Pubdate: Sun, 16 May 2010
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/2006/09/07/19629/submit-letters-to-the-editor.html
Author: Peter Hecht
Image: http://www.mapinc.org/images/forumgraphic.jpg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis – United States)
The Conversation:
RESEARCH OFFERS CONTRASTING VIEWS OF MARIJUANA
Rickey Yuhre didn’t need an $8.7 million California medical marijuana study to tell him that pot eased his suffering.
The 53-year-old former diesel truck mechanic and welder has pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and debilitating disease of the lungs. He has fused vertebrae in his neck due to severe nerve damage.
Pain meds and relaxants – Oxycontin, Vicodin, Neurontin, Valium – only turned his insides out with nausea. And so he started using a special “vapor box” to medicate with marijuana without smoking.
“It brought things to a tolerable state,” said Yuhre, of Sacramento.
His experiences seem to support findings of state-funded research that asserts that marijuana provides relief for a range of ailments, including neuropathic pain caused by injuries, infections, diabetes, strokes and other conditions affecting the nervous system.
[snip]
[sidebar]
MEDICAL MARIJUANA: PANACEA OR PROBLEM?
A community health forum, presented by Capital Public Radio and The Bee, will feature a panel of experts to discuss the medical, legal and community impact of medical marijuana. Insight host Jeffrey Callison will moderate the forum and Bee reporter Peter Hecht will join the panel of experts. A one-hour live broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday on 90.9 FM in Sacramento, 90.5 FM in Tahoe/Reno, and 88.1 FM in Quincy and 91.3 FM in Stockton/Modesto. A Web chat will begin at 6 p.m. at www.secondopinions.org. For more details, see graphic above.
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n365.a03.html