cannabisnews.com: What's The Best Way To Take Medical Marijuana?





What's The Best Way To Take Medical Marijuana?
Posted by CN Staff on May 05, 2006 at 12:02:08 PT
By Ryan Grim
Source: Slate
USA -- Medical-marijuana users, take heart. So what if the Food and Drug Administration told the nation last month that marijuana has no medical benefits? You've read about the widespread scoffing that followed, and the 1999 Institute of Medicine study that concluded marijuana might in fact ease some debilitating conditions. The ongoing debate is not just about whether medical marijuana works. It's about the best way to take it.
Choosing a marijuana delivery method involves weighing legality, safety and ease of use, and effectiveness. Back in 2004, when I was a staffer at the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization based in Washington, D.C., that works to legalize and regulate marijuana use, I met dozens of patients who used varying methods of marijuana consumption. Since I don't have any medical training, I brushed up on the latest technology by speaking to medical-marijuana patients including Angel Raich, who will be forever remembered by first-year law students as the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Gonzales v. Raich; Philippe Lucas, president of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society and one of about 1,200 legally registered medical marijuana patients in Canada; and Alison Myrden, another Canadian patient. The reviews of the various delivery methods are based on what they told me about their experiences. METHODOLOGYSecurity (10 possible points): Will using this product land you in jail? A legally prescribed product gets a 10. Everything else is rated based on the chances of getting arrested.Safety (5 possible points): Might this product give you lung cancer or a respiratory ailment like bronchitis? Because many medical-marijuana patients already have cancer or seriously debilitating illnesses, this won't matter to everyone. For more on attendant health risks, here's the medical journal BMJ's take. -- http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7416/635Portability and Ease of Use (10 possible points): Can a sick or disabled person easily carry the product around or out of the house? And is preparation doable if you have a limited range of motion? Products that must be taken orally lose 5 points since many medical marijuana users suffer from nausea, which makes swallowing a pill or eating a brownie decidedly unappealing.Medical effectiveness (25 possible points): The most important measure—How well does the product reduce pain and nausea, increase appetite, or enable sleep? Do the side-effects outweigh the benefits? Points are awarded for the nature of the beneficial effect, and how rapidly and predictably it sets in.RANKINGS (worst to first) Marinol (dronabinol)Marinol, a synthetic version of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, is legal with a prescription. It's also resoundingly unpopular. First off there's the problem of taking a pill if you're throwing up. ("I felt nauseated but was hungry at the same time, which is a stupid concept," Raich reports.) Worse, Marinol takes a long time to kick in, often more than an hour. And once it does take effect, the feeling patients get can be an overwhelming high that leaves them disoriented and unable to function. Marinol's manufacturer warns of "dizziness, feelings of exaggerated happiness, paranoid reaction, drowsiness, and thinking abnormally." "Marinol doesn't work," says Raich. "I took the lowest dose possible and I got really, really sick from it. My heart felt like it was beating so hard I called my doctor." According to Lucas, the intensity of the effect comes from taking the pill orally. In the kidney, he says, the THC converts to a form four times stronger than when it's inhaled. "That's why people get so bloody stoned." Security: 10Safety: 5Portability and Ease of Use: 5Medical Effectiveness: 2Value: 22 Pot BrowniesFor the same reason that Marinol disappoints, many patients have reservations about brownies and other baked goods made with marijuana. Effects are often delayed for more than an hour, and like a pill, brownies are an inconvenient remedy if you're nauseated. On the other hand, patients I met while at the Marijuana Policy Project were adept at controlling dosages; cooking marijuana with butter and spreading it on toast or muffins was one way to consume small amounts. Though medical marijuana is legal under state law in 11 states, even in those jurisdictions a patient can be arrested by the feds. The patients I knew appreciated baked goods for their discretion; it's a rare cop who will collar an elderly woman for a batch of brownies.The patients I interviewed generally described baked goods as similar, but superior, to Marinol. Whereas Marinol is only synthesized THC, baked marijuana contains all the active ingredients of marijuana. "I eat it and drink it in tea," says Myrden, who lives with muscular dystrophy and a painful facial malady. Tea takes effect more quickly, but "eating lasts a lot longer. I can be up and running for six to eight hours."Security: 8Safety: 5Portability and Ease of Use: 5Medical Effectiveness: 11Value: 29SativexPutting marijuana into pill form eliminates the advantages of absorbing the drug through inhalation, which include increased dosage control and rapid onset of effect. The British-based GW Pharmaceuticals has devised a compromise by creating a full marijuana extract—THC and everything else—that is sprayed under the tongue. It is available on a limited basis in Britain and Spain but has been fully approved only in Canada, where Myrden says she was the first patient to use it. But not so happily. "Within a month, I was up to 50 sprays a day and still not getting relief for the pain in my face," she says. At about $3 a spray—51 sprays per vial—such use adds up. Another downside: Savitex is made from only one strain of marijuana, while doctors and patients find that different strains work best for different ailments.Overall, patients gave the maker of Sativex an "A" for effort but felt the product fell short. Though onset of effect was faster than with brownies and Marinol, the method still lagged behind inhalation. Security: 10 (in Canada—it's not available in the United States)Safety: 5Portability and Ease of Use: 10Medical Effectiveness: 15Value: 40 for Canadians. For U.S. patients, it won't be available for at least a few years—and, sorry, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., doesn't bring any back with him. Pipes, Bongs, and BubblersPipes, bongs, and bubblers have attractive qualities that come with the benefits of inhalation, such as easy control of dosage and quick onset. At the same time, they can be cumbersome. Myrden says she uses pipes occasionally with the help of a partner, but because she has lost use of her right hand, she has difficulty manipulating them on her own.The conventional wisdom about bongs and bubblers—which draw smoke through water before it reaches the lungs—is that the water acts as a filter of unwanted tar and other noxious chemicals. Not so, says Lucas. "It cools down the smoke and nothing else. There really is no filtering effect." For those patients who thought they were getting cleaner, purer smoke by pulling tubes instead of smoking a joint, well, sorry.Security: 7Safety: 3Portability/Ease of Use: 8Medical Effectiveness: 23Value: 41 The VolcanoThe June issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences will include a study on the medical effectiveness of the Volcano, a vaporizer that patients use to get the beneficial elements of marijuana while avoiding the smoke. Marijuana need not be burned to release its medicinal components. When the plant is heated to a degree short of combustion, its active ingredients become vapor and are released without the accompanying smoke. The Volcano traps those vapors in a bag, which patients can then inhale from. The device takes the traditional vaporizer—basically a heat-gun, a metal plate or bowl, and a tube—to another level of safety, mechanization, and price. At $539, it's far and away the most expensive marijuana-delivery method.According to the journal article, with a Volcano, "The final … uptake of THC is comparable to the smoking of cannabis, while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking." You would think that would be good news for the Volcano's manufacturer, Storz & Bickel, a German company. Officially, at least, you'd be wrong. The Volcano may be "a safe and effective cannabinoids delivery system" according to the researchers. But according to the company, it is not a "medical device" at all. The lead American sales representative for Storz & Bickel said he hadn't heard of it. Regardless, the patients I spoke to all had good things to say about the Volcano. "It's patient friendly. It's easy to maneuver," says Raich. "If you're someone who is fairly disabled and somebody who has mobility problems, the Volcano is right for you."Security: 7Safety: 5Portability and Ease of Use: 6Medical Effectiveness: 24Value: 42 The JointThe joint is the delivery method of choice Alison Myrden and Irvin Rosenfeld, a Ft. Lauderdale stockbroker. Rosenfeld, 53, doesn't have to roll his joints: Every 25 days the federal government mails him a canister filled with 300 joints as part of a program overseen by the FDA. He has been smoking marijuana every day for 35 years, he says, 23 of them legally. (The FDA killed the program in 1991, but patients already enrolled were grandfathered in; many of them were cancer or AIDS patients, and death has cut their numbers to fewer than 10.) The joint's drawback is the amount of the drug that is lost. Lucas estimates that 50 to 70 percent of marijuana's active ingredients disappear into the air as the joint burns while the patient isn't smoking it. And while it burns, it gives off a strong scent of marijuana that can threaten patients' freedom if they are not one of the few legal users. On the good side, joints allow patients to regulate their intake and facilitate a rapid onset of effects. "Nothing else works fast enough for me," says Myrden, who smokes 25 to 30 joints a