CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

Given the cannabis-free curriculum provided by U.S. medical and
nursing schools, "continuing education" is not the apt term, but more
than 100 healthcare providers (including 40 MDs) will receive credit
for attending a conference on cannabis therapeutics at Santa Barbara
Community College April 7-8.

The event was organized by Al Byrne and Mary Lynn Mathre of Patients
Out of Time, a Virginia-based advocacy group, with help from David
Bearman, MD, and students from Santa Barbara1s NORML chapter led by
Loren Vazquez.

Donald Abrams, MD, was instrumental in arranging CME credits through
UC San Francisco. Continuing education units were arranged by the
California Nurses Association for RNs and LVNs; the National
Pharmacists Association for pharmacists; and Santa Barbara Community
College for family therapists and licensed clinical social workers.

George McMahon, Elvy Musikka, and Irv Rosenfeld, who get their
cannabis through the federal government's "compassionate use"
program, were videotaped opening their sealed cans to refute a claim
made by Mahmoud ElSohly (the only grower licensed by the Drug
Enforcement Administration) that the cannabis he produces is free of
sticks and seeds.

ElSohly recently testified in opposition to the granting of a DEA
license to Lyle Craker, a botanist at UMass Amherst (and would-be
competitor). Rick Doblin, PhD, orchestrated Craker's application in
hopes of breaking the government's monopoly and making cannabis
available to more researchers. Doblin told the Santa Barbara audience
that he thought the administrative law judge who heard the arguments
is inclined to recommend that Craker be licensed. If the judge's
recommendation is positive, Doblin foresees a public campaign to
pressure the DEA Administrator to grant the license.

Three speakers, including Al Byrne, discussed their use of cannabis
to cope with post-traumatic stress. "That's what it is," said Byrne,
"not a disorder but a perfectly logical response to terrifying
events." Byrne experienced unforgettable trauma when he was in the
Navy, first a training accident in which he was seriously injured and
seven men died, then combat in Vietnam.

Christopher Largen and Erin Hildebrandt were sexually molested in
childhood. Largen, a writer from Denton, Texas, contrasted the
punitive treatment of marijuana users in our society with the
leniency shown sexual predators. Hildebrandt, who had been abused by
a teacher in elementary school, runs a group called Parents Ending
Prohibition based in Lafayette, Oregon. She pointed out the inherent
creepiness of making schoolchildren pee in a cup, "even with the door
closed or half closed." It breaks down the child's sense of personal
sanctity and provides easy access for the potential predator.

Your correspondent, who usually has an explanation for everything,
has no answer to Largen's question. Why does this culture -so
punitive in general, with 2.1 million citizens behind bars-release
sexual predators so readily? Is it a function of male supremacy, somehow?

In addition to the 100+ healthcare providers who signed up for
continuing education credits, more than 150 patients and caregivers
attended the conference, which was sponsored by SBCC's Center for
Philosophical Education. "Doctors have at least as much to learn from
patients," Bearman observed, "as patients have to learn from doctors."

The Santa Barbara News-Press ran a front-page story April 8 focusing
entirely on a brief, "profanity-laced" talk by Montel Williams, who
urged his audience to expose politicians who smoke marijuana.
Williams said he was "tired of being out here all alone" -as if the
room wasn't full of people who are taking risks to oppose the
marijuana prohibition. The TV host's talk was a sidebar to the
conference and should have been a sidebar in the paper. The managing
editor of the News-Press, Jerry Roberts (Harvard '68), is undoubtedly
dismayed by the dumbing down of the American people; and yet when he
had a chance to run a serious, informative piece about the field of
cannabis therapeutics, he settled for the celebrity shot.

IT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER

The Rhode Island Department of Health has begun taking applications
from residents who have been approved by doctors to use cannabis.
Patients and caregivers can possess up to 12 plants and 2.5 ounces
under a law recently passed by the state legislature over the governor's veto.

In Colorado, Shawn Glazer, MD, had authorized cannabis use by more
than 300 patients before Parkinson's disease caused her to stop
practicing last year. A surgically implanted nerve stimulator has
enabled her to work again, and as of April 7 she resumed seeing
patients under the auspices of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation
(THCF). By issuing 45 approvals, Glazer increased the number of legal
medical cannabis users in Colorado by five per cent!

The medical board of Colorado is making Glazer prove that she hasn't
had any cognitive decline! Glazer, who is sharp as a tack, according
to THCF's Paul Stanford, will be examined by a neurologist and a
psychologist who will report to a subcommittee of the medical board.
Is this standard operating procedure or a message to other doctors
that if you approve cannabis use by your patients, you might get scrutinized?

Colorado law allows physician-approved patients to possess six plants
and two ounces of cannabis. The state issues a license for $110. The
fee may come down as more patients sign up.

State-by-state totals of card-carrying patients as of January,
courtesy of the Marijuana Policy Project:

Alaska 137

California 755 (includes caregivers)*

Colorado 713

Hawaii 3,042

Maine doesn't have a registry

Montana 169

Nevada 900

Oregon 11,853

Vermont 24

Washington doesn't have a registry

Total: 17,593

In California, doctors associated with the Society of Cannabis
Clinicians have written some 90,000 approval letters. The total of
authorized users is probably twice that.

Doctors from THCF's Seattle office have issued 3,000 approvals,
according to Stanford, and the University of Washington Medical
Center may have issued as many. Stanford estimates the total number
of legal cannabis users in the state at around 10,000. As Phil
Denney, MD, has observed, a slow but steady and irreversible process
is underway -patients telling friends and family members that
cannabis really is a safe and effective medicine.

POT SHOTS

Medical-instrument designer Markus Storz, who was displaying his
Volcano vaporizer at the conference in Santa Barbara, says some
28,000 have been sold to date. The U.S. leads in consumption (we're
#1 in something!) followed by Spain, Great Britain, Germany, and
Canada. Storz has quelched one knock-off attempt with a letter
reminding the would-be imitator that he intended to enforce his patent.

"The Territory Ahead" is a glossy catalogue that Rosie peruses. The
latest one depicts a $69 "High-Altitude Tunic" described thus: "First
time in Cuzco? Welcome! At 11,000 feet you'll find the city both
picturesque and breathtaking... literally. Once your altitude
sickness sets in, your head will feel the vice-like pinch of your new
oxygen-starved existence. Not to worry! Just grab yourself as many
cups of cocoa-leaf (sic) tea as possible, and soon you'll be
breathing easy. And that's how you'll feel in our breezy
High-Altitude Tunic, too. Made of lightweight cotton poplin, it's
soft and cool against sun-kissed skin. Playful embroidery at the
notch neck lends a blithely bohemian look. Flattering easy shape with
side slits at the low-hip hem. Machine washable. Imported in Wave;
White; Coral. Sizes XS-XL." Rosie analyzes the subtext: "The rich can
do as much coke as they want."