Cannabis/Hemp Products/Medicinal/Legal

The main issue is the kids will be stoned, if you haven't watched it the 1st episode of Weediquette features the method of mixing with alcohol you taking about before it's given to kids, well worth a watch https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/stoned-kids-weediquette/5699516fa4e767937f028321

I find it amusing how passionate people are about this. The simple fact is that regardless of your ailment, whether it be MS, chronic pain, cancer related pain etc, drugs currently on the Irish market are already far superior.
Do I think it should be legal? Yes, but this "medical marijuana" argument is nonsense.

How can we believe the official Governmental reports when they only use inferior research material?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/03/13/government-marijuana-looks-nothing-like-the-real-stuff-see-for-yourself/?utm_term=.d36b2f866c5e

jh79 wrote: »

Passionate about getting stoned more like and sure if that means giving false hope to sick and vulnerable people so be it.

You think that parents are only looking to give marijuana to their sick children to get them stoned?

Here is an assessment of the recent GW pharma clinical trial, well worth a read. It's from Science Based Medicine.

As is the case with all first phase II clinical trials of new experimental drugs, this trial is a start, not a finish. Does it definitively demonstrate that CBD has antiseizure activity? Not quite, but it is promising. Also, one has to remember that this is a very specific and uncommon form of epilepsy for which the genetic and biochemical basis is known to result in defective function of a single sodium channel. It’s not clear whether the results of this trial are generalizable to other seizure disorders due to other causes, but it will be worth investigating whether it is. It would also be worth investigating whether chemically modifying CBD could increase its efficacy while decreasing side effects, although preclinical mechanistic studies would be necessary to figure out how CBD works in the first place so that scientists can use a science-based strategy to chemically modifying the drug. This is how you turn herbalism into science.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/medical-marijuana-as-the-new-herbalism-part-5-turning-herbalism-into-science-based-medicine/

vmb wrote: »

I'm quite tired of being prescribed with opioids for pain (oxycodone, tapentadol...), and at the same time, people are judging that CBD/THC are very dangerous.

Consultants are currently prescribing really dangerous things without considering the real outcome. Are u in pain? Let's try with this.... After the prescription, there is no a real follow up. Some drugs just don't work for some people.

CBD/THC are not magic. They have both benefits and also some problems, but its research is being VERY slow, as there are a lot of hidden interests in the Pharma.

Opioids make my work very complicated, I have to choose to work either in pain or with a subtle and very annoying high.

In short, consultants are already prescribing drugs with less therapeutic output and with a big associated risk of addiction

Research is always slow in tbe pharma industry not the kind of thing you want to rush.

It's particularly slow for medical marijuana because pre-clinical studies have shown only modest benefits. As a former medicinal chemist i wouldn't invest research grants in this area.

With regards chronic pain , the benefits are modest and as pointed out by the HPRA the pooling of the various types of chronic pain into single studies means it's possible only certain types of pain benefit from this modest effect and it has no benefits for other types.(Remember too that these studies are the best quality available for weed but still not to the standard required for approval, its possible the modest benefits are due to the placebo effect.)

Read the American Acadamies review (they were pro its use for chronic pain) and the HPRA review to get a true picture of where the research stands.

vmb wrote: »

as LTI patient I understand this, but in this case, things are being slowed down because "possible harmful effects" and the difficulty of having good test results.

Regarding research, the double-blind mechanism broken because the possible high is another interesting point.

If patients feel better, is not that what we (patients) need?

The doctor would have to lie to the patient about weeds effectiveness amd side effects meaning the patient wouldn't be able to make an informed choice on their treatment. Would be unethical.

The placebo effect doesn't give a predictable benefit either.


"A 2010 review carefully analyzed more than 200 studies that included a placebo group along with a “no treatment” group. The reviewers found that placebo treatments don’t have major effects on illness, but in certain settings they appear to improve patient-reported outcomes – especially pain and nausea. Placebo effects on pain varied quite widely, from almost none to significant relief. These variations in the effect of placebo were partly explained by differences in how studies were conducted and what patients were told. The reviewers noted that it’s hard to tell if patient-reported effects were truly due to placebo effects or if they were just biased patient responses. Studies in which patients didn’t know they were getting a placebo showed the strongest placebo effects.

The bottom line is that placebos don’t cure. Sometimes they can make people feel better, but they can also make people feel worse. And placebo effects (along with other factors that can affect study outcomes) often make clinical trials that aren’t carefully designed come out with falsely positive results. This is one of many reasons why good study design, like having control groups that are set up to be very similar to the test groups, are so important in human studies."

https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/clinical-trials/placebo-effect.html

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/placebos-as-medicine-the-ethics-of-homeopathy/

Recreational cannabis stores opened today in Nevada. The fifth US state to end the prohibition.

Given the huge number of tourists from all over the US who go to las vegas I'm sure it will help hasten the pace of other States ending their prohibition too.

kleefarr wrote: »

Seems posted by Norml Ireland on facebook.
http://www.getholistichealth.com/47622/here-are-100-scientific-studies-proving-cannabis-cures-cancer/

.gov

Do you honestly believe that nonsense? ( all pre clincal proves nothing)

Have you read some of the other claims on that website, you can change DNA with your voice ffs!

A school kid wouldn't fall for that yet NORML ireland share that crap!

MDMA be a medicine soon

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mdma-alcohol-addiction_us_595a0954e4b05c37bb7f4fcc


In World First, MDMA Will Be Used To Treat Alcohol Addiction In Clinical Trial

Earlier studies have shown the drug can be effective in treatments for PTSD and anxiety.

gctest50 wrote: »

And Greece has legalised marijuana for medical purposes

Are there any details on this yet? Couldn't find anything online.

InTheTrees wrote: »

I think they changed Google News recently. The new search algorithm seems to be very ineffective. You now get better news results by typing in your search into the regular google search and then clicking on the "News" tab, than you do by searching within "google news".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-marijuana-legal-medical-cannabis-weed-law-passes-a7821771.html

I was hoping to find their equivalent to the HPRA report, the press releases have no detail in them at all.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/health-committee-rejects-bill-to-legalise-medical-cannabis-1.3152230

For those in favour of medicinal marijuana, Gino and Vera are responsible for this mess. The Bill is terrible and both lied throughout about the benefits of weed.

"The Oireachtas Health committee has voted to reject People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny's Bill to legalise medical cannabis and said the Bill should not proceed to committee stage.

"The committees scrutiny report argues there is still a shortage of scientific peer-reviewed evidence on the safety and effectiveness of cannabinoid treatments for medical conditions, despite initial encouraging medicinal possibilities."

"Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell said there are aspects of the Bill that caused the committee huge concern insisting it was more about decriminalising the use of cannabis."

As much as I'd like to see legal access to cannabis for medicinal use failure of this bill lies squarely at the originators' feet.

It's also not the nail in the coffin it's being portrayed as:

"In that regard, the Committee is cognisant of the HPRA’s advice that “medical use of cannabis should only be initiated as part of a structured process of formal on-going clinical evaluation by a medical consultant, in a limited number of clearly defined medical conditions.
The Committee has been informed that such an approach is being pursued by the Minister for Health and his officials. Department Officials told the Committee, at its engagement with them of 13 April, that an expert reference group has been established which is currently drafting guidelines to facilitate the use of cannabis treatments under an access programme, its work being informed by the HPRA’s report."

There is no doubt, all drugs are going to be less harmful to people and society, if regulated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MV1UEkgk_A