day. Lucas' cannabis club owns a Volcano, but he still considers the joint the gold standard of delivery methods. "Smoking is the one that everyone is trying to catch up to," he says. For patients worried about the consequences of smoking, Lucas has a suggestion: "I guess theoretically they could use cigarette filters, but I haven't seen those save a lot of lives."Security: 6Safety: 3Portability and Ease of Use: 10Medical Effectiveness: 24Value: 43Related in SlateLast month, Sydney Spiesel debunked the FDA's politically motivated announcement that marijuana has no medical benefits. In August 2005, Seth Stevenson considered moving to Amsterdam, home to, among other things, some of the friendliest drug laws on the planet. Also that month, Dana Stevens reviewed Weeds, a Showtime sitcom satirizing suburban life. In 1999, Seth Stevenson tested mood enhancers purchased from his neighborhood purveyor of herbal substances—the GNC.Complete Title: Hits and Misses: What's The Best Way To Take Medical Marijuana?Ryan Grim writes for the Washington City Paper. Source: Slate (US Web)Author: Ryan GrimPublished: Friday, May 5, 2006Copyright: 2006 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLCContact: letters slate.comWebsite: http://www.slate.com/URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2141091/Related Articles & Web Site:IOM Reporthttp://newton.nap.edu/html/marimed/All Smoke - Sydney Spiesel - Slatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21776.shtmlMMJ Advocates Slam ‘Politicized’ FDA Reporthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21774.shtmlFDA Loses Credibility With Jab at Medical Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21772.shtml
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on May 07, 2006 at 11:30:19 PT
Toker00 
A civilization can't stand if the people of the Nation become self centered. Me me me will destroy us. Something really went wrong after the 60s generation. I know that when I saw cocaine start entering the picture I quit the whole thing and went to church and voted for Reagan. 
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Comment #25 posted by Toker00 on May 06, 2006 at 18:10:18 PT
FoM
That's what I"M talkin 'bout. We all have an abundance of something that others are short on. We all have talents to share. Why must they be bought? One thing the Modern South has lost, and used to have in abundance, is the sharing and caring we all talk about here. I remember women getting together to make quilts, can food, make cookies, and share their Male Training methods... He-hee. The men would always have fishing, hunting, camping or barbecuing expeditions going on. This was when I was very young, so we are talking about forty+ years ago. Now it's just the Jones's Competition thing. Knowledge that used to be shared among many, are now secrets being kept by a few, for the benefit of the few. No one cares much anymore that a neighbor is losing his livelihood and has to move on down the road. Oh well, good luck.Until we learn how to start sharing and caring, we will continue to suffer needlessly. Love, share, and care. It's what the Creator intended, and it's SO do-able!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!  
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 17:41:26 PT
Toker00
You did a good thing mowing the lot. We just had our neighbors flag down my husband and give him a dozen eggs. They have fancy chickens. My goodness the eggs are big. The egg carton they used couldn't shut right because they were so big. Out here we have to watch out for one another. I know even though we don't associate with most of our neighbors if I needed them they would come and help me. We need to help each other. 
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Comment #23 posted by Toker00 on May 06, 2006 at 17:18:25 PT
Holy Smoke!
So that's where the expression comes from. lol. I'm not at all surprised. Whig, those chems are added to make the cigs burn quicker, and not go out. Nicotine was manipulated to give a bigger nicotine buzz. No telling what the other chems were added for. Fillers, maybe. Nature adulterated for Profit.Science needs to embrace Nature as a partner, not a competitor. Profit needs to stop being the motivator for Mankind to work. Accomplishment should mean more than just a way to make wages. We should accomplish for the good of one another, not just for ourselves. And to emphasize that point, I mowed the vacant lot next to me because it NEEDED it. Since my landlord owns that property too, it helped him, but it also makes MY yard look nicer. See?Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 13:12:03 PT
BGreen
This is why they used bells. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. If he wasn't purified he would drop dead as soon as he went into the Holy of Holies. No one could go in after him because only the high priest was allowed there and then they would die. They tied a rope around the priest and if the bell stopped ringing they knew he was impure and dropped dead. Then they could pull him out with the rope.I always thought that was interesting.
