LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA CO-OP CLOSES LOOPHOLE

Area Patients Find Quality Products Thanks To Nonprofit

Herbs, vegetables, medical marijuana, Ojai!

While there certainly isn't a yellow brick road laid out for medical
marijuana consumers in California, the road to pharmaceutical
alternatives for ailments is broadening. Though Santa Barbara and Los
Angeles Counties have marijuana dispensaries, Ventura County has yet
to give in. But a thriving closed-loop cooperative in Ojai is
ensuring its members have access to organic medicines.

Shangri La Care Cooperative Inc., labeled as an agriculture and
horticulture private social club, is a members-only cooperative that
mentors and teaches members about growing marijuana, organic herbs
and vegetables. By way of Shangri La, members have access to one
another's crops, depending on their medical needs.

"Some members don't have the technical skills to grow their own,"
explained Jeff Kroll, who operates Shangri La. "So this is members
helping members. We find out what the medical needs are of our
members, and then other members come forward and help."

The nonprofit, private cooperative has been operating slightly more
than a year and periodically opens membership registration for a fee
of $300 per person, along with a medical recommendation in tow. The
fee entitles members to Shangri La's legal services, group health
insurance policy and one share of the cooperative. Because it's a
private organization, Kroll wouldn't state how many members belong to
Shangri La. But he confirmed that for every 10 members that join, the
cooperative voted to waive the registration fee for a prospective
member in hospice or financial straits.

"We only allow as many (members) as we can support," said Kroll.

What sets Shangri La apart from many other cooperatives, or
collectives, said Kroll, is the science involved. The contents of the
marijuana circulated by Shangri La members is lab tested weekly by
BudGenius, with the results then posted to the BudGenius website
(www.budgenius.com). Lab technicians in the BudGenius laboratory in
Los Angeles use Hewlett-Packard machines fueled by gas chromatography
to identify the active cannabinoids, rating the percentages of the
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and the CBDs (cannabidiol) and CBNs
(cannabinol), which studies have shown provide the medical benefits
of marijuana. The tests also produce an effects analysis, rating the
marijuana strain's ability to reduce pain, nausea and anxiety, and
stimulate appetite and sleep. The lab also tests for molds and pesticides.

"Our big thing here is that we can provide the data, but we also
bring in the whole social network of it, involving the patients,"
said BudGenius CEO John Montgomery.

Shangri La, explained Kroll, takes a member's medical recommendation
and works with the member to obtain a strain that best suits his or
her medical needs.

"A person may not want the 'high' feeling and can find a strain with
very low THC," Kroll explained.

When Wayne L., 69, was stricken with glaucoma, his doctor recommended
he try medical marijuana to relieve the pressure in his eyes. He
joined Shangri La and began growing his own medicine and testing
strains from the cooperative, instead of relying on the
pharmaceutical industry, which he said couldn't care less about his vision.

"What I am doing to determine what strain works best for me is going
to the optometrist to check my eye pressure, and that will be the
baseline," he said. "I will try specific strains provided by the
co-op and have the pressure tested afterwards, then try another
strain, step-by-step, to see what strain is working best."

Last month, the National Cancer Institute became the first federal
agency to formally recognize the cancer-fighting properties of
marijuana's active ingredients, stating, "In the practice of
integrative oncology, the health care provider may recommend
medicinal cannabis not only for symptom management but also for its
possible direct anti-tumor effect."

Soon after publishing the statement, the NCI removed the language
about anti-tumor effects but still suggested positive benefits for
cancer patients.

For more information about Shangri La Care, call 640-6464 or e-mail
info@shangrilacarecooperative.org.