Cannabis of the medicinal kind

Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 06:14 am

Cannabis of the medicinal kind
27 October 2010
By Marijke van den Berg

Some types of pain cannot be treated with normal medicines, but sometimes cannabis can help. It works especially well for patients with multiple sclerosis and spasms.

In the Netherlands marijuana is available on a doctor's prescription. However, due to the low level of the active ingredient THC in the 'officially' approved kind, some patients get their cannabis from coffee shops. That's also allowed, for the welfare of the patient comes first.

Source & video(with English subtitles)

donpacino · Post by **donpacino** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 07:08 am

it is about time every country adopted the same policy and put there patients first to, there is so much that can be gained by legalizing marijuana, not just medicinal.

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 10:34 am

The problem I see in the UK is every tom, dick & harry would find themselves with a medical condition and expect it on the NHS, it could have the potential to bankrupt the NHS if it was made legal which is why I think decriminalisation is the only way forward.

In Holland they pay €10 a gram for the prescribed stuff.

doobydave · Post by **doobydave** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 10:55 am

Compared to almost all other pharmaceuticals, cannabis is cheap. I think that 'bankrupting the NHS" is fairly unlikely (polite understatement)

And decriminalisation (whilst being better for users/potential users) will do little to help society at large.
Since they are labelled as 'controlled' drugs, is it too much to ask our govt to grow a pair, and actually take control of them?

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 11:23 am

The NHS already costs the taxpayer £100 billion a year (according to what I found online), if they made cannabis available on the NHS the majority of the stoners in this country would claim they need it for whatever ailment they supposedly have, it would be too big a burden financially imo.

Edit: If it was decriminalised then at least people would be able to grow without fear of prosecution, we could then adopt a policy of giving any extra we grow to help the people who would benefit from it medically, I know I wouldn't have a problem doing just that.

doobydave · Post by **doobydave** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 12:03 pm

And if cannabis replaced some of the more expensive meds?

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 12:25 pm

doobydave wrote:And if cannabis replaced some of the more expensive meds?

I honestly dont think it ever would, take Pinky for example he was told to smoke up to 2 grams a day at a cost of €10 a gram (thats €7300 a year) yet he still takes his prescibed drugs as well, the people who would come off whatever they take would be such a small percentage imo.

I have a lot of people who are medical users in the US on my Facebook account and the majority are just stoners (a prime example is someone who has cried about Prop 19 one day saying it'll hurt the mmj community comes back a few days later and states they're going to get fucked up).

doobydave · Post by **doobydave** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 01:06 pm

I reckon the NHS could supply cannabis at a tenth of the price you quote.

I am however in complete agreement that medical marijuana will just introduce loads of pointless crap that decriminalisation/legalisation will avoid.

But, if neither of these occur, then fighting for the rights of individuals who benefit from having MJ as a medicine is still a good thing. And if we need this to highlight the absurdity of our prohibition laws, in order to achieve decriminalisation/legalisation, then so be it.

cantona7 · Post by **cantona7** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 04:08 pm

Boner wrote:The NHS already costs the taxpayer £100 billion a year (according to what I found online), if they made cannabis available on the NHS the majority of the stoners in this country would claim they need it for whatever ailment they supposedly have, it would be too big a burden financially imo.

Edit: If it was decriminalised then at least people would be able to grow without fear of prosecution, we could then adopt a policy of giving any extra we grow to help the people who would benefit from it medically, I know I wouldn't have a problem doing just that.

would there not be a list of approved ailments? aside from california which is almost silly easy most states over here have a list of maybe 20 approved conditions that must be documented 1-3 times on your medical records.

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 05:46 pm

cantona7 wrote:
Boner wrote:The NHS already costs the taxpayer £100 billion a year (according to what I found online), if they made cannabis available on the NHS the majority of the stoners in this country would claim they need it for whatever ailment they supposedly have, it would be too big a burden financially imo.

Edit: If it was decriminalised then at least people would be able to grow without fear of prosecution, we could then adopt a policy of giving any extra we grow to help the people who would benefit from it medically, I know I wouldn't have a problem doing just that.
would there not be a list of approved ailments? aside from california which is almost silly easy most states over here have a list of maybe 20 approved conditions that must be documented 1-3 times on your medical records.

We'd be worse than california imo, if it was legalised for medicinal purposes and you asked for it but your ailment wasn't on a list they'd start bleating about human rights.

cantona7 · Post by **cantona7** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 08:09 pm

Boner wrote:
cantona7 wrote:
Boner wrote:The NHS already costs the taxpayer £100 billion a year (according to what I found online), if they made cannabis available on the NHS the majority of the stoners in this country would claim they need it for whatever ailment they supposedly have, it would be too big a burden financially imo.

Edit: If it was decriminalised then at least people would be able to grow without fear of prosecution, we could then adopt a policy of giving any extra we grow to help the people who would benefit from it medically, I know I wouldn't have a problem doing just that.
would there not be a list of approved ailments? aside from california which is almost silly easy most states over here have a list of maybe 20 approved conditions that must be documented 1-3 times on your medical records.

We'd be worse than california imo, if it was legalised for medicinal purposes and you asked for it but your ailment wasn't on a list they'd start bleating about human rights.

Damn. a few people gotta ruin a good thing. Would be nice if it was atleast a available to cancer/aids patients.

One of the problems here is not the patients abusing the privilege but the owners. Several shops have closed recently for selling to minors, non card holders and one for selling hard drugs. the store I'm going to today is having a sort of "closing sale" getting an ounce for $240 which is cheap by dispensary standards.

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Thu 28th Oct 2010 08:31 pm

It isn't a few here mate, I know loads of people on the sick and theres fuck all wrong with them, the biggest joke here are the amount of insomniacs we have, I have a mate that claims he cant sleep yet the week his wife was laid up where he had to take his kids to school and shit was the week he kept saying he had to have early nights as he was knackered, I know a couple of people who have dodgy knees and as soon as they've got out of sight of the benefit office they start swinging their walking sticks like they're Charlie Chaplin.

xXEXCALABERXx · Post by **xXEXCALABERXx** » Fri 29th Oct 2010 02:24 am

Yeah it pisses me off, just lazy no good fucks but hey they wont be tolerated soon with the austerity measures/cuts n more to follow they'll soon be sent back to work.

Ingwey Gooblebogger · Fri 29th Oct 2010 08:42 am

Great, I am gonna lob one in and then not log in for a few months.. oh well.....

Sorry, I have to call BULLSHIT on this one.

1) We have had legal MMJ in Canada for years now AND we have an NHS and it has not bank-rupted our health services.

Reason: There are strict criteria for gaining an MMJ EXEMPTION. Sometimes to the point where it can be difficult for legitimate patients to get an MMJ exemption.

Indeed, it is more likely in countries that have no NHS where the doctors will falsify an MMJ certificate because some shady (for profit doctors) have an incentive to do so. ===> Thre more of them that they write the more money they get paid.

NHS doctors will tell you to fuck off and quit wasting their time if do not have a serious illness (or appropriate condition) and you try to get a bogus MMJ exemption.

If strict measures are in place to ensure the system is not abused you will not get the fuck-offs trying to get a bogus MMJ certification. No MD wants to be struck off for something so asinine. A person's presribed medicines should be at the sole discretion of their physician!

Also, the costs are fairly low because most MMJ patients can legally grow their own herb or have a designated grower grow for them. In some citites we also have cannabis compassion clubs that have discounted rates for those on low incomes.

Completely legalising MJ would get rid of the legal hassles whatsoever and would be the best solution, but this may never happen, so if you require MMJ, then MMJ exemption is a reasonable way to go.

2) For those patients who otherwise would use heavier doses of opioids (Codeine, morphine sulphate, diacetylmorhpine - aka "heroin") or the synthetic opioids (Fentanyl, oxycodone, etc) and so on, the NHS
would have to pay for those narcotics.

Would you object to the NHS paying for those ones?

How about the anti-epileptic medicines, medicines for nausea, or other medicines that some MMJ users would otherwise be on, do you object to the NHS paying for those ones?

3) Finally decriminalisation is NOT the solution. (Although it would be a step in the right direction). Decrim would not be much help, since, while you might not get prosecuted (for small amounts), they will still confiscate your dope. AND if you are say 1 gram over the limit...BANGO....You are busted!!

Boner · Post by **Boner** » Fri 29th Oct 2010 04:03 pm

Thats all well & good in Canada but I can assure you things are very differant here.