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Comment #21 posted by BGreen on May 06, 2006 at 12:55:59 PT
Bells
I'm going to make a very uneducated guess, but since many shamans and medicine men use bells to drive away the evil spirits, I'd guess that the bells would have been their way of letting the people know the High Priest was entering the second room of the Tabernacle, since the all-knowing God would already be aware of this.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 12:28:27 PT
Whig
I guess you're right. I think of the incense used in church. It really was aromatic whatever the blend it was pleasant.
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Comment #19 posted by whig on May 06, 2006 at 12:22:29 PT
FoM
Cannabis doesn't smell so good? Even when I was an abstainer, for many years, I always thought it smelled wonderful.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 11:55:29 PT
A Little Trivia
When a high priest went into the Holy of Holies they wore a bell. The catholic church still uses bells. Know why they wore bells?
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 11:46:26 PT
Toker00
I was raised Catholic and when we had a HIGH Mass incense was used to purify the church. It smelled so good. It was intoxicating in itself just from the aroma. It made me feel peaceful and closer to a spiritual mind set. Cannabis could have been used but it doesn't smell good when burning like other forms of incense. That's why it might have been used with more aromatic herbs that were well know for the purpose back then.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense#Biblical_use
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Comment #16 posted by whig on May 06, 2006 at 11:45:09 PT
Toker00
Speaking of natural American tobacco....I used to (recently) smoke American Spirit organic tobacco cigarettes. No additives, no adulterants, just tobacco. Then I quit.Guess how hard it was? Not at all.Do you want to bet a lot of the reason for the ingredients they add to most commercial cigarettes is to increase their addictiveness.
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Comment #15 posted by Toker00 on May 06, 2006 at 11:38:11 PT
FoM
Yes, indeed! And, some smoke is offensive and can cause harm. It's not hard to tell the difference. As one of our posters said: Cannabis is soft, healing smoke. Amen. Funny how Natural American Tobacco was adulterated with chemicals by man and turned into one of the most dangerous forms of smoke on the planet, yet Corpses make profits, so Consumers must either quit their addiction, or support the Murderers. You can Murder, if you do it Legally, and if it's tremendously profitable for the Capitalists. Just like you can lock up innocent people, if it can be made Profitable. Nine+ BILLION a year is VERY profitable.We have to end the way these bastards make profit off prohibition. Protests outside piss-testing sites? Protests in front of Corporate Pharma? The only way to do this is to END prohibition. Period. Remove the profits from both sides.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on May 06, 2006 at 10:54:27 PT
Toker00
Smoke is very important. Smoke was used in the old testament to make a hazy veil between God and man. Smoke was used to shield us from the perfection of God which would kill us it was taught. Smoke was perfume to God. Smoke was used to purify and make a connect with God.Only now is smoke wrong.
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Comment #13 posted by Truth on May 06, 2006 at 08:36:18 PT
I agree
What he said....
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Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on May 06, 2006 at 06:14:08 PT
Natural Lesson.
How did man first discover that cannabis makes you high? Do you think he may have placed some bud on his camp fire for fuel, then "accidentally" inhaled the smoke? Don't you think he remembered what FUEL he put on his fire that made him feel so good? So, right from the beginning cannabis was used as a.) Fuel. b.) Enlightenment. Food and Medicine followed shortly. Where this Wisdom was shared, people had the basis for survival. Eight thousand years or so later, The United States Government decides to ban this natural Tree of Life, ridding Corporations of Natural Competition in the Free Market. They are trying to Kill the Tree of Life. In it's replacement, vile and unnatural substances, and products whose creation Destroys Nature. Man's laws are completely in contradiction with Natural Law. They are prohibiting the very Natural Method of Delivery, the method taught to us by the, for lack of a better word, Holy Spirit. Christian-ly speaking, though I am not a modern Christian, Christ tells us to listen and look to nature for answers. Smoked Cannabis is the Delivery Method taught by the Holy Spirit of receiving Communion with Nature/God. The Eucharist. Nothing beats this method, because it is THE NATURAL METHOD. And now there is a METHOD to inhale JUST the vapors, so non-smokers have access to the Tree of Life, too.Reject the laws of man, and embrace the Laws Of Nature.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on May 05, 2006 at 21:42:36 PT
SoberStoner 
I'm glad you check in and read. I try not to forget. I don't really forget but I might forget to say something. I just did that with DanB. I get busy and it gets away from me. Drop in when you can. 
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Comment #10 posted by whig on May 05, 2006 at 21:34:46 PT
SoberStoner
The two models of vaporizer I've had experience with were the Inavap and the Vapir. The Inavap is quite reasonably priced, I believe, and works well, but it must be plugged in, which is a bit inconvenient if you want to share with friends. Vapir, on the other hand, can use batteries, but it is an expensive piece of garbage.
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Comment #9 posted by SoberStoner on May 05, 2006 at 21:30:42 PT
Thanks FoM!
I still stop here and read the news everyday, I just dont have time to post as much:(It's good too see that you still remember me though:)
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 05, 2006 at 21:22:41 PT
SoberStoner 
It's good to see you.
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Comment #7 posted by SoberStoner on May 05, 2006 at 20:58:01 PT
Volcano is THE way to go!
I was able to try a Volcano a few weeks ago, and even though it is quite a lot of money, it is by far the best way to smoke. The hits were incredibly smooth and one bowl lasted three of us quite well. We didnt even finish the bowl or the second bag. I can only imagine that due to the quality of the hits, your consumption would be reduced by quite a bit. I am glad to see more mention of the FDA trials patients. How long will it take before someone throws that back in the FDA's face and asks why there havent been studies done on these people? People have been really doubting the FDA's credibility in recent years from all the deaths related to fast-tracking big pharm's newest sensations, and this just didnt just put the last nail in that coffin, it started throwing dirt on it..SS
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on May 05, 2006 at 17:48:07 PT
And The Winner...
So, the good old joint wins, eh? I have never used a vaporizer but I will probably get a volcano just to see what it's all about. It's great that vaporizers are being mentioned more often in both the alternative and mainstream media as they rip a giant hole in the prohibitionist argument regarding smoked cannabis. Vaporizers can only be ignored for so long, can't they? THE WAY OUT...Flt 93 LANDED In Cleveland Morning Of 9/11:
http://rense.com/general71/asd.htmContact Univeral Studios About Flight 93:
http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/contact_form.cgi?email_id=9Rabbi Michael Lerner Salutes “Amazing” 9/11 Truth Efforts -
Calls for Spiritual Covenant, Social Change: 
http://mujca.com/lerner.htmComments regarding Prof. Jones’ “Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?”:  
http://www.911blogger.com/files/Com5May.htmlFMA on CKUT: Veterans for 9/11 Truth:
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=17993&nav=&Veterans for 9/11 Truth:
http://v911t.org/If It's Broken, Why Haven't They Fixed It?
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2006/05/if-its-broken-why-havent-they-fixed-it.html
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Comment #5 posted by global_warming on May 05, 2006 at 15:39:55 PT
Alaska 
Though the waters may be "Murky", there is still news.."people who use it medicinally, even with their states' permission, could conceivably be prosecuted by the federal government. Greater honesty from the FDA might have made this prospect less likely. Instead, it appears that politics has trumped science, and put sick people on the defensive."..
FDA's weed war
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Comment #4 posted by global_warming on May 05, 2006 at 15:08:10 PT
What's The Best Way To Take Medical Marijuana?
The best way is without a policeman or "drug" enforcement agent sneaking around in the shadows.
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Comment #3 posted by observer on May 05, 2006 at 13:38:18 PT
topically, too
I know someone who said he rubbed a few teaspoons of cannabutter all over his body rather than throw it out. A few hours latter he was feeling the effects, which, he, said, lasted much longer than smoking. (Like 18 to 24 hours.)Be careful with the higher doses of cannabis... 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 05, 2006 at 12:23:59 PT
Article on Million Marijuana March
Pot Marchers To Gather in Wash. Sq. AgainBy Sarah Ferguson May 05, 2006http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/powerplays/archives/002613.php
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 05, 2006 at 12:11:42 PT
Patrick Kennedy
He just made a remarkable speech and is entering re-hab at the Mayo Clinic. I love the Kennedy family. They have had terrible problems but they still are special to me. I wish him luck and I hope that soon they will understand that jailing a drug addict helps no one.
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