No, I was not dreaming about Simon and Garfunkel. In fact I was not dreaming; I had a “vision”. All the religious leaders throughout history are in a sort of corporate version of Hell. There is the usual fire and brimstone, but in addition, there are corridors with many offices.

In the offices, all the heads of major corporations are working away and frequently conversing with the religious heads. The religions are making up new rules regarding sinning and sinners; their primary purpose being to scare human beings who fell from the Garden of Eden. This of course is everyone.

So, the religious side of corporate Hell comes up with the rules and regulations regarding suppressing all human desires. This causes sublimation of these drives which in turn leads to the purchase of merchandise no one really needs. This makes the business side of Hell very happy as profits are up. So, they are more than happy to give free land and other financial incentives to their religious brothers and sisters.

And so it goes on and on and on. As silly as this story is, it does make you wonder??

By Bill Leahy

Governors of 35 states have already filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them.  It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.

This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.

An idea whose time has come!

For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress.  Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for  sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest was to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform … in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn’t seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law.

I truly don’t care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.

A Constitutional Convention – this is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.  And, with the advent of modern communication, the process can be moved along with incredible speed.  There is talk out there that the “government” doesn’t care what the people think.  That is irrelevant.  It is incumbent on the population to address elected officials to the wrongs afflicted against the populace…you and me.  Think about this…
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified!  Why?  Simple!  The people demanded it.  That was in 1971…before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…all because of public pressure.

I’m asking each addressee to forward this Email to a minimum of twenty people on their Address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that  really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States “

You are one of my 20+.

Keep it going.

As I have spoken about many times, testing of our medications is critical. We have been stymied in the past due to laboratories being afraid to touch the “stuff”. Well, that is changing, although it is not all “changed”.

For certain, it is safe and legal for GreenBridge Medical Laboratories to receive specimens and run basic pesticide and herbicide testing. This testing is now a requirement by the Los Angeles Medical Cannabis Ordinance.

Ultimately we plan on adding equipment that will allow full testing of cannabinoids, terpenes, etc, but there are some potential legal issues with that one. This is a baby step in some ways, but to have a Medical Cannabis Lab as part of GreenBridge Medical fulfills one of several dreams.

Stay tuned as we begin to open in coming weeks.

When I see a patient who abuses Methamphetamine’s, I feel good about giving them a recommendation in an effort to practice “Harm Reduction”. This form of treatment is growing in favor and is even now accepted by many substance abuse specialists.

So, why would AA be so against allowing medical cannabis? I would personally insist upon it being “Medical” Cannabis at the start to try keep the lid on the entire concept blowing up. However, allowing “recreational” users at the meetings would just be too much a political challenge.

Anyway, why not try having some more medical cannabis friendly AA meetings? What do you guys think?

Would there be any interest in having GreenBridge Medical host such a meeting? Perhaps one or more substance abuse specialists might join us?

I volunteer my office and my time. Anyone interested?

You must check out this link:  Cheeseburger, Fries and Lipitor Please.

I was listening to the news, couldn’t believe what I was hearing and then looked up this article. I realize this is not my usual blog style, but this story is much bigger than it seems at first glance.

So, the idea that these researchers have in England is to hand out a cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor, with every fatty meal. They claim that the risks of liver disease and muscle problems will not outweigh the risks of eating fat. So, we are being told that rational people are allowing fast food workers the right to dispense medication.

1. This is the most sickening form of advertising I have ever seen as this must be the intention. Go ahead and eat all the burgers which are bad for you and we admit it, but also take this drug which may not be as bad.

2. Just take the drug, as your fast food guy knows best. He/she is the new primary care doctors we have been looking for.

3. No follow-up? Can’t we setup a little lab next to the bathrooms at McDonalds? Free liver profile with every Over-sized meal?

4. Think of a sign at McD, “Take drugs with our food and you will live another day to buy more food and drugs”

5. I could go on and on, but I am not yet to the point where I want to trash pharmaceuticals, but please, as a board certified physician, I am not safe to recommend cannabis, but these kids can distribute “free” drugs?  Next the drugs will be INSIDE the food and we won’t even know how well we are being taken care of.

How about some healthier food and a free joint?

YUCK!!

Dr. Allan Frankel needs your help.

For years, Dr. Allan Frankel and GreenBridge Medical in Marina del Rey have been there to provide qualified patients with the Letter of Recommendation needed under Prop 215 to allow safe access to the cannabis products needed to treat ailments and medical conditions.

Now, in an outrageous affront to the voters of California, the California Medical Board is seeking to revoke Dr. Frankel’s license to practice medicine based upon the absurd allegation that Dr. Frankel is not qualified to safely practice medicine because he, also, is a patient who uses cannabis for his own medical condition.

We are fighting the Medical Board’s attempt to revoke Dr. Frankel’s license to practice medicine and, thus, to prevent him from providing the needed recommendations for his patient’s medical cannabis but this battle is costing more in legal expenses than any doctor can afford.

Your donation will help assure that the many patients who use cannabis to treat their serious medical conditions can continue to obtain safe and legal access to their needed medication from a leader in the medical cannabis world.

Dr. Frankel is only one of a number of well-respected physicians who have been persecuted by the California Medical Board so contributing to his legal defense fund will help not only Dr. Frankel but the many other doctors and patients who are being victimized by the improper war on medicinal cannabis now being waged by the California Medical Board.

Please help us win this battle so that the Medical Board will have to think twice about its persecution of other doctors who are willing to risk their medical licenses in order to provide safe access to cannabis for their patients.

Thank you in advance for your generous contribution at http://www.greenbridgemed.com/legal-fund

Proposition 19 or “Tax and Regulate”, is not really true legalization of cannabis. To me, “real” legalization means that it is treated the same as alcohol. It would mean that it was readily available. It would mean that as a physician, I could openly do clinical trials at GreenBridge. It would mean that I could open a lab and run as many tests as I wanted on as many strains as needed. I would be able to legally do genetic testing, analytic testing and correlating this data with the associated clinical conditions.

With Prop 19, none of these will be the case. So, this ballot initiative is just a step. Nonetheless it means a lot. It means that nobody is ever arrested. It means, our jails will begin to empty and it means anybody can grow at home in a 25 sq ft area. That will take care of most people’s needs.

With regard to Medical Cannabis, if the physician visit offers nothing more than a signed Recommendation Letter, they will in fact go away. We never needed, and will never need physicians to supervise recreational use of cannabis. We all know it is silly and to me, Prop 19′s other significant contribution is formally setting a boundary, even if vague and gray, between medical and recreational use of cannabis.

As I have said before, if my blood pressure medication made me feel better and more social, I very well might take it at breakfast with friends and share the good feelings. Would that make my blood pressure pill a recreational medication? Of course not.

I am sure many of you are beginning to hear about CBD (Cannabidiol). It is one of approximately 70 Cannabinoids, the most famous being THC. CBD is an amazing compound and I will have many future blogs about the non-psychoactive properties of CBD, but also how it can and will be used to treat chronic pain, anxiety and other mood disorders, as well as being a neuro-protectant and a very help anti-cancer drug.  For today, let’s talk about CBD’s value in treating chronic pain.

CBD works against pain primarily in the peripheral nervous system. It does not work like typical pain meds by effecting the central nervous system; it works at the neuro-synapse.  When we sustain injuries, often the pain is acute and disappears completely. Other times we have persistent or intermittent pain, but it is still not that big of a deal. However, with many disorders the pain is either part of the underlying problem itself (Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Disease, etc ) or the pain becomes a syndrome of it’s own. In other words, the pain takes on a life of it’s own and is now crippling the patient. A certain level of pain is of course protective, but we all know the difference.

In a recent Scientific American article, chronic pain and CBD are discussed in a very creative way that fits with my clinical experience. When an injury takes place, increased Glial cell production forms around the neuro junctions. These Glial cells produce Cytokines which are chemical transmitters spreading inflammation and signaling pain. When a molecule of CBD binds to the Glial cell, the cytokine production decreases and the patient feels a marked decrease in pain. This would also explain why some patients have pain relief that lasts way beyond the theoretical effect of the CBD.

I suppose we are all just a bit low on CBD; but there is a cure.