Pubdate: Mon, 27 Aug 2012
Source: Monterey County Herald (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Monterey County Herald
Contact:  http://www.montereyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/273
Author: Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate
Note: Liza Horvath has over 30 years experience in the estate 
planning and trust fields and is the president of Monterey Trust 
Management, a financial and trust management company.

A LITTLE POT AND LESS PAIN

Florence Siegel knows how to relax. A glass of wine, classical music 
- - preferably Bach - and a toke off her pipe.

At 88 years old, Siegel suffers from arthritis in her back and legs 
and is one of many seniors who have turned to marijuana for pain 
relief. As a bonus, Siegel says, the pot has helped her sleep better 
than the pills her doctor had previously prescribed.

Since 1996, 16 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical 
marijuana. Senate Bill 420, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, 
"prohibits any physician from being punished, or denied any right or 
privilege, for having recommended marijuana to a patient for medical purposes."

The Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Santa Cruz is a 
collective that provides organic medical marijuana to seriously ill 
patients upon a doctor's recommendation. Valerie Corral, co-founder 
and director of the organization, says, "State law provides that it 
is not illegal for patients to grow marijuana plants for their own 
personal use so long as they have a doctor's recommendation."

Be advised, however, that cities, counties and communities differ in 
restrictions around the use and cultivation of cannabis and their 
interpretation of SB 420. Also, because pot is against federal law, 
nursing homes and other senior care facilities that receive federal 
funds are forbidden by law to allow cannabis on their premises.

Most seniors today grew up in the "Reefer Madness" era, but the baby 
boomer generation does not generally share the same sentiment. 
According to NBCNews.com, "pot use among seniors goes up as boomers 
age." The use of pot is growing the fastest among the boomer 
generation - and the drug never held the stigma it did for the 
previous generation.

While the medical and legal landscape surrounding medical cannabis 
continues to change, a growing number of physicians and patients 
report that the drug helps alleviate pain, quell nausea, promote 
sound sleep, ease the side effects of chemotherapy, reduce 
inflammation, and slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's 
disease, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Many patients are 
replacing pharmaceutical drugs with marijuana.

Times are changing and smoking pot or eating pot-laced brownies is no 
longer the only way to get your "medicine." A specialized vaporizer 
can deliver a smokeless dose that also eliminates toxins so only the 
active ingredients of cannabis are inhaled. A supporting study 
conducted by UC San Francisco showed that ill patients could take 
lower amounts of sustained release morphine or oxycodone along with 
vaporized cannabis and experience more chronic pain relief than with 
standard doses of opiates alone.

As with anything, check with your doctor and make your own choices. 
Marijuana affects people differently and, because it can cause 
dizziness, it may be dangerous to those who already suffer from 
instability or challenges in balance.

Given the rising number of pot users, the quote that has been 
variously attributed to Timothy Leary, Robin Williams or Grace Slick, 
"If you remember the '60s, you weren't there," could be changed to 
include a comment about the growing number of seniors and aging baby 
boomers who may have just as much trouble remembering the next couple 
of decades.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom