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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis info website not worth a 'FRANK'
Canna Zine Sunday 30 Mar 2008 Date: March 30 2008 --- Graham Brady, who is the MP for Altrincham and Sale in the Manchester area of the UK, is celebrating this week after forcing the Home Office to rethink the advice given on their "FRANK", anti-drugs website. Mr Brady, who is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cannabis and Children, challenged the Home Office over what he calls "inadequate advice" it passes regarding the link between cannabis and mental health problems. He said the advice on the 'Talk to Frank' website, which only stated that people with existing mental health problems should avoid cannabis, failed to point out that there is a risk to everyone. But in light of evidence coming from mainland Europe and the United States recently, most noteably from the former Surgeon General of the US Dr Jocelyn Elders, who stated "Mainstream Medicine Endorses Medical Marijuana ", we must ask ourselves if the information regarding cannabis, which is given to the public in the UK, goes far enough? Not even nearly! Its a one-sided government propaganda document designed only to back up government policy and at face value, building a drug awareness program around it is less than worthless. Anti-Cannabis Diatribe At best the FRANK website can be described as giving only a "worst case scenario", with absolutely no thought given to the thousands of people who use cannabis regularly as a result of a plethora of medical conditions. Around the world, evidence is mounting daily to the efficacy of cannabis as living medicine, and one cancer sufferer from the US is thought to have lived as long as he has, as a direct result of the cannabis he consumed to combat nausea brought about by the aggressive chemotherapy treatment used to combat his condition. Scott Paplowski: Scott Paplowski is the oldest known survivor of a rare form of childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. Both Scott, and his medical team, put this down to using cannabis to combat nausea and vomiting, which makes it otherwise impossible to rebuild the immune system damaged by aggressive chemotherapy drugs. Scott was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer when he was 16. After eight months of treatment his weight dropped from 220 pounds to 86 pounds. Medical marijuana eased the nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain enough to restore his appetite and probably save his life. He currently weighs 193 pounds and at 39 is believed to be the oldest survivor of "Rhabdomyosarcoma", his form of cancer. A fact which can be directly attributed to the cannabis he used which made it possible to keep food down, and thus help rebuild his body's immune system. The FRANK website has no mention of such cases and with cancer said to directly affect 1 in 3 British citizens, any suspicion of hiding this information from the public, is simply inhumane. Surgeon General According to Dr Jocelyn Elders, there is absolutely no ambiguity regarding the medical worth of cannabis. Speaking in support of the American College of Physicians, a 124,000 member strong group of doctors specializing in internal medicine and related subspecialties, including cardiology, neurology, pulmonary disease, oncology and infectious diseases, and who have overtly given their support to the use of marijuana as medicine, Dr Elders has called for more research, but she also added a critical point, "The efficacy of medical marijuana has already been established, and it's time for studies designed to determine the best dose and route of delivery." Doctor Elder also goes on to demolish several myths, starting with the notion still proclaimed by some politicians that marijuana is unsafe for medical use. The College notes that the most serious objection to medical marijuana -- potential harm to the lungs from smoking -- has largely been solved by a technology called vaporization, already proven in scientific studies. On the "Gateway Theory" Dr Elder is sure of her facts too, when she says "There is no reason to believe that protecting medical marijuana patients leads to increased drug abuse. "Marijuana has not been proven to be the cause or even the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse," the doctor writes. "Opiates are highly addictive, yet medically effective ... There is no evidence to suggest that medical use of opiates has increased perception that their illicit use is safe or acceptable." The ACP's position paper, published in February, is a document of note. History in the writing. Large medical associations are by their nature slow, cautious creatures that move only when the evidence is overwhelming. T In this instance the evidence is indeed overwhelming that, as ACP put it, there is "a clear discord" between what research tells us and what our laws say about medical marijuana. And if that is the case in the United States, how then, can it NOT be the case here in the United Kingdom? There are 10's of thousands of people just like you and me, who could benefit from the use of cannabis, but for their own reasons the government simply refuses to be drawn into conversation about the legitimate use of cannabis. But this can't carry on any longer, can it? Lobby your MP today ! http://pr.cannazine.co.uk/content/view/214/1/
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