From: Carolnjo@...
CA Medicinal Marijuana

Hi Steve and all...

California legalized the use of medicinal marijuana effective January 1,
2004. Naturally, the DEA has taken some pretty outrageous actions to try to
break down this legal use in our state...especially with raiding marijuana
selling clubs, and even terrorizing cancer patients and other users who have
received the required doctor's certificate and prescription. In cases, they have
destroyed the homes of innocent and very ill patients. The intent IMO is to
intimidate doctors and potential users of the drug, and if possible, try the
case in federal, rather than state, courts, which do not allow the use of
marijuana. The organization (nationally) called NORML has a lot of information  on
all state laws, and for California, go to the following URL for the basic
laws, various counties' regulations and so on. There are many links on this site
and it is probably the best website on the subject generally.

_http://www.canorml.org/prop/local215policies.html_
(http://www.canorml.org/prop/local215policies.html)

As for the question...does it help RSD/CRPS? I wrote about a year ago that  I
was in a study at UC-Davis in Sacramento, in combination with the VA Hospital
 in Sacramento, for the study of the effectiveness of marijuana on CRPS/RSD.
This  was a two-year study and I provided the contact info etc. for any people
 interested in it. It is also one in which you are paid to participate.

I, personally, did not receive any relief from the pain, but it did help me
sleep. However, I would not want to rely on it around the clock as my memory
went blip! As if it is not bad enough already. Another participant who I came
to  know well thought it helped her a lot.

I just read in a Medscape article today that in the UK a drug (pill) form  of
the THC and canniboid (sp?) from marijuana has been approved for the
treatment of chronic pain conditions. It has not been approved for use in the US
(what a surprise). I will try to remember to get the URL to this article and
send it.

I hope this helps. I know my own pain docs give referrals to patients to
doctors who will rx marijuana, but they themselves do not.

On another topic, has anyone been able to figure out the new Medicare drug
program yet? California has not even got its programs organized and on-line
yet,  although we were supposed to begin to sign up a couple days ago.

Sorry I have not been much of a participant in this group for the past 3 or
so months but as I wrote in August, I injured my back pretty badly moving back
 to the Bay Area, developed radiculopathy, and am now at the stage of where I
 have been referred to a neurosurgeon who is scheduling me for a mylogram (or
 mylegram) to determine if surgery is going to be required.

One more item...the Starbucks locally are doing a fundraising event within
their stores for Muscular Dystrophy. I spoke to the manager at my neighborhood
Starbucks and asked if they would ever consider doing something like this for
 RSD/CRPS. He told me to bring in information about the disease and they
would  consider it. Check out your own local Starbucks stores...they are very much
into  giving back to society and maybe we can get some attention and
information out  there, and hopefully some fund-raising for research and for people
who need  assistance with the personal financial disasters that usually go
hand-in-hand  with the diagnosis and treatment if this disease.

Love and soft hugs, Carolyn in California


When I took the leap,
I had faith I would find a net;
Instead  I learned I could fly.
- John Calvi,  1994