Sampled from the ASA website:
“Norman B. Smith, 63, was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in 2009 and put on the transplant list at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in Sept. 2010. But after testing positive for cannabis in February, he was removed from the transplant list and told he has to test clean for six months before being reconsidered.
Smith's oncologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Steven Miles, had approved of his medical cannabis use as a means to deal with the effects of chemotherapy, as well as pain from an unrelated back surgery. Smith's cancer was in remission but has recently recurred, and he is beginning radiation treatments.”
“Norman B. Smith, 63, was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in 2009 and put on the transplant list at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in Sept. 2010. But after testing positive for cannabis in February, he was removed from the transplant list and told he has to test clean for six months before being reconsidered.
Smith's oncologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Steven Miles, had approved of his medical cannabis use as a means to deal with the effects of chemotherapy, as well as pain from an unrelated back surgery. Smith's cancer was in remission but has recently recurred, and he is beginning radiation treatments.”
((you can read the whole story at
http://americansforsafeaccess.org/ )) in the December 2011 newsletter
It seems the saddest kind of irony that the pro-cannabis oncologist was likely suggesting Medical Marijuana as a less destructive alternative, liver-wise, than the pill form opiate pain management alternatives that capture such a gigantic portion of big Pharma's revenues. Perhaps we progressive Californians should try a little legislative judo. Make all pharmacies and dispensaries be governed by the same regulations. No pharmacies within 500 feet of schools, etc... We could even require our local dispensary staffers to obtain a Px certification which would assist them in providing patient advisories and counseling about the use of thier meds and relevant symptoms. I doubt most medical marijuana patients would mind going to their local pharmacy for their meds...so long as big Pharma hasn't distilled down the medicinal aspects of cannabis to a pill--unnecessarily concentrating the active ingredients beyond the natural benefits until it too....destroys...your....liver.
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