cannabisnews.com: Pot Gurus Testify for Kubby 





Pot Gurus Testify for Kubby 
Posted by FoM on November 17, 2000 at 07:37:51 PT
By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer
Source: Auburn Journal 
Two of California's modern-day pot pioneers took the stand Thursday in defense of Steve and Michele Kubby.The Kubbys are being tried in Placer County Superior Court on 16-drug related charges – the most serious of which is marijuana possession for sale. A total of 265 pot plants were confiscated after a January 1999 search of their Olympic Valley house. They contend the indoor garden was for personal medical use.
Psychiatrists Dr. Tod Mikuriya and Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld testified during Kubby court proceedings in Auburn that marijuana would have been of medical help to the couple, both of whom received doctor's recommendations for pot use under Proposition 215.Mikuriya, a Berkeley physician, was in charge of the National Institute of Mental Health's first marijuana research efforts in 1967. He has gone on to edit an anthology of historical marijuana essays published in 1972, and recently co-wrote "The Medical Marijuana Handbook."Mikuriya said cannabis is an effective treatment for a rare form of adrenal cancer Steve Kubby has been diagnosed with. Not only does the medical marijuana treatment decrease anxiety, patients have reported that their blood pressure actually decreases with pot use, he said.Called as an expert witness on cannabis as a medical treatment, Mikuriya is president of the nonprofit California Cannabis Research Medical Group and has served as consultant to medical marijuana centers in Oakland and San Francisco.Asked whether he has been described as a pioneer in the realm of medical marijuana, Mikuriya replied "that would be one term applied to me, yes."Mikuriya is also the doctor who provided Michele Kubby with a medical marijuana recommendation. The doctor said he did so in mid-1998 as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. The marijuana not only works on the central nervous system to relieve anxiety and depression, it also relieves cramping in the bowel and stomach, he said.Schoenfeld, a Sausalito psychiatrist in private practice, has served as the director of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic family practice and worked as a pioneering radio broadcaster on drug issues. Schoenfeld told the Kubby trial jury that he has been acknowledged as the first doctor to provide live, on-air medical advice. His partner during the early 1970s in the announcer's booth was Howard Hessman, who would later gain fame as deejay Johnny Fever on TV's "WKRP in Cincinnati," the psychiatrist pointed out. Schoenfeld also wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column under the name "Dr. Hip-ocrates."Schoenfeld said that in his opinion, marijuana is an effective medicine for cancer. It can relieve pain, nausea and serve as an appetite stimulant, he said.Like Mikuriya, Schoenfeld said cannabis could decrease high blood pressure – one of the symptoms of Kubby's adrenal cancer.Asked about descriptions by other witnesses for the defense indicating Steve Kubby virtually was a marijuana chainsmoker, Schoenfeld said it would be consistent with the actions of other patients."Some reported using up to 25 (joints) a day," he said.One of the key issues in the case is the amount of useable marijuana the Kubby crop would produce – and how much the Kubbys could consume. Law enforcement says the crop would have yielded 25 pounds. The Kubby defense contends it would have been closer to 3.5 pounds.Steve Kubby, Libertarian Party candidate for governor in 1998, and his wife have yet to testify.Asked if marijuana is an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, Schoenfeld replied in the affirmative. Pot can relieve anxiety and relax any spasms in the digestive tract, he said.Schoenfeld went on to say he believed that the best medicine available for inflamed bowel syndrome is marijuana.The trial will break for the Thanksgiving holiday, returning to court Tuesday, Nov. 28. Note: Psychiatrist: ‘Some reported using up to 25 (joints) a day'Source: Auburn Journal (CA)Author: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff WriterPublished: November 17, 2000Address: 1030 High St., Auburn, CA 95603Copyright: 2000 Auburn JournalContact: ajournal foothill.netWebsite: http://www.auburnjournal.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:The Kubby Fileshttp://www.kubby.org/Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. http://www.mikuriya.com/althealth/index.htmlExpert Testifies: Pot Growth For Personal Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7678.shtmlWitnesses Line Up To Testify for Steve Kubby http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7677.shtmlTenth Amendment - Up In Smoke http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7565.shtmlFighting Cheech & Chong Medicinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6533.shtml CannabisNews Articles - Kubby:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=steve+kubby 
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Comment #1 posted by Cajun 01 on November 17, 2000 at 21:12:34 PT
Wow!!!
   "25 joints a day".... Must of been some really bunk stuff. Probably the government issued medical marijuana. If the potentcy of pot was actually as high as the antis claim, no one could smoke 25 joints a day of the stuff.
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