Medical Cannabis Awareness
A 'Fair go' for all
DR. LEVEQUE'S VIEW ON MEDICAL CANNABIS
Dr. Phillip Leveque was an infantryman who saw action in WW2, a physician, a toxicologist and a nutritional biochemist. For twenty-two years, Leveque worked as a medical school professor teaching biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology.
He is one of the most outspoken proponents of medical cannabis and has seen first hand how it has, and can, help his patients.
He was instrumental in the initial changing of Oregon law that allowed medical the use of Medical Marijuana in the first place.
_________________________
Cannabis medicines were at one time the “drugs of choice” in the United States, until they were declared illegal. They had been used for 100 specific medical problems through the use of about 30 prescription medicines. (MOLALLA, Ore.) - When I was ordered before the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners, the first question I was asked by Dr. Spokas, the chairman, from Ontario, Oregon, was “Dr. Leveque don’t you know that cannabis is very addicting and very dangerous?” Frankly, I didn’t know or believe this and all of my experience with fifty years study and 4000 patients told me this was totally false, but when one is facing a “Spanish inquisition” with psychological “thumb screws” or “hanging”, I decided to answer “maybe for some people”. I didn’t believe a word of it. I didn’t dare ask where he got his information but I assumed it came from the U.S. government, which has produced false propaganda for 70 plus years.
Cannabis is less addictive and less dangerous than Starbuck’s espresso.
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Law allows the use of Cannabis for Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s rage, Glaucoma, chronic pain, chronic nausea, chronic spasms, Multiple Sclerosis and seizures. As a retired Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, I accepted this with a grain of salt but when I started seeing patients, I was astonished and pleased that indeed the above conditions were “miraculously” alleviated by the use of medical cannabis.
I was further astonished when I was told by the patients “cannabis is much better than any prescription I have been given". Further questioning of patients indicated it was better that the morphine-like painkillers, such as Oxycontin, Percodan or Demerol. It was also better than the Valium-like tranquilizers, such as Xanax, and Ambien, etc. and even the anti-depressants, such as Elavil, Trazadone, etc. and the really heavy anti-depressants, such as Prozac, Zoloft, etc.
Another, almost strange, report was that it was preferred to Aspirin and Tylenol, etc. because it worked faster with no stomach or liver damage. For a retired Professor of Pharmacology, the patient’s reports were really a “blockbuster”.
The biggest surprise came really quickly by Viet Nam veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
They had been given every kind of medication, which gave minimal, if any, relief and many suffers simply turned to alcohol stupefaction to blot out PTSD battle stress. The latter had become a tragedy for many as they had discovered in Viet Nam the cannabis was an excellent tranquilizer, better than any standard such drug or alcohol.
Literature review for current Cannabis Therapy led me to “O’Shaughnessy, The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice”, a newspaper-like magazine published by a group of California Cannabis Specialists, which are providing the cutting edge for information on the subject.
California is the leading Cannabis state with about 300,000 legal medical cannabis patients. I am not / was not surprised to see that the reports of the fifteen doctors in the journal correspond with my own experiences. In fact, It seems like Cannabis could be / should be the first choice drug rather than the last.
Dr. Ethan Russo, M.D. - History of Cannabis use
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzRIZbzRyzE
Various drug studies including the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission in 1893.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6irgxIRJ-Qg Pt .1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2bbRK82vvE&feature=related Pt. 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-sqT9m57oo&feature=related Pt .3
Study of 4 patients by Dr. Russo and other interesting data from this study.