This “sweep” of local medical marijuana dispensaries comes after similar raid in Oregon.   It is the opinion of many people in the industry that once they use up their resources here in California they will move on to Colorado to do the same thing.    This will give people here in California time to re-group.

The state supreme court recently agreed to review the Riverside decision that stated any city/county can not legally approve something that conflicts with federal law.  Once the supreme court renders a decision will have much clearer guidance on what any individual city can and can not do.  Attorney Anthony Curiale, a specialist in medical marijuana law, told me that because of the supreme courts decision to review the case “we are back back in the game.”  He went on to say that “they are not going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle.”

In the mean time, the feds are doing everything they can to try and bankrupt local dispensary owners.   In Costa Mesa they did not make one arrest. They just go and take all the plants, lights, medicine, cash and freeze assets.   Essentially they force the businesses to start over from scratch.   These tactics are far from American and will ultimately make the industry stronger in the long run.   More and more patients who are benefiting from medical marijuana will let their voices be heard on election day.   I will be shocked if President Obama wins California without the medical marijuana vote (which is HUGE!).

Stay tuned.

His main issue is “counting” and “checking” (i.e did I leave the lights on?).   This has been going on since his teenage years and he has been on numerous psychiatric medications.  He happens to use a cannabis based oil (that he makes at home) and puts one teaspoon in his tea in the morning.  He stated that it “mellows me to the point where I no longer focus on my obsessions.”   In his words “I don’t know what I would do without medical marijuana.”

In my practice I have seen about a dozen patients who medicate with cannabis to treat OCD.  Most have received significant benefit, to the point where I think further research should be mandated!  Unfortunately, the federal government will not allow it.   Until then, in 16 states, patients can experiment under the care of a medical doctor to see if medical marijuana will work.

Below is the list of potential side effects of one of the medications that is commonly used to treat OCD. NO WONDER PATIENTS WANT MEDICAL MARIJUANA.  THIS LIST IS RIDICULOUS!

Until then, if you would like more information feel free to come in for a consultation.  877-721-0047 or contact us via email at mcsocal@me.com

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Adverse Reactions Significant

Data shown for children reflects both children and adolescents studied in clinical trials.

>10%:

Central nervous system: Dizziness (54%), somnolence (54%), drowsiness, headache (52%; children 28%), fatigue (39%), insomnia (25%; children 11%), malaise, nervousness (18%; children 4%)

Endocrine & metabolic: Libido changes (21%), hot flushes (5%)

Gastrointestinal: Xerostomia (84%, children 63%) constipation (47%; children 22%), nausea (33%; children 9%), dyspepsia (22%; children 13%), weight gain (18%; children 2%), diarrhea (13%; children 7%), anorexia (12%; children 22%), abdominal pain (11%), appetite increased (11%)

Genitourinary: Ejaculation failure (42%), impotence (20%), micturition disorder (14%; children 4%)

Neuromuscular & skeletal: Tremor (54%), myoclonus (13%; children 2%), myalgia (13%)

Ocular: Abnormal vision (18%; children 7%)

Respiratory: Pharyngitis (14%), rhinitis (12%)

Miscellaneous: Diaphoresis increased (29%; children 9%)

1% to 10%:

Cardiovascular: Flushing (8%), postural hypotension (6%), palpitation (4%), tachycardia (4%; children 2%), chest pain (4%), edema (2%)

Central nervous system: Anxiety (9%), memory impairment (9%), twitching (7%), depression (5%), concentration impaired (5%), fever (4%), hypertonia (4%), abnormal dreaming (3%), agitation (3%), confusion (3%), migraine (3%), pain (3%), psychosomatic disorder (3%), speech disorder (3%), yawning (3%), aggressiveness (children 2%), chills (2%), depersonalization (2%), emotional lability (2%), irritability (2%), panic reaction (1%)

Dermatologic: Rash (8%), pruritus (6%), purpura (3%), dermatitis (2%), acne (2%), dry skin (2%), urticaria (1%)

Endocrine & metabolic: Amenorrhea (1%), breast enlargement (2%), breast pain (1%), hot flashes (5%), lactation (nonpuerperal) (4%)

Gastrointestinal: Taste disturbance (8%), vomiting (7%), flatulence (6%), tooth disorder (5%), dysphagia (2%), esophagitis (1%)

Genitourinary: UTI (2% to 6%), micturition frequency (5%), dysuria (2%), leucorrhea (2%), vaginitis (2%), urinary retention (2%)

Neuromuscular & skeletal: Paresthesia (9%), back pain (6%), arthralgia (3%), paresis (children 2%), weakness (1%)

Ocular: Lacrimation abnormal (3%), mydriasis (2%), conjunctivitis (1%)

Otic: Tinnitus (6%)

Respiratory: Sinusitis (6%), coughing (6%), bronchospasm (2%; children 7%), epistaxis (2%)

<1% (Limited to important or life-threatening): Accommodation abnormal, albuminuria, aneurysm, anticholinergic syndrome, aphasia, apraxia, arrhythmia, ataxia, atrial flutter, blepharitis, blood in stool, bradycardia, breast fibroadenosis, bronchitis, bundle branch block, cardiac arrest, cardiac failure, catalepsy, cellulitis, cerebral hemorrhage, cervical dysplasia, cheilitis, cholinergic syndrome, choreoathetosis, chromatopsia, chronic enteritis, coma, conjunctival hemorrhage, cyanosis, deafness, dehydration, delirium, delusion, diabetes mellitus, diplopia, dyskinesia, dysphonia, dystonia, EEG abnormal, encephalopathy, endometrial hyperplasia, endometriosis, epididymitis, erythematous rash, exophthalmos, extrapyramidal disorder, extrasystoles, gastric ulcer, generalized spasm, glaucoma, glycosuria, goiter, gynecomastia, hallucinations, heart block, hematuria, hemiparesis, hemoptysis, hepatitis, hostility, hyperacusis, hypercholesterolemia, hyper-/hypoesthesia, hyperglycemia, hyper-/hypokinesia, hyper-reflexia, hyper-/hypothyroidism, hyperuricemia, hyper-/hypoventilation, hypnagogic hallucination, hypokalemia, ideation, intestinal obstruction, irritable bowel syndrome, keratitis, laryngismus, leukemoid reaction, lupus erythematosus rash, lymphadenopathy, lymphoma-like disorder, maculopapular rash, manic reaction, marrow depression, myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, myopathy, myositis, neuralgia, neuropathy, oculogyric crisis, oculomotor nerve paralysis, oral/pharyngeal edema, ovarian cyst, paralytic ileus, paranoia, parosmia, peptic ulcer, peripheral ischemia, phobic disorder, photophobia, photosensitivity reaction, pneumonia, polyarteritis nodosa, premature ejaculation, psychosis, pyelonephritis, pyuria, rectal hemorrhage, renal calculus, renal cyst, schizophrenic reaction, scleritis, seizure, sensory disturbance, skin ulceration, strabismus, stupor, suicidal ideation, suicide, suicide attempt, thrombophlebitis, tongue ulceration, tooth caries, torticollis, urinary incontinence, uterine hemorrhage, uterine inflammation, vaginal hemorrhage, vasospasm, ventricular tachycardia, visual field defect, withdrawal syndrome

I use medical marijuana twice per day.  Once when I wake up before I take my morning walk and once before I go to bed.  I no longer use motrin or vicodin to treat my pain.   I can finally sleep without having to take trazodone or ambien.

Medical marijuana provides me with the relief I need to enjoy the day.    Yoga, walking and more time with my grandchildren once again!

My name is Greg and I am a medical marijuana patient.   I am 47 years old and a father of 2 teenage daughters.   I just lost my job and have no idea how I am going to continue to pay my mortgage and support my family.   For the past 3 months I have not been able to fall asleep without taking 4 drinks of alcohol or pop an ambien.   My health is deteriorating.

A friend of mine recently convinced me to try medical marijuana.  For the first time in months I fell asleep and woke up feeling rested.   I use cannabis indica 30 minutes prior to going to bed and sleeping 8 hours per night.

