The tale of an Englishwoman with Multiple Sclerosis

She has Multiple Sclerosis. and this is her story. There are around 50,000 of them using herbal cannabis in Britain. It's a far safer and more effective alternative to Big Pharma medicine such as Marinol and even Sativex.He dues not know what happened last night.  Yesterday morning, I mentioned to Trevor that I had to watch Our Drugs War on Channel 4. Three hours before the show I reminded myself again but by 7pm this information had slipped through a Myelin Crack in my brain. 

The memory is there but it's frequently hard to access. My department of "Information Retrieval" no longer functions as it did. You have no choice but to develop a bizarre sense of humour and it must be like parenthood in that respect. I feel like I'm carrying a heavy weight on my left side together with the usual raw aching. My health has to remain my first priority and I do sometimes think I guard it with an almost maternal instinct. Without your health, you have nothing. You'd just die if anything bad happened to it. 

Oh, I've thought of a BIG difference actually, you had 9 months warning. Maybe some midwife support? When you're ill, your often up sh*t creek without any backup suddenly and quite brutally. It truly does suck!

My train of thought may veer off from time to time, if it hasn't already. I've been experimenting with cannabinoid ratios with spectacular results. I'll get into this subject shortly as, for some reason, I feel the need to discus Our Drugs War first. I always go with my gut when I'm high. I'm having a damn fine creative high right now that I'm thoroughly enjoying. 

How long will we be watching programs like Our Drugs War before we do something about it? World leaders fully understand that prohibition is causing the harm and still many seem to do nothing about it. Look on the bright side and be glad Britain sees fit not to hang us. I feel Humans are not as advanced as we like to think we are.

How long were people in Britain campaigning to end slavery? Win votes for women? Gay rights? These things took a very long time in comparison so I don't think 40 odd years is much of a raw deal to get in history. Despite the horrific death toll and incarcerations, politicians are probably sitting up and paying attention at about the time they were going to. Things happen when they are good and ready. It's like watching a plane crash in slow motion. There isn't much the average person can do and it's very frustrating!

Like the information falling through my Myelin Crack, politicians have an amazing ability to conveniently forget a surprising amount of stuff. As a result, political change happens at a painfully slow pace. It must make the job easier or something. Sometimes it's like waiting for the next Ice Age. Onwards humans! You hedonistic, perfect examples of your species, who think too much of hanging onto the status quo comfort zone to move ahead. We are supposed to be getting more intelligent though so there's hope. Hang onto that.

I felt amazing when I woke this morning as I've been ingesting a nightly dose of vaporised cannabis with stunning results. I was impressed with my strength and balance but the winner effects were spasticity and pain being turned down almost to zero. Seeing as I'm my own science experiment, I took the dogs out for a walk in the corn fields. I wanted to see if I could keep the pain away by giving myself small doses of vaporised cannabis. Taking too much at once can often leave you wanting to sleep. I've done enough of that. I'll be referring to vaporised cannabis as v.c. from now on. Such a drag to type.

Every 10 minutes or so the pain began to peak so I took a pinch or two of v.c. and this left me high yet able to move freely and without pain. Ideally, a person would need a pocket full of capsules containing this stuff. Perhaps a project for the future? We'll see but first I need to get rid of the 'walk tall like John Wayne' stance I seem to be adopting. Many muscles have not stretched out for a while and are clearly enjoying it.

I've been quite high for a while now. The low THC mix of cannabinoids is the cause and I'm not sure but it may be making me a bit paranoid. I'm aware this can be the effect of cannabis and/or Multiple Sclerosis and have a range of simple techniques to overcome it. The favourite is "pull yourself together Sarah" and that usually does the trick or eating chocolate. Nothing even bordering on rocket science here.  by  Sarah Martin a very brave lady 

51% of Registered Voters Support Marijuana Legalization

As California voters prepare to decide in November whether to become the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, a new Field Poll conducted for The Sacramento Bee reveals that weed already is deeply woven into society.  Those who use the drug, and their reasons for doing it, may be as diverse as the state itself. 42% of adults who described themselves as current users in the July poll said they smoke pot to relieve pain or treat a health condition. Thirty-nine percent use it recreationally, to socialize or have fun with friends. 60% say marijuana helps them relax or sleep.  24% say it stimulates their creativity.  According to there Poll of registered California voters regarding their use, experience and opinions on marijuana, a small majority of voters supports legalization. The poll is interesting because it gave voters a menu of options from which to choose their preferred marijuana policy.

Keep present laws, but make penalties less severe                                       13%
Legalize marijuana so it can be purchased and used by anyone                       4%
Legalize marijuana with age and other controls like those for alcohol             47%   
Pass new laws with even tougher penalties                                                   14%
Strictly enforce present laws and penalties                                                   19%



Maintaining the current marijuana policy is in fact an extreme minority position in the state. Only a third of voters supports strictly enforcing the current laws against marijuana or passing even tougher laws.  Combining the small group of voters who think marijuana should be legal for everyone with those who support legalizing and regulating it like alcohol results in a total of 51% of voters supporting legalization. Combining that 51% with the 13% of voters who believe the penalties for marijuana should be reduced without legalization results in a huge majority of the state either supporting significantly relaxing California’s current marijuana laws or legalization.  Interestingly, the percentage of voters who support legalizing marijuana, 51%, is almost identical to but slightly larger than the 47% of voters who have admitted to using marijuana at least once  in their life.

Marijuana, Medical Marijuana and the U.S.A.

In November 2010, Californians will vote on a ballot measure that would legalize it outright, and tax and regulate marijuana use.

Currently 14 states allow the use of marijuana for pain relief, nausea and loss of appetite by people with AIDS, cancer and other debilitating diseases. Those laws, however, are at odds with federal with federal law. The federal government continues to oppose any decriminalization of the drug. And while the Obama administration has signaled some leeway when it comes to medical marijuana, raids on dispensaries and growers by law enforcement agencies are still common — even in California, where the industry effectively began in 1996, with the passage of the landmark Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana.

Rules vary widely in the states that allow medical marijuana. Some states require sellers to prove nonprofit status — often as a collective or cooperative — and all states require that patients have a recommendation from a physician. But even those in favor of medical marijuana believe that the system is ripe for abuse or even unintentional lawbreaking.

California is considering outright legalization of the drug. Residents are expected to vote on Proposition 19, a ballot measure that would tax and regulate marijuana. Advocates say that if legalized the state could raise $1.4 billion in taxes and save precious law enforcement and prison resources

The new ballot measure would allow anyone over 21 to buy, possess, use or cultivate marijuana. It would bar personal possession of more than one ounce as well as smoking the drug in public or around minors.

Some civil rights activists favor the legalization of the drug on the grounds that marijuana arrests are wildly disproportionate in their racial impact and adversely affect minorities.

But the measure is expected to be strongly opposed by law enforcement, which says it would actually end up costing the state in increased public health and safety expenses.  As more and more states allow medical use of the drug, and California considers outright legalization, marijuana's supporters are pushing hard to burnish the image of marijuana by franchising dispensaries and building brands; establishing consulting, lobbying and law firms; setting up trade shows and a seminar circuit; and constructing a range of other marijuana-related businesses.

Marijuana is the only major drug for which the federal government controls the only legal research supply and for which the government requires a special scientific review. The University of Mississippi has the nation's only federally approved marijuana plantation. If researches wish to investigate marijuana, they must apply to the National Institute on Drug Abuse to use the Mississippi marijuana and must get approvals from a special Public Health Service panel, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration.