August 11, 2013

Last month I told you about the alarming number of women in this country dying due to accidental prescription drug overdoses.  About a week later I was watching Katie Couric’s daytime talk show when her guest was Cheryl Shuman, the 53-year-old founder of the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club and self-proclaimed “Martha Stewart of Marijuana.” Shuman began using medical marijuana after becoming frustrated with the prozac and xanax her therapist prescribed for the treatment of severe depression. Shuman was so pleased with how she felt after taking 2 hits on a joint (her therapist rolled for her) that she began growing and selling her own cannabis.  Shuman even credits her recovery from cervical cancer to her medical marijuana treatment.  Shuman doesn’t smoke cannabis, she vaporizes it, cooks with it, drinks cannabis juice on a daily basis and teaches Beverly Hills Cannabis Club members to do the same to cure what ails them. They’re also using cannabis cream, lotion and ointment topically to target specific nerve cells.  Shuman does stress that cannabis should only be used by responsible adults and does not endorse the use of cannabis by the young or those with addiction issues while also making the claim that cannabis is safer than aspirin. Now I need to tell you that Shuman is a PR expert and currently in development for a reality TV series based on her life and cannabusiness.  The natural conclusion you might come to is that she is just taking advantage of California law and desperate people.

But what would you think if I told you that highly respected neurosurgeon and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent (reportedly a one-time Obama candidate for Surgeon General of the United States) Dr. Sanjay Gupta has come out publicly in favor of medical marijuana? Dr. Gupta believes that marijuana has been “demonized” and that marijuana used for medical purposes is less addictive than many other drugs now being prescribed.  In fact, a majority of doctors say they would prescribe medical marijuana if it were legal but that they have some concerns regarding the quality of the cannabis, problems with dosing and potential side effects. Like it or not, marijuana is becoming more mainstream everyday. Fifty –two percent of Americans polled believe marijuana should be legal.  The newest “mother’s little helper” is currently legal in 18 states and the District of Columbia and compassionate care acts are the topic of debate in many state legislatures.  Medical marijuana is predicted to be a 47 billion dollar business by 2016.

Honestly, I’ve gotta tell you I’m a little conflicted. I certainly don’t want us to become a nation of stoners.  But as a breast cancer patient it’s hard for me to turn my back on the potential benefit of medical marijuana when there is credible research that indicates it may slow cancer growth, inhibit formation of new blood cells that feed tumors and help manage pain, fatigue, nausea and other side effects of cancer treatment. The conservative, mother and Midwestern housewife in me fears the effects of marijuana on the developing brain, the potential for misuse, overuse and abuse and the well documented health concerns related to the use of marijuana.  Is medical marijuana the answer to the prescription drug overdose epidemic, a potential treatment for cancer, a defense against the plaque build up in the brain that causes dementia and the answer for millions who live each day in debilitating pain?  Will the long-term health of women be harmed or helped by the legalization of medical marijuana?  These are all questions best answered by someone wiser than myself.

Find out more information on this highly controversial health issue by watching  “Weed:  A Dr. Sanjay Gupta Special” tonight, August 11 on CNN.

Make the time to be good to you and the next time you are invited to a “potluck” party you might want to verify what that means before you arrive with your famous tuna noodle casserole.

Good Health!

Terry

“The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there"

~ Betty Grable, American Film Actress

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