Pubdate: Thu, 07 Apr 2011
Source: Ventura County Reporter (CA)
Copyright: 2011 Southland Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.vcreporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2952
Author: Shane Cohn

LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA CO-OP CLOSES LOOPHOLE

Area Patients Find Quality Products Thanks To Nonprofit

Herbs, vegetables, medical marijuana, Ojai!

While there certainly isn't a yellow brick road laid out for medical 
marijuana consumers in California, the road to pharmaceutical 
alternatives for ailments is broadening. Though Santa Barbara and Los 
Angeles Counties have marijuana dispensaries, Ventura County has yet 
to give in. But a thriving closed-loop cooperative in Ojai is 
ensuring its members have access to organic medicines.

Shangri La Care Cooperative Inc., labeled as an agriculture and 
horticulture private social club, is a members-only cooperative that 
mentors and teaches members about growing marijuana, organic herbs 
and vegetables. By way of Shangri La, members have access to one 
another's crops, depending on their medical needs.

"Some members don't have the technical skills to grow their own," 
explained Jeff Kroll, who operates Shangri La. "So this is members 
helping members. We find out what the medical needs are of our 
members, and then other members come forward and help."

The nonprofit, private cooperative has been operating slightly more 
than a year and periodically opens membership registration for a fee 
of $300 per person, along with a medical recommendation in tow. The 
fee entitles members to Shangri La's legal services, group health 
insurance policy and one share of the cooperative. Because it's a 
private organization, Kroll wouldn't state how many members belong to 
Shangri La. But he confirmed that for every 10 members that join, the 
cooperative voted to waive the registration fee for a prospective 
member in hospice or financial straits.

"We only allow as many (members) as we can support," said Kroll.

What sets Shangri La apart from many other cooperatives, or 
collectives, said Kroll, is the science involved. The contents of the 
marijuana circulated by Shangri La members is lab tested weekly by 
BudGenius, with the results then posted to the BudGenius website 
(www.budgenius.com). Lab technicians in the BudGenius laboratory in 
Los Angeles use Hewlett-Packard machines fueled by gas chromatography 
to identify the active cannabinoids, rating the percentages of the 
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and the CBDs (cannabidiol) and CBNs 
(cannabinol), which studies have shown provide the medical benefits 
of marijuana. The tests also produce an effects analysis, rating the 
marijuana strain's ability to reduce pain, nausea and anxiety, and 
stimulate appetite and sleep. The lab also tests for molds and pesticides.

"Our big thing here is that we can provide the data, but we also 
bring in the whole social network of it, involving the patients," 
said BudGenius CEO John Montgomery.

Shangri La, explained Kroll, takes a member's medical recommendation 
and works with the member to obtain a strain that best suits his or 
her medical needs.

"A person may not want the 'high' feeling and can find a strain with 
very low THC," Kroll explained.

When Wayne L., 69, was stricken with glaucoma, his doctor recommended 
he try medical marijuana to relieve the pressure in his eyes. He 
joined Shangri La and began growing his own medicine and testing 
strains from the cooperative, instead of relying on the 
pharmaceutical industry, which he said couldn't care less about his vision.

"What I am doing to determine what strain works best for me is going 
to the optometrist to check my eye pressure, and that will be the 
baseline," he said. "I will try specific strains provided by the 
co-op and have the pressure tested afterwards, then try another 
strain, step-by-step, to see what strain is working best."

Last month, the National Cancer Institute became the first federal 
agency to formally recognize the cancer-fighting properties of 
marijuana's active ingredients, stating, "In the practice of 
integrative oncology, the health care provider may recommend 
medicinal cannabis not only for symptom management but also for its 
possible direct anti-tumor effect."

Soon after publishing the statement, the NCI removed the language 
about anti-tumor effects but still suggested positive benefits for 
cancer patients.

For more information about Shangri La Care, call 640-6464 or e-mail  ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart