Medical
Marijuana Informational Articles
Medical Marijuana Informational Articles For more information or to set a
medical marijuana doctor appointment with a physician in Colorado then call or
email one of our highly trained and highly motivated representatives today!
(303) 398-7037 - generalmail@cmedsassoc.com
Gardening Conditions Affect Cannabis Yields If not armed with the proper
botanical knowledge, Colorado medical marijuana growers could face some tough
problems simply keeping the plant alive. Although considered by some to be a
weed, growers are finding that it is increasingly difficult to produce quality
medicine.
The
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) field data has a solid scientific basis,
but does not reflect the real problems faced by patients or caregivers in
growing and maintaining quality medical-grade cannabis. A garden maintained at a
NIDA research facility in Mississippi proved that cannabis grown in full
sunlight with fertile, loose, and well drained soil proved to be ideal as far as
growing conditions were concerned.
Medical marijuana patients and caregivers in Colorado, however, are not always
able to maintain these same conditions, and often their gardens are partially
shaded and rely on clay-like soils of uncertain pH and quality. Another factor
self growers face is learning from books and internet research. This method may
provide self growers with a minimal amount of basic growing knowledge, but can
cause self growers to overlook serious problems until too late, such as pollen
problems, garden pests and proper soil nutrients.
With these marijuana growing problems in mind, patients and medical marijuana
caregivers in Colorado may be forced to grow more than the required amount per
year in order to compensate against crop failure. Despite the problems growers
face, being armed with the proper knowledge can easily remedy most growing
condition hazards and provide patients and caregivers with a high-grade medical
quality crop.
The
Benefits of Indoor Growing Versus Outdoor Growing for medical marijuana in
Colorado While some may argue that one method is superior to the other, Colorado
medical marijuana growers are proving that both methods are tending to average
about the same yields. Outdoor plants may tend to yield more buds at one harvest
per year, due to the fact that outdoor plants tend to mature together.
Indoor plants, on the other hand, offer multiple harvests but yield less buds.
The outdoor marijuana planting season in Colorado generally lasts from late
March to early October and with the wider space allowed, plants tend to be
larger in size and are able to spread out more. Indoor plants are generally
grown in smaller areas such as one or two average size rooms under electric
lamps and fans with basic garden supplies.
Although the typical harvest for an indoor marijuana crop is around three per
year, the yield, due to the smaller bud amount, is about the same as an outdoor
marijuana crop. For outdoor growers, the best way to determine canopy size is to
wait until August when bud levels are at their highest, weed out all the male
plants and estimate canopy size from there. For indoor gardens, growing
conditions are different.
Plants must be separated between vegetative and flowering areas and with its
sensitivity to light, barriers are extremely important to keep only a portion of
the garden budding at one time, and will protect the Colorado medical marijuana
patient or caregiver from having more budding plants than the legally determined
amount at any given time.
Medicinal Uses of the Cannabis Plant Growing Each Year What may have started out
as simple relief from chronic pain through the use of medical marijuana in
Colorado, for example, has since morphed into a symptom reliever for a wide
variety of illnesses and conditions. The use of medical cannabis has been
determined by researchers to be an extremely safe physical way to relieve pain
that otherwise patients could find no relief for. Although smoking marijuana for
medical use does not cause cancer, patients who suffer from conditions such as
lung cancer or emphysema, or those with different preferences may choose other
forms of medical marijuana ingestion such as capsules or using it for cooking.
Patients who choose to inhale the smoke will find that the smoke relaxes and
dilates the bronchial tubes and dries out the mucus membranes and nasal
passages, and while the immediate effects are strong, they tend to wear off more
quickly. Those who choose to ingest the plant in a different form will find that
although the immediate effects are less powerful, the results last over a longer
period of time. Medical marijuana use has also become a staple in fighting the
chronic symptoms of such diseases as cancer, AIDS, HIV and chronic wasting
syndrome, and reduces pain from extended chemotherapy.
Multiple Sclerosis is another serious disease that cannabis use has shown to
slow by helping to improve movement, reducing or stopping pain and relieving
depression. Other problems that medical marijuana is now being used for include
treatment for glaucoma, migraines, digestive disorders and improving
cardiovascular responses by cooling extremities, lowering blood pressure, and
dilating blood vessels throughout the circulatory system. With proper, regulated
use, patients can find relief from a wide variety of chronic and often quite
painful symptoms. Benefits of Smoked Versus Eaten Cannabis When determining
which method will work better, Colorado medical marijuana users should consider
the effects they are most trying to accomplish and the level of potency they
require. While some acute and terminal patients may require less usage per year,
Chronic pain patients tend to lean toward larger amounts, and some conditions
such as glaucoma and MS may potentially require continuous use in order to
prevent attacks and reap any benefits.
Some of these conditions require daily or multiple-daily doses. Those who are in
immediate severe pain may lean toward smoking marijuana in order to obtain
immediate relief, and effects will generally last around four hours. For those
whose conditions require less use, eating the cannabis will provide a longer
lasting effect, generally lasting around six hours or so, while potency will be
significantly less than if the product is smoked.
Eating also required three to five times the required smoked dosage amount,
meaning a patient who requires one smoked pound per year will now require four
pounds per year if eating it. The benefit to eating marijuana for some patients
may be to help with sleep, where smoking would be impossible or impractical.
However, for those choosing to cook with the product, there may be a learning
curve to recipes due to product spoilage. Since most all patients are required
to stockpile their supply for future use, choosing the proper method of
ingestion may lessen the amount of wasted product used in experimentation.
Understanding Cannabis Yields and Dosages Colorado medical marijuana doctors and
users know there is more to medical marijuana than just simply using the drug.
Understanding the proper amount of plants to be grown and how much the dried
product will yield is important as well. First, only the female plants can be
used. Once the female plants bud, the male plants are removed from the harvest
to prevent further pollination. As the remaining buds mature, the female plants
are harvested and dried. Once cut, female plants will lose approximately 75% of
their fresh weight in the drying process.
According to federal Cannabis Yields studies, only about 7% of the freshly cut
mature plant weight actually becomes dried, manicured medical-grade marijuana
bud. About half of the dried plant is stem, and only about a quarter to 28% is
the remaining herb, which is cured and manicured into medical-grade bud. The bud
portions of the plant have a coating of resin glands that contain cannabinoids
which are the active compounds. Once the product is dried, cut and manicured,
there are several ways in which patients can ingest the medical properties of
the plant.
Most common is smoked or vaporized. Following this is oral ingestion – either
cooking or eating medical marijuana, in pill form, next is topical use such as
creams, salves and tinctures, and last is a pending means of ingestion,
including cannabinoid inhalers which are currently unavailable in the U.S.
Because of strict state rules for medical cannabis users, growers must be
careful to keep the number of plants as well as prepared product well within the
current guidelines for the patient’s medical needs. Explanation of Cannabis
Effects on the Body Colorado medical marijuana doctors will agree that not all
forms of cannabis have the same effect on a patient. Although one form may work
well for one type of symptom, it may not have the same or as powerful an effect
on other symptoms. However, basic medical marijuana use has the same overall
effect on the human body, which is why doctors recommend the plant in Colorado
for symptom relief. A summary of the effects include stimulating special
receptor sites in the brain that affect body systems, providing a stimulant
effect, then followed by relaxation and overall reduction in stress.
Colorado medical marijuana physicians say this can help to block migraines or
seizures and control symptoms of MS, spinal injury or epilepsy. Generally, the
drug may cause drowsiness, distraction, paranoia or anxiety. Use of the drug
reddens and dehydrates eyes, lowing intra-ocular pressure, dehydrates the mouth,
stimulating appetite, and stills ringing in the ears. If smoked or vaporized,
medical marijuana has an anti-phlegmatic and expectorant effect on the throat
and lungs, but can also irritate the mouth, throat and respiratory system.
Heart rate can be expected to increase, while bronchia, alveoli and blood
vessels dilate. Some patients use the drug for calming the stomach, reducing
nausea and vomiting and combating side effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
Cannabis has an anti-inflammatory effect on joints, helping to reduce extreme
pain from arthritis or other rheumatism when taken orally or applied topically,
and can reduce muscle cramps, spasms and convulsions. The general effects of the
plant make medical marijuana use an effective and safe treatment for most
patients. Overview of federal and Colorado Medical Marijuana Laws More and more
Denver medical marijuana physicians are stepping up to support the use of
medical marijuana for treatment of health symptoms associated with various
diseases and chronic conditions. As support grows in the medical community,
understanding the state and federal laws associated with marijuana use,
production and medical marijuana dispensaries have become more important as
well. There are 13 states in the U.S. that currently provide legal protection
for seriously ill patients whose doctors recommend medical marijuana use. Those
states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Main, Michigan, Montana,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont. Most of these
states issue a medical marijuana ID card to patients who provide a doctor’s
recommendation to a state or county agency.
According to recent data, no state with a medical marijuana law has experienced
a statistically significant increase in youth marijuana use and has in fact
reported overall decreases. Federal laws do not prevent states from removing
state criminal penalties for the medical marijuana dispensing, cultivation or
use. Currently there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution or federal laws that
prohibit states from enacting penalties that differ from federal laws. Federal
laws still enable the federal government to prosecute medical marijuana growers
and patients but they seem to be resisting doing so, due to the fact that
medical marijuana use is still illegal under current federal laws. One positive
is that a federal appellate court ruled that the federal government cannot
punish or even investigate physicians who discuss or recommend medical marijuana
use with patients.
Medical marijuana cannot be prescribed, however. It can simply be recommended by
the physician. Call a representative from Colorado Medical marijuana for more
information.
303-398-7000. Sativex Still Currently
Unavailable for Colorado Medical Marijuana Card Holders For any Colorado medical
marijuana patient who would like to move from smoking or ingesting the plant to
using it in a more convenient way, the use of Sativex could easily fill their
need. Sativex was developed by a British company, GW Pharmaceuticals, and is a
liquid form of marijuana that is sprayed into the mouth. It is made from the
buds of marijuana plants bred for specific levels of various active compounds
and is quite similar to various marijuana-based tinctures and extracts that were
legally available in the U.S. until 1937. Sativex is not the same as Marinol,
which is a synthetic version of THC. Sativex contains THC and other cannabinoids,
as well as other compounds from the plant itself. Through its careful makeup
Sativex will allow patients to adjust their dose as needed to obtain relief
without intoxication. Sativex, while providing many of the same benefits as
basic medical marijuana use, is still currently banned in the United States. The
federal government has given no indication of reversing this decision, and any
proposals to build research facilities in the U.S. have been refused. Although
Sativex can be purchased in Canada and Great Britain, the U.S. has classified
marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug under federal law, so patients are not allowed to
bring the drug into the country. Doing so could result in a fine and up to five
years in federal prison. Approval of any research or testing to allow Sativex in
the U.S. will most likely be years away or possibly may never occur.