Medical marijuana is giving me my life back.

My name is Paul and I am a medical marijuana patient.  I am a 27 year old high school math teacher who was diagnosed with testicular cancer.  I am right in the middle of chemotherapy treatment and surviving because of marijuana.

I vaporize 3 times per day to relieve the nausea and improve my appetite.   Although my oncologist would not recommend marijuana to me personally, he sent me to a doctor who would.  I want to thank my local dispensary for being so compassionate.   I know it will only be time before I start teaching again.  I miss my students!

My name is Jennifer and I am a medical marijuana patient.   I am a 20 year old student in my junior year at UC Irvine and suffer from migraine headaches.   When I get a migraine I am completely debilitated.  I can not attend class or study for exams.

The medications my doctors at Kaiser prescribe do not work.   I no longer can tolerate vicodin and imitrex only works occasionally.

Since using medical marijuana two times per week I have reduced the frequency of my headaches considerably.  When I get headaches marijuana allows me to fall right asleep and I wake up feeling much better.   Medical marijuana has been a Godsend in my life.

I will graduate on time!

Medical marijuana is not what you think it is.   Everyday people making educated decisions to take control of their health.

Find out today if you qualify to use medical marijuana to improve the quality of your life. 877-721-0047 or visit www.MCSoCal.com and pre-qualify for free.

The main goal of using medical marijuana is to reduce your symptoms.  However, while doing so we also want you to NOT have to rely on the various medications your doctor will prescribe to reduce those same symptoms.    Here are the 5 areas that my patients see major relief from.

1. Insomnia:  Many cancer patients have a very difficult time sleeping because of pain, nausea and anxiety.    Without quality sleep your body can not get the rest and recovery it needs to deal with the stressors of dealing with cancer treatment.     Commonly their doctors will provide sleep aids such as ambien, lunesta or trazodone.      These medications, although very sedating, often leave my patients feeling completely “wiped out” the next day.   The often tell me they feel like zombies and would prefer not to take them at all.    In addition they have numerous other side effects.

Medical Marijuana is VERY sedating.  However, the advantage it seems to have over the commonly prescribed sleep aids is that is does not leave the patient feeling groggy in the morning and they wake up feeling very rested.   In most cases, one or two doses 30 minutes prior to going to bed does the trick.

2. Nausea, Vomiting and Lack of Appetite:  Any patient who has gone through chemotherapy will tell you about the horrors of continuously vomiting throughout the day and night.    It leaves them in a state where they are not only depleted (from electrolyte loss) but it also destroys their appetite at a time when they need to nourish their bodies.    Medications like zofran and phenergan are typically prescribed to combat these symptoms with limited success.   They too also have side effects that patients must deal with.

Medical marijuana has proven to reduce nausea and stimulate a patients appetite.   It is this area where I see patients getting the most benefit from marijuana.    Patients report a significant reduction in the amount of nausea.  They also tell me the finally feel like eating again.   Proper nutrition is critical to patients recovering and healing from cancer.   Without the vitamins, minerals and macronutrients that every cell needs to do its job it is much more difficult to be cured (which is the ultimate goal)

3. Chronic Pain:  Cancer patients experience pain for a number of reasons.   For some it is because the cancer has spread to their bones.  Other patients have extensive surgeries to remove the cancer and have post-operative pain.   For some, it is general aches from being in bed so much that they have chronic muscle spasms.   Regardless of the source, it is very debilitating and demoralizing.   I have seen patients placed on everything from opiates (oxycontin, fentanyl patch and morphine) to high dose NSAIDs (ibuprofen) to drugs like celexa (which are anti-depressants) to reduce pain.   The problem is that opiates are EXTREMELY constipating, nauseating and cause a myriad of other side effects (itching, depression).   Patient tell me the hate taking pain medication for this reason and many decide to “tough it out” versus having all those side effects.

There are numerous studies looking at medical marijuana and pain management.   In my experience cancer patients have been able to completely eliminate their need for any other pain medications when they medicate with marijuana.  In many cases, if there is not a total reduction in pain, patients state that they are less concerned or aware of the pain.

4.  Anxiety and Depression:   Cancer is a diagnoses that for ALL patients is very scary.   All of sudden you have to start considering your mortality, your family and your finances.  This can be overwhelming for many patients.   Who is going to provide for their family?   How are they going to pay all their bills?   Who is going to raise their children?   All of these are questions that patient who are diagnosed with cancer must confront.    Typically I see doctors prescribe drugs like xanax (alprazolam) and valium (diazepam) to reduce their symptoms of anxiety.   If patients get depressed there are put on drugs like lexapro.   All of these medications have significant side effects that when taken with all the other medications makes them feel flat and “zonked out”.

Medical marijuana can be very relaxing for patients.   Many patients tell me it helps them take their mind away from their illness and allows them to enjoy the day.   They report an elevation in their mood and spirits and feel great about not having to take these other drugs.

5. Anti-tumor properties:  There is a lot of research going on right now looking at the anti-tumor affects of marijuana.   Some studies have shown a reduction in tumor size from the marijuana itself.   Scientists are not yet able to say that cannabinoids can someday be curative for certain cancers but it seems that the research is pointing in that direction.   I want to be very clear that I am NOT saying that medical marijuana will cure your cancer.   However, I think it is important for you to understand that it will not make your cancer worse and if anything should work synergistically with chemo, radiation and surgery.

*For those patients who are concerned about having to smoke marijuana:   There are devices called vaporizers which allow you to inhale medical marijuana completely smoke free.   They have been studied at the UCSD Cannabis Research Center and do not contain any harmful carcinogens or carbon monoxide.  They are simple to use, ODORLESS and very affordable.  I will show you how to use them at the time of your visit.

Overall, the major benefit of using medical marijuana is that it replaces 5 or 6 medications that your oncologist would normally prescribe to help combat all these symptoms.   I have had patients tell me that marijuana “has been a Godsend” and that “they wouldn’t know what they would have done without it”.     I take care of patients from all walks of life and unanimously they tell me how grateful they are to be able to meet a doctor so open to discussing this treatment with them.

Lastly, let me leave you with this.  Many of you are wondering why your oncologist will not endorse, discuss or recommend using marijuana to use while treating your cancer.   Many of them are not allowed to as dictated by their hospital policy or insurance companies.  Others do not understand it enough to give you their opinion.   Lastly, some do not believe in it.

You may also be asking:  If marijuana is such a “Godsend”, why isn’t their more research?

There is good reason for pharmaceutical companies to lobby against legislation that would allow marijuana to be researched and prescribed by ALL doctors.   ONE PLANT CAN REPLACE 6 MEDICATIONS.   This represents a significant loss of revenue to the drug companies.  In addition, doctors get the majority of their research from studies pushed by the pharmaceutical companies themselves.     As a result, very few are willing to step outside the box and recommend medical marijuana instead.

If you are reading this and have been diagnosed or in the middle of cancer treatment, I encourage you to come in and speak with me about the benefits of using medical marijuana.   I will spend as much time as you need exlaining how the whole process works.  I will walk you through the different strains of medicine, show you how to use a vaporizer and even help you find professional dispensaries.

Lastly, I am a firm believer in the power or prayer and the mind to help your body heal itself.  I regularly pray with patients who are open to it and I find it lifts their spirits and makes their visit with me extra special.  All you have to do is ask!

Be blessed.

Prior to even understanding or coming to terms with my own faith, I never thought to ask my patients if they want prayer.   In addition, in all of my medical training I never witnessed any of my colleagues or teachers pray for or with their patients.   That was always the job of the Chaplain (in the military) or the pastor in the hospital.    Over the past 4 years as I have come to understand God and Jesus with much more clarity I have the confidence and passion to offer my patients prayer if that is something they are receptive to.

Asking a patient if they want prayer can be a difficult decision for doctors.   “What will my patients think of me?”  ”Will they be offended?”  ”Will they think it is inappropriate?”  ”What if they do not believe in God?”  ”Will they think I am a nut?”   All of these questions run through my head as patient come in and share their stories.

More and more lately I feel much more relaxed about asking my patients if they want me to pray with/for them.   The reason?   In almost every occasion, the patient is not only OK with it but truly welcomes it.     When patients face their own mortality they are forced to reflect on what comes after death.

If you are a doctor reading this I want to say this:   It is an unbelievable experience and a gift to be able to do this with your patients.   For starters, you can actually put your hands on them.   As physicians, we have forgotten how to touch our patients and see them as people.  We seem to go through our day very robotically and do everything in our power to avoid the conversation about death and dying.    The connection you will feel with your patient and their families through prayer is like no other.   They truly feel cared for and loved.  Even if you do nothing medically for them, they leave feeling amazing!   I have experienced this many times in the past 6 months.

I want to just acknowledge one 70 year old man who I took care of yesterday who was dying of pancreatic cancer.  He just had a whipple procedure but declined chemotherapy.  He was very thin, tired and his skin and eyes bright yellow from his liver shutting down.   He came in with his wife of 29 years who you could tell loved him VERY much.  They were an amazing couple.  He came in to my office visibly sad and just wanted to know that something would bring him some relief over the last few months of his life.   I told him, and believe with all my heart, that medical marijuana will significantly improve the quality of his life.  Less nausea, less pain, better sleep, better mood and possibly an appetite.

But it wasn’t the recommendation that made him leave with hope.   As we were finishing up, I told him that while I was examining him I prayed for him silently to myself.  I then asked him about his faith and if he believed in God and heaven and he said he did.   The discussion turned to the amazing sense of freedom and bliss that his death will bring to him as he goes to heaven.    His wife, incredibly sad, sat listening and dying her eyes with a tissue.

In the past I would have avoided the topic of death and said “we’ll see you next year and feel better.”  But we both knew that, barring a miracle, it was not going to happen.  This was goodbye for us.   So instead we used this moment to pray and reflect on what is to come.  It was amazing. His spirits were lifted.   I believe he left my office in a better place.    Prior to him leaving, we hugged and said goodbye.

Jim (not his real name), I am still thinking about you and your wife, how special a couple you are and about your story.   I pray that Jesus gives the peace to know of what is to come.   God bless.  Dr. Breen

In this blog I will summarize the most pertinent changes:

1) Patients will be allowed to join ONLY ONE collective (dispensary):

- Currently patients go from dispensary to dispensary to find the highest quality medicine and the most professional staff.   At each one, they are forced to become a member.    Most patients  join 3-4 collectives over a 12 month period to find one they feel the most comfortable at.

I think the new guidelines are a bad idea.   For one, there is no guarantee of the quality of medicine that a patient receives prior to joining a collective.   So a patient may join a collective only to realize their medicine is not effective.   In addition, a patient may realize over a few months that the level of professionalism is not what they expected.   Many collectives have much more professional staff than others.

The current system works in my opinion because it forces collectives to maintain very high standards as far as quality and variety of medicine and also their level of professionalism.   Take the pizza analogy in NYC.   If you are a pizza joint in NYC and have terrible pizza and an unfriendly staff, their customers can easily walk next door and get excellent service and great pizza.   This forces someone entering the pizza business to make the very best pizza and treat their customers right.

I can not tell you how many patients visit a collective and tell me that they would never go back because of the poor quality and lack of professionalism.   However they are forced to join right when they walk in the door.

Secondly, if a patient need medicine and happens to be in San Francisco when they normally get medicine in Long Beach they should be able to find a local collective and get medicine.   In my mind this should be treated as any other medicine.  If a patient has allergies and needs some allegra it shouldn’t matter if they buy it at CVS in San Diego or Savon in Oakland.  Treat it the same.

2. Collectives can only charge for medicine what the cost is to grow it.

A collective is a business no matter what the AG guidelines say.  It takes people who dedicate all of their time to run the business and that requires money.   I can not see how a collective can not charge more than the cost to grow it to cover all of its operating expenses.

In addition, collective are required to pay state sales tax, yet are not allowed to sell it. If it costs a collective $1500 to cultivate a pound of medicine, how can they sell it for $1500 and still pay state sales tax can cover all of its operating expenses?  The answer is that they can’t.

They should allow these collectives to operate for profit and let the market determine the prices for quality medicine.   This is how drug companies and pharmacies operate and thus collectives should follow the same business model.

3. Cultivators must be a member of ONE collective and can only provide medicine to one collective.  Actually it states that collectives must grow ALL of its medicine for its members.

Currently what is happening is most collectives do not have the means or capabilities to grow all its medicine for its members.    One, it takes large areas to grow that quantity of medicine.  How can a dispensary (collective) that is not allowed to profit run and operate warehouses?  They can’t.     Collectives would prefer to grow their own medicine because it is much cheaper than buying it wholesale from another source (which is what is currently being done).   Two, most patients (collective members) do not have the skill, time or financial resources to grow their own medicine.   I think the state has the impression that you plant a seed and give it some water every day and its like the chia-pet.  It takes  lot of skill to produce medicine free from molds and insects.

4. Cities can still make their own ordinances.

This NEEDS to happen.  In the current state of affairs, cities ban and collectives sue.  It is both a waste of city taxpayers dollars, manpower and time.  They need to do what Long Beach is doing which is setting an ordinance that makes sense.

Regardless, if you are considering opening a collective you need the advice of a solid attorney.  Do not go at this alone or you will pay dearly.

I recommend Anthony Curiale in Brea, CA.   He is handling the lawsuit against the cities of Anaheim and Costa Mesa and is super knowledgable.

The good news is that he is able to get some respite from his symptoms by using medical marijuana. He had been prescribed oxycontin 40mg and also takes 900 mg of neurontin daily. Neither of these medications provided significant relief and he was looking for an alternative treatment. By the time he came to see me he had been using medical marijuana for 2 years.

Behcet’s disease is an autoimmune disease where the bodies immune system attacks the blood vessels throughout the body. It is not specific to any area and can affect just about every organ system in the body. The hallmarks of the disease are painful oral and genital ulcers. The oral ulcers look exactly like canker sores that people typically get. They are extremely painful and really disrupt a patients quality of life. Patients commonly develop skin lesions that range from severe acne to erythema nodosum (painful large red areas on the shins typically). My patient developed severe acne with a lot of ulcerated lesions across his entire face and genital regions.

The reason my patient was using medical marijuana is that he also developed sever neuropathic pain in his arms and a general arthritic pain in his major joints (knees, hips). Bechet’s disease can affect both the musculature and joints.

Unfortunately there is no cure or great treatment for Behcet’s disease. Patients are given drugs that suppress the immune system. In my patients case he had been on high doses of prednisone for the past 6 months. This has caused a 60 pond weight gain and severely affected his mood. Per his mother he is a shell of the person he used to be and recently had to leave college to move back home with his parents for support. His diagnosis needs constant attention and the treatments are debilitating. In two weeks he starts Remicade infusions. This medication is a bi-weekly injection that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha (main immune mediator). Unfortunately the side effects are severe and patients run the risk of infections. They can also develop abdominal cramping, nausea and lack of appetite.

The good news is that Ryan (not real name) can find some relief by using medical marijuana. He typically vaporizes an indica kush strain and feels a significant reduction in his pain. It also helps him sleep and improves his mood. Overall it has been a great treatment for him. I am honored and feel blessed to be part of his healthcare team. His attitude was humbling and made me feel horrible for ever complaining about anything in my life. What he is going through is terrible. It is really sad but he is a warrior, has a great family and and attitude of gratitude (which is #1 when it come to healing).

“I AM DYING DOC”

When you take care of cancer patients, as doctors who recommend medical marijuana often do, it forces you to think of your own mortality.   But very rarely do you hear a patient say “I’m dying”.   Most have an attitude of “I am going to beat this”.    It is very humbling to know that your life is coming to an end.    Ron knows it and is preparing for the inevitable.

What was not surprising to me is that he was looking for a medical marijuana recommendation.  He has been using it all his life but for the last two years “it is the only thing that gives me any relief”.   It reduces his nausea, improves his appetite, helps him sleep, reduces the pain, improves his mood and reduces anxiety.    If I am keeping score that is ONE PLANT taking the place of 5 drugs: Phenergan, Ambien, Vicodin, Zoloft, Xanax.    This is why medical marijuana is so effective.  Not only does it work, but it reduces health care costs and prevents thousands of unwanted side effects for patients from taking these 5 drugs.

Ron, for the first time in his life, can legally walk into a dispensary and use medical marijuana without feeling like a criminal.   He went from being a potential criminal (per california law) to a patient with one office visit.  He was definitely happy.

My visit ended and after speaking to Ron about his life I said “I’ll see you back next year.”  His response “I don’t think so.  I think God has better plans for me and I am going to thank Him.”   And off he went.

Ron, it was a pleasure meeting you today.  When I got home I gave my wife and 8 month old son a big hug and lived in the moment as you have seemed to learn how to do.   I wish you the best and will pray for a miracle.   If not, then I’ll see you on the other side my friend.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

I am often asked by patients how marijuana affects the body.    Today I had a patient ask me if it can decrease secretion of growth hormone.   The short answer is that we do not know for sure.   There have not been many human studies looking at how marijuana affects HGH.    However, there have been studies in animals to include mice (poor mice).

Before I discuss the results of some animal studies I will give you a quick (barney style) explanation of how growth hormone is secreted.    There is an area of the brain called the hypothalamus.   It is triggered  (by many things) to release something called Growth Hormone Secreting Hormone (GHRH).  The hypothalamus is located just on top of an area of the brain known as the pituitary gland.   When the hypothalamus releases GHRH, it travels to the anterior pituitary to trigger it to release Growth Hormone (HGH).   Growth hormone then is secreted into the blood stream where it ultimately causes the release of IGF-1 which signals the cells to do their thing.

The hypothalamus also secretes a chemical called somatostatin (SS). When it releases somatostatin it travels to the pituitary which inhibits or stops the release of growth hormone into the blood.   (THIS IS A BASIC AS I CAN EXPLAIN IT)

CANNABINOIDS INCREASE THE SECRETION OF SOMATOSTATIN

In animal studies, d9-THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) caused the release of somatostatin from the hypothalamus which in turn LOWERED growth hormone levels by inhibiting its release from the anterior pituitary gland.   These effects however wore off over time with chronic use as they believed the CB1 receptors (cannabinoid binding sites) in the hypothalamus became less responsive to the affects of cannabinoids.

In conclusion, we do not know ultimately how chronically using medical marijuana will affect human growth hormone levels.  In animal models it showed an acute decrease in levels but it has not been studied significantly in humans.

To read more about the affects of cannabis on the endocrine system see the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2002;42:90s-96s

I guess my question is this.   If this the face that we want to put on the medical marijuana industry?  Hot kush girls, smoking patios, and photos of fast food wrappers after a session of the munchies (see their facebook page).

This is exactly why the community does not take medical marijuana seriously.     I am assuming that there were doctors who set up booths and issued recommendations which allowed those patients went outside to get high on the smoke patio.   This is what they have done in the past.

It is because of this image that dispensaries are struggling to survive as cities, one by one, ban or shut them down.    A perfect example is the city of Costa Mesa.   In early April I presented, along with 5 other professionals, information on why medical marijuana is a necessity in our community and why regulating it would be their best approach to a legitimate industry.   Their main concern was the fact that 75% of the graduating high school class has medical marijuana cards and parents are finding their children partying and getting high and NOT using it as medicine.    How can you argue with them?

There are too many legitimate medical marijuana patients too have this blow up because of recreational marketing.    Look how it is presented to the community:  Kush Expo, “High Times”, “West Coast Leaf” , Snoop Dog on the cover of 420 Times.   No wonder no one wants it in their back yard.

The reality in my practice is that I see mostly women in their 50-70′s who are benefiting from cannabis incredibly.   There are so many patients that are legitimately using this as it was intended that I can not believe more is not being done to get THIS demographic out there.

Your thoughts?