Obamacare
Colorado Study Shows Need For Regulation and Marijuana Testing
As the election season continues we are pretty much ensured that the political conversation will remain within the narrow scope of only a handful of issues being discussed until January. While healthcare will be part of the next two months, it will only likely find its way in the campaign through the lens of Obamacare vs. Romneycare.
For many patients who only find relief with marijuana, this will be yet another election where their concerns will not be addressed. Ignoring and tolerating medical marijuana to some extent is no longer going to be acceptable. Medication needs to be safe and with a far less rate of addiction and side effects in comparison to opiates and other medication, cannabis already satisfies much of the criteria for useful medicine. However, with it’s legal status constantly in limbo, cannabis has suffered from a lack of regulation and required testing as many elected officials hope that 75% of the country soon changes its mind and stops supporting medical marijuana. That seems highly unlikely and our elected officials have chosen to ignore the safety of Americans in favor of outdated talking points and rhetoric. Simply put, marijuana is here to stay, and providing safe medicine must be a concern.
Shedding more light on the problem is a recent study conducted in Colorado. Dr. John Martyny of the National Jewish Health studied the findings from 30 grow operations in the Larimer and Denver areas. The research indicated that certain grows had mold levels about 100 times higher than what is considered safe. In some growing operations, the mold levels were too high to for their instruments to properly measure. Dr. Martyny said “These are extremely high levels that we would consider dangerous.” Fortunately, none of the growing operations studied were legal, giving at least some hope that Colorado medical marijuana patients are not breathing in high levels of mold.
However, there is evidence that even legal growers are not taking the proper precautions in preventing high levels of mold. The Werc Shop also finds similar problems when conducting laboratory analysis, but unlike Dr. Martyny they DO test cannabis from legal dispensaries. In a recent conversation with marijuana.net, Dr. Jeffrey C. Raber of the Los Angeles area lab said “We have had numerous secret shoppers find instances of mold and bacteria present at unacceptable, sometimes alarmingly high levels.” The Werc Shop is one of the most well regarded testing laboratories and was responsible for much of the screening for the 2012 High Times Los Angeles Cannabis Cup.
Research shows that we may only be hitting the tip of the iceberg in regards to just how much potential medical marijuana holds. However, as with any consumable product, improper testing and screening invites devastating side effects. The high levels of mold found by both Dr. Martyny and Dr. Raber only highlight the need for regulation and testing. The products created by large Pharmaceutical companies have to abide by FDA standards and a lack of regulation would not be accepted even for over the counter medicines. As the national campaigns ignores this problem, it is up to patients and activists to demand for regulation, testing, and safety.
CBD in Marijuana found to Treat Schizophrenia with few Side Effects
Within a matter of weeks the United States Supreme Court will issue a ruling on the controversial “Obamacare” program. In particular, the mandate that requires Americans to carry health insurance has drawn the most scrutiny and is being challenged on its constitutionality. Combining that with Mitt Romney’s campaign going national after winning the GOP nomination, the healthcare reform battle should be front and center as both Romney and Obama (often considered very similar plans) have enacted sweeping health care changes.
Luckily in the meantime we have less partisan political healthcare updates to lift our spirits. This week researchers at The University of Cologne in Germany have found that CBD (a cannabinoid found in marijuana) looks to have excellent potential in treating schizophrenia symptoms. Of the 39 patients who participated in the study, 20 were treated with CBD while the others were treated with amisulpride, a drug not legal in the U.S. but similar to medications used in America. Daniel Piomelli, co-author of the study was pleased with the results and said “The results were amazing. Not only was CBD as effective as standard antipsychotics, but it was also essentially free of the typical side effects seen with antipsychotic drugs.”
This development builds on many of the recent studies that have linked health and quality of life to marijuana. Soldiers have often reported that marijuana use has helped with their PTSD symptoms. Recently, marijuana.net reported on a study that showed cannabis relieved patient’s painful MS symptoms. Additionally, marijuana has been linked to help patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, Glaucoma, chronic pain, muscular dystrophy, migraines, and of course so many other ailments. We encourage readers in our comment section to share stories about these or other medical issues marijuana aids.
Schizophrenia has baffled medical professionals for centuries and perhaps even thousands of years. Egyptians have described ancient ailments over two thousand years ago that sound very much like what we call schizophrenia today. Treatments in the middle ages included exorcisms and even drilling holes in the head in order to draw out the “evil spirits”. In the modern times scientists came up with a new method that was not much more sophisticated. The lobotomy may indeed treat schizophrenia, with a major side effect being that the patient is turned into a zombie. Let us not forget that shock therapy which is still used today even as scientists have not been able to fully determine why it produces results, or often does not. These extreme treatments only highlight just how incredible the German discovery is for patients suffering from this long misunderstood condition.
The hope is that research such as this will also be conducted in the United States. Healthcare is still a prevailing issue in the United States with our country seeming like they are reserved to second class care. The president’s plan has increased coverage but is not as far reaching as initially thought on the campaign trail. This may not be his fault entirely as the GOP and economy presented major roadblocks. Either way, this marijuana research is encouraging and could provide patients with relief immediately with far less economic cost than the typical big pharmaceutical treatments. As the complexity of the health care arguments plays itself out in the media, let us keep in mind that there is one simple source for so much healing.