Is Medicinal Marijuana doing good or harm? 7 OCT 8:30 SBS

[Matanuska Thunder]

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/marijuana

 

We are getting closer!

 

Airdate: 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - 20:30

Channel: 

SBS ONE

 

 

Meet the Guests

 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/nicole_cowles_1.jpg?itok=VNf-uuga

 

Nicole Cowles

Nicole Cowles gives her 8 year old daughter Alice cannabis oil to help control her life-threatening seizures. Alice has a rare genetic disorder known as CDKL-5 which includes a form of epilepsy. Nicole says that the cannabis oil is the only thing that’s working to reduce the 20 or 30 seizures Alice can have in a day. Nicole says she can’t be sure what’s in the oil she gives Alice because it’s illegal to test it. “When you’re faced with losing your child or trialling something that you’re told you shouldn’t trial, it’s not really a choice, you trial it”.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/tony_b.jpg?itok=nr_YarWd

 

Tony Bower

Tony Bower provides cannabis oil to Nicole and hundreds of others around Australia. He calls his product medical cannabis tincture; although he says he’s not a doctor. Tony maintains he doesn’t provide cannabis oil to children, “I give it to the parents, the parents choose what they do with it”. Tony was convicted in August this year of cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis and sentenced to 12 months jail. He is currently on bail and is appealing the severity of his sentence.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/nicole_3_0.jpg?itok=yj4LKR-a

 

Bianca Henderson

Bianca’s 10 year old son Declan also has a rare form of epilepsy, known as F.I.R.E.S. She says she will not will not use cannabis oil unless it’s legal, supervised by a doctor or as part of a clinical trial. Bianca is concerned about how any new treatment might interact with some of the other medications Declan is on.

 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/ingrid_3.jpg?itok=1Sxg2GMs

 

Ingrid Scheffer

Prof. Ingrid Scheffer is a child neurologist who is concerned about the number of her patients who are using or want to use cannabis oil to treat their various kinds of epilepsy. She’s worried that positive media reports about cannabis oil are overlooking the need for proper randomised placebo controlled trials which also look for side effects. Ingrid says that no true large scale studies have been done, although there is one underway overseas which she is advising on.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/damon_adams_3.jpg?itok=D70gD9-1

 

Damon Adams

Damon Adams is a former police officer and member of the Australian Navy. He says he uses cannabis for pain relief from a knee injury, as well as recreationally. His preferred method of use is a vaporiser, but would use a bong or biscuits too. Damon unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Australian Senate in the 2013 Federal Election for the Drug Law Reform party.

 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/milton_2.jpg?itok=8FZO6x1P

 

Milton Cohen

Prof. Milton Cohen is a specialist pain medicine doctor. Milton says there is evidence that pharmaceutical cannabis can relieve some types of pain but there is not good evidence to support the use of cannabis for all kinds of pain. He’s concerned about the safety of the cannabis oil currently being provided to people.

 

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/thumb_small/public/andrew_katelaris_3.jpg?itok=xk5iltsX

 

Andrew Katelaris

Andrew Katelaris is a de-registered doctor who makes his own cannabis oil. He says that “there’s no human disease that cannot be touched in some way by cannabis”. Andrew supplies cannabis oil to 12 children with different forms of epilepsy. 

Edited October 6, 2014 by Matanuska Thunder

[Matanuska Thunder]

and a bump...

[Ford Fairlane]

Good find matti. Looks interesting.

[Sir PsychoHashy]

Am I the only one that feels Katelaris being involved in the pro medicinal canna debate is counter productive?  Was also a little sad to see Tony not being portrayed in the best light last night.

[Matanuska Thunder]

yea, was thinking much the same about Andrew he came across as an angry person

Quite enjoyed Damon, I like the fact he is medicating for one of the same reason as I (f'd up knee).

In my eyes he portrays the most main-stream views and that is he is a very typical 30+stoner/medical user.

 

Tony is getting better with each tv appearance he is making, he may not be portrayed in a totally positive light but he is putting his life/arse on the line with each appearance.

Go Tony!

 

We need more discussions like this one... 
the more Cannabis is talked about, the greater the chance of change

Edited October 8, 2014 by Matanuska Thunder

[Faith]

My darlin says that's all I talk about

[Matanuska Thunder]

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/332595267730/Insight-Marijuana

 

full show- for those who did not get to watch

Edited October 8, 2014 by Matanuska Thunder

[merl1n]

Thanks for the link Mata
I missed it last night, my TV had been commandeered to watch bloody cooking shows
I'd have too agree with Hashy in that Katelaris came across as a bit of a nutter, he needed a cone before the show started settle him down a bit
I think the good thing about the show was the broad range of participants. They weren't all anti drug and not just drug/medical professionals but actual patients and parents and that doesn't happen very often with these debates. Usually its pollies and police involved.
We need to keep the momentum going tho, my fear is that things will die down again as they have before or big pharma will get the first slice of the pie with self funded trials (they have the money to do it themselves) if they haven't already got the data 'on file'. They will isolate the key components, patent each component and it will still be illegal to grow your own medicine '....because its not refined...' Look at opium, its illegal to grow and possess. But I have boxes of opiate medications other DDA medications all supplied by big pharma and condoned by the government. WTF??
And as for addiction, what a joke. The effect of opiate addiction is by far more of a concern than canna addiction. If I go for one (1) week solely using high dose opiates for pain management, the following week I'm dealing with opiate withdraws (itching, sweats, phantom pain and headache). My body becomes addicted to the opiates that quick. And when I go to see a dr about the withdrawals he gives me another DDA to cope with coming down from another DDA WTF!!! it doesn't make sense.
I now self medicate between canna and pharma. I have "run trials"  and know what works best for me, a combination. I do still need an opiate but at lesser dosages with canna.

 

Lets keep the discussion going

Merl1n