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How Can Weed Legalization Make the World a Better Place?

Backyard Patient Grow site in Hawaii

By “World” we mean, every biological organism. From patients who require Cannabis to investors tryin’ make a buck from the plant. We are eight mainislands surrounded by water. Tightly controlled and policed by local county mayors a few have control over the many. Cannabis is not regulated here the same way it is regulated in […]

Official Hawaii Cannabis Safety Awareness

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Abraham Lincoln A common cannabis theme appears before us, “safety”. A popular myth is that regulatory safety requirements placed on dispensaries have made distributing, consuming or possessing […]

Healthy Hawaii Guide

Considerations for a Patient-Friendly Government This annual guide aims to help voters and elected officials reduce harm to patients while improving our Cannabis economy.  More than 25,000 licensed patients in Hawaii are affected by restrictions on Cannabis medicine. Nationally, 70% of voters oppose enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized medical or recreational […]

Cannabis Talk with Ethan Nebelkopf

Hawaii marijuana dispensary

You Are Invited!  We hope you’ll join us for a very special meeting of the Hawaii Patients Union.  Cannabis Talk Story on Hawaii IslandFriday. May 25th 5pm – 7pm Hawaii Innovation Center in Hilo117 Keawe Street, Hilo, Hi 96720Map + Directions This month the Hawaii Patient Union will have a special guest host, author Ethan […]

Trump Support for States’ Rights to Legalize Cannabis

Trump backs states rights to legalize Cannabis

Mahalo LA Times for the update.  The latest from Washington » “Late Wednesday, I received a commitment from the president that the Department of Justice’s rescission of the Cole memo will not impact Colorado’s legal marijuana industry,” Gardner said, referring to the Obama-era policy, named after former Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Cole, who issued […]

Hawaii Adds ALS to MMJ Program; Rejects Anxiety Disorders | Ganjapreneur

Dr. Clifton Otto

We’re all super grateful for another contribution from Dr. Clifton Otto. This time it’s ALS disease. Mahalo for your work at getting this debilitating disease approved for healthcare. Amazing that only a few days ago an ALS patient would have been put in jail for trying Cannabis. Here’s the letter from Dr. Otto: https://hawaiicannabis.org/wp-content/uploads/ALSPetition-DOHApproval-19Dec17.pdf Read […]

Federal Marijuana Policy – “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act”

An Epic Bill Introduction by Congressman Rohrabacher from California for the newly introduced “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act” (also see 2015 version) Visit Mr. Rohrabacher’s website for more links and articles to Cannabis legislation. From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office FEDERAL MARIJUANA POLICY The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker’s announced […]

Survey Shows Two-Thirds of Police Are in Favor of Medical or Recreational Marijuana

A new survey of thousands of police officers from departments around the U.S. suggests that the majority don’t agree with the federal government’s stance on marijuana. Marijuana is still a Schedule I substance under federal law, meaning it’s categorized as one of the most dangerous drugs, with a high potential for abuse and no medicinal […]

How to Save a Pet’s life with Cannabis? – The Short Answer

Sad Doggy

Question: How to Save a Pet’s life with Cannabis? Answer: Get a license for yourself, assess the needs of your pet, properly dose, make adjustments and don’t tell anyone. The same laws and regulations that apply to human use, apply to pet use. Possessing Cannabis without a license can land you in jail. So get a license. […]

Olivia’s Story – Cannabis and Epilepsy

From birth, doctors were sure Olivia’s lack of cerebral cortex and severe underdevelopment in her brain would yield an abbreviated life. After four years of testing and endless doctor’s visits, Olivia was diagnosed with pyruvic dehydrogenase deficiency, a genetic neurodegenerative disease that prevents cells from fully metabolizing glucose, affecting energy production and increasing the buildup […]

Medical Marijuana Through The Eyes And Suffering Of Those Who Need It Most

There is only one question we should be asking ourselves in the debate over medical marijuana. That question should be, To what lengths would you go to save your loved one? I hope your answer is that you would do whatever it takes to not see the person you love suffer. It’s time to let […]

Canada: How Medicinal Cannabis Helped A Cancer Survivor Live Again

Radiation treatment for Kelly Oliphant’s Stage 4 prostate cancer left him with radiation colitis and cystitis. “I have, from one hip to the other in the front, a six-inch belt that burns constantly,” Oliphant explains. “It’s like having a sunburn on the inside of your skin. One doctor related it to having shingles.” Oliphant endured […]

Family Frustrated With Slow Pace Of Medical Marijuana In Ohio

Dayton, Ohio – Medical marijuana is now the law in Ohio but parents with sick children, especially those suffering from debilitating seizures, said they were frustrated because it may still take up to two years before they have access to the drug. Lindsay Sandlin was just 9-years-old when her parents started pushing for the passage […]

Before And After Affects As Man Takes Cannabis For Parkinson’s Tremors

A stunning video has been made by a man living with Parkinson’s Disease to demonstrate the relief he gets from using cannabis to self-treat his symptoms. Ian Frizell has posted a short film to show why he supports the drug’s legalisation, calling for MPs to back its legal use for treating medical conditions. He said, […]

Autistic Boy Gains Ability To Speak After Just 2 Days Of Cannabis Oil Treatment

At 10 months of age, Kalel Santiago of Puerto Rico was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called neuroblastoma. He endured chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and surgery for two years – and survived. Then he was diagnosed with something permanent: severe autism that disabled him from speaking. “While he was in the hospital, we noticed […]

PA: Medical Marijuana Stopped Brenden’s Epileptic Seizures

Dingmans Ferry When Brenden Doran of Dingmans Ferry was only three weeks old, he got very sick. When he threw up, the contents of his stomach flew five feet from his bassinet. He was losing weight. Doctors prescribed medicine but it didn’t work. It took weeks before they identified the problem: pyloric stenosis, the narrowing […]

CBD Oil Is Shaking Up The Medical Cannabis Industry

Corinne Malanca credits CBD oil with saving her father’s life. Five years ago, Stan Rutner underwent chemotherapy for Stage 4 lung cancer. After treatment, an inoperable brain tumor was found and he fell sick with pneumonia caused by his radiation treatments. Thinking Rutner only had weeks to live, Malanca turned to the internet for answers. […]

How Backyard Pot Farming Is Helping Kids With Autism

Karlee lives in a quiet town in southeastern Washington. Last year, she put in a new cedar fence around her home. The fence is 6 feet tall, and behind it Karlee grows tomatoes, zucchini, and marijuana. As it matures, the sweet smell of pot starts to waft into the neighborhood. This is Karlee’s cue that […]

My Struggle With PTSD

Medical Marijuana Research

“I couldn’t help but notice your Pain…. It runs deep, share it with me.” -Tupac Shakur, “Pain” What is Pain? Seems to be a straight up question, but can you describe it? I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time now, and I am still hung up. How does one interpret their own pain, […]

Sen. John McCain’s Silence on Medical Cannabis Is Deafening

Medical Marijuana Research

In the fall of 2013 I began working with Dr. Sue Sisley raising awareness and support for her research studying the safety and efficacy of cannabis when used to treat treatment-resistant post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When Dr. Sisley was fired from the University of Arizona we found ourselves abruptly going from a friendly, cooperative […]

August 12th, 2016 Event Held in Hilo Cannabinoids: A new hope for pain and symptom management

Cannabinoids Pediatrics and Palliative Care

You are Invited to a Special Evening of Education and Awareness [cannabis_note note_color=”#99CC33″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Friday August 12th 5-7 pm – Hawai’i Innovation Center at Hilo  – Downtown 117 Keawe Street[/cannabis_note] Cannabinoids: A new hope for pain and symptom management Dr. David Sine and Don Anderson Pharm.D will share how they have utilized CBD & THC blended […]

The Scientist

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Congress Members to VA: Let Veterans Smoke Marijuana

A group of 21 Senators and Representatives send letter urging VA to permit doctors to discuss and recommend marijuana as a treatment option in states where it’s legal Under the current system, VA doctors are not allowed to give recommendations for patients to receive medical marijuana, even in states that have legalized it. January 27, […]

Best Practices for Keeping Your Children While Using Medical Cannabis in Hawaii

Law enforcement will most likely continue their investigation after a routine compliance check if children and what police call, “paraphernalia” were present during the raid. Would you rather risk losing your children to Child Protective Services or treat your disease using Cannabis? There are very few protections and all of them hinge of a police officer’s ability to do […]

Desperate Journey Trailer and Full Video

Colorado has become a promised land for desperate parents trying to save their children. In the past year-and-a-half, hundreds of families from across the country have uprooted their lives and moved here for a special kind of medical marijuana. They arrive with children suffering from incurable forms of epilepsy, life-threatening disorders with seizures that not […]

Sharon Kelly: Cannabis Killed My Terminal Stage 4 Lung Cancer

“The ED Doctor came out and motioned for us to come into her office & sit down not saying a word. She opened the conversation with I’m so very sorry…..what?? I’m so very sorry. There appears to be a sizable mass in your left lung – what? What is it? Have you ever smoked? What? […]

Sophia’s Story

“We’ve tried everything else that they could possibly come up with to try and stop these seizures,” says Scott Nazzarine, Sophia’s father, “None of it has worked. We need legislation that allows our child to get the medicine she needs. But with or without it, we will continue to give our child what she needs […]

New Video Tells Powerful Story of Young Epilepsy Patient without Safe Access to Medical Marijuana

The Drug Policy Alliance and Learn Liberty have teamed up to tell the emotional story of Sophia Nazzarine, a 7-year-old girl suffering from uncontrolled epilepsy, in a new video.

Between clips of Sophia singing and playing with her parents in her hometown of Cincinnati, the audience is shown saddening footage of Sophia seizing as a newborn, while her parents describe their discovery of Sophia’s epilepsy and their exhaustive struggle to find an effective treatment.

Click here to watch moving video of Sophia’s Story

“We’ve tried everything else that they could possibly come up with to try and stop these seizures,” says Scott Nazzarine, Sophia’s father, “None of it has worked. We need legislation that allows our child to get the medicine she needs. But with or without it, we will continue to give our child what she needs to reduce her dangerous seizures.”

Sophia’s story is complemented by interviews with doctors, explaining her condition and the strong potential for its treatment with marijuana.

“The belief is that it’s the cannabadiol portion of [the marijuana plant] that seems to have less intoxicating effects and more of the anti-seizure effects,” explains Dr. Michael D. Privitera, Professor of Neurology at the University of Cincinnati.

“There are millions of people, young and old, just like Sophia, suffering from serious illnesses for which their doctors are out of ideas,” said DPA’s Dr. Amanda Reiman in response to the video, “They are out of options in the realm of traditional medical care and they deserve to have every option on the menu, and in 23 states plus Washington DC, they do.”

The video is being released just as legislation has been introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to allow those state programs to exist. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States – CARERS – Act is the first-ever bill in the U.S. Senate to legalize marijuana for medical use and the most comprehensive medical marijuana bill ever introduced in Congress.

The video ends by asking viewers to help create legal access to medical marijuana by supporting the Drug Policy Alliance as Sophia reads with her mother.

“Spending a week with Sophia and her family while filming this documentary was a life-changing experience. Sophia is truly an amazing girl whose story is helping to educate millions of people about why she can’t get the simple medication she needs,” said Tim Hedberg, the producer of the video for Learn Liberty.

The Drug Policy Alliance is the nation’s leading organization promoting alternatives to the war on drugs.

Learn Liberty is your resource for exploring the ideas of a free society. They tackle big questions about what makes a society free or prosperous and how we can improve the world we live in. Learn Liberty is a project of the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University.

Scott and Nicole Nazzarine have both made themselves available to any media outlets with further interest in their daughter’s story. Unreleased photos and footage are also available to these outlets for free use.

Author:
Date Published: April 22, 2015
Published by Drug Policy Alliance

Taima Hakubutsukan and Japanese Cannabis Tradition

“Most Japanese people see cannabis as a subculture of Japan but they’re wrong. For thousands of years cannabis has been at the very heart of Japanese culture,” explains Takayasu Junichi, one of the country’s leading experts. “However after Japan’s surrender in 1945, U.S. authorities occupied the country and they introduced American attitudes towards cannabis. Having […]

Roger Christie Released from Prison with Jeff Davis

Roger Christie’s first interview after being released from prison on September 11th, 2014. His expiration of sentence date is November 14th, 2014 when Roger will be able to come home to Hawaii Island. His appeal brief is due October 30th. [su_youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWkEeldqBwY”] You may also like this video of Roger’s THC Ministry

Documentary – America’s Longest War

People all around the world are increasingly realizing that drug prohibition has failed to achieve its goals. Drug use rates have not declined and drugs are more available—and cheaper—than ever before. At the same time, the drug war has resulted in a long list of unintended consequences: militarization of law enforcement, the imprisonment of hundreds […]