread light wherever there is darkness.
If you seek more information like supporting videos and web links to background sources 
for the above information, please visit Herb at upliftingvapor.blogspot.com

CannaPress News Roundup

WORLD CannaPress

Estonia: Citizens of new district vote for Cannabis Leaf as their official symbol

Kanepi, a new municipal district in Southeastern Estonia, gave its residents a chance to vote for a new symbol to represent them. Their overwhelmingly popular choice was a Cannabis-leaf design. According to their state broadcaster ERR, “kanep” is the Estonian word for Cannabis. The winning design took 12,000 of the total 15,000 votes cast, and the Mayor said he would respect the public’s wishes. While Cannabis is currently illegal in Estonia, a federal official commented that nobody will prevent the local authority from using its symbolism.

Australia: Looking into growing and exporting Cannabis, just don’t use it...

Greg Hunt, Australia’s Health Minister, spies an opportunity. While 13% of Americans regularly ingest Cannabis, only about 3% of Australians do. “We’d like to be potentially the world’s number one supplier,” Mr. Hunt said in January. A year earlier, Cannabis was ‘legalized’ in Australia for medical use. But it is rarely given to anyone, and Australians are still being arrested at a steady clip for using, growing, transporting, and obtaining it. Even so, investment firms are getting excited about attracting foreign funding. According to investment firm Peak Asset Management, Australia’s Medical Cannabis products will quadruple to $1 billion by 2020.

Canada: Leading Medical Cannabis Producer wants to take on Big Pharma

An Ontario-based company called Canopy Growth Corp, “one of the biggest medical marijuana producers”, recently started building a portfolio of patented and federally-approved cannabinoid-based medicines through a subsidiary. Along with a growing number of other companies, these new players aim to compete with established drugs treating many common diseases, ranging from anxiety and chronic pain to multiple sclerosis and childhood epilepsy. These formulations will be sold as pills, inhalers, solutions and creams, with the goal of convincing doctors and insurers to embrace marijuana as a mainstream medicine. Canada approved Medical Cannabis back in 2001, while our legislators were arguing about?.. you tell me what’s more important.

NATIONAL CannaPress

Federal: Trump’s HHS Secretary literally denies the existence of Medical Cannabis

As if it wasn’t enough for his boss to suggest the death penalty for drug dealers like his new BFF Duterte in the Philippines, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar recently traveled to a press conference on opioids in Ohio to declare that, “There really is no thing as Medical Marijuana”. He was there to promote a $750 million partnership to develop a competing pain therapy that doesn’t depend on opioids, so besides the fact that his own agency holds a significant patent on Medical Cannabis, there’s quite a conflict of interest at play here.

Ohio: Kucinich pledges to support a Cannabis Renaissance if elected Governor
Dennis Kucinich, a former Congressman and contender for the Democratic nomination to the US Presidency, has announced his potential Cannabis policies. He and his running mate Tara Samples would expand Medical Cannabis laws, and decriminalize possession and use for adults. They want to put the revenue into the communities that need it, like those that have been devastated by the opioid crisis. They have also spoken of growing industrial hemp in Ohio.

California: Reefer Madness engulfs our most-populous state (Not!)

It’s been 77 days since the Golden State turned Solid Green, and started letting anybody 21 and over pay some serious taxes and purchase Cannabis flowers, edibles and concentrates. Has their been an uptick in crime around these retail shops since then? Has there been any increase in family crime, like spousal or child abuse directly related to Cannabis? Kids going without, because mom & dad spent that cash at the dispensary? What about emergency services, has their been an emergency-room spike? Violence, accidents, acute physical reactions? Also, are the roads any less safe with all those stoners on them? No, no, no, no and no. Also, no.

LOCAL CannaPress

Juneau: House Bill 316 proposes to wipe Alaskans’ Cannabis convictions clean

“To continue to punish people who did something before February 15 that is now legal and that people are making money off of just isn’t right”, said Anchorage Representative (D) Harriet Drummond. Drummond also said that her proposal would make it easier for Alaskans with possession convictions to find work and housing. Drummond also mentioned that authorities in other places, such as in California, are doing the same kind of thing since they went legal.

AK Marijuana Control Board: Welch out, Wallner next up for public safety seat?

Travis Welch has resigned from the Marijuana Control Board’s public safety seat, before he was even confirmed to the position. Alaska state law says that this position requires that the person be employed in public safety, such as a firefighter or police officer. Welch was qualified, until his position as North Star Borough Police Chief was “rescinded” by the new NSB Mayor, for what appear to be political reasons. Welch had been chosen to replace Soldotna Police Chief Peter Mlynarik on January 4, when Mlynarik resigned after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions shifted its policy on Cannabis enforcement by revoking the Cole Memo. The only other nominee was Leonard Wallner, a veteran Alaska State Trooper that said he’d be “happy” to fill the seat.

Alaska’s Constitutional Right to Privacy includes the right to use Cannabis

In the face of schizoid federal policy, it seems like it’s always a good time to revisit Alaska’s statutes toward privacy protections for the Personal use of Cannabis, which cumulated with an Alaska Supreme Court decision (1975), in the case of Ravin v. State. Attorney Irwin Raven had successfully appealed his Cannabis conviction, by asserting that the state had violated his right to privacy, violating federal as well as Alaskan protections. The Court ultimately held that “one has a fundamental right of privacy in their home”, and that this right would encompass the possession and ingestion of substances such as marijuana in a purely personal, non-commercial context in the home unless the state can show a legitimate interest.

HEMP CannaPress
LOCAL: Alaska Legislature passes Hemp bill, waiting for Walker’s signature

Alaska is currently poised to legalize the production of industrial hemp, after a bill designed to do just that passed the state House and Senate in February, and is now awaiting Governor Walker’s approval. Senate Bill 6 would legalize the regulation and production of hemp, and provide for hemp pilot programs. It would also separate hemp from the definition of “marijuana,” and clarify the fact that industrial hemp is not psychoactive, and can even be nutritious.