Research shows medical use of marijuana useful for reducing chronic pain, anxiety, nausea, symptoms of auto-immune diseases such as MS, Parkinson’s, RA and neurological problems after stroke, spinal chord injury, also cancer and Alzheimer’s. Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states with 12 pending and Washington D,C., As of April 2017  twenty-nine states all together. Some states have passed legislation and are waiting to set up dispensaries. Here is the break down on locations where it is used and the latest research. States regulate its use according to accepted illnesses or injuries.

The Cannabis Means Business annual conference in NYC June 14 -16 was overwhelming! Hundreds of exhibitors that sell CBD oils, ointments, crystals used in smoking, foods, processing machines. If you want to start a business it is not easy. You need a license. It is illegal to sell and send in the mail any marijuana product that contains THC the hallucinogenic part of marijuana. New York state is the only “non-flowering” state which means you can use cannabis oil or vapor devoid of the hallucinogenic component but not smoke it. Huge I mean HUGE plantations in Colorado, Oregon grow, sell raw cannabis oil to small companies that make products. Their land is free of pesticides.

Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states and DC if you qualify for a prescription. A.G. Jeff Sessions is trying to change that. It is still classified as a schedule 1 a narcotic despite lots of research proving medical benefits including anticancer and anti-pain results. Also tough on growers: If the water you use to grow cannabis comes from Federal land – you can’t use the water. You can’t get a bank loan from a bank or declare the profit in your Federal taxes. That makes it a million dollar cash business with restrictions. To manufacture from the plant you need processing and testing machines a layout of up to $500,000.

Most of the manufactures from the US, Canada and Israel I saw at the conference use Hemp the relative of marijuana that contains nothing to make you high. In Israel the whole herb is given to calm anxiety. There are literally hundreds of cannabis absorption sites in the body, not just the brain. According to Dr. Titus who has specialized in pain medicine, cannabis is used to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s which has been shown to be related to cannabis deficiency.

The scope and usefulness of this big business is a far cry from the bearded guy on the street corner saying, “smoke, smoke!” There is an official regulating body like the AMA for marijuana and lobbyists in Washington. Necessary to insure you get a good batch of the right strain from among about 750 strains of marijuana. There is a list of doctors who can prescribe in NY state and even a business that created PotBot in which you use an AP on your computer to learn which strain is best for you and where the closest dispensary is to you.

Democrats in NY State (Richard Godfried) proposed a bill for medical marijuana use 17 years ago and it comes up for vote again this November 7th. Governor Cuomo has wanted to limit its use for fear of Federal issues and possible risks to his re-election. Medical sedative and pain drugs and alcohol are important revenue in the US. Not to mention dangerous to health. It may be a long time before we come up to the level of use compared to states such as Colorado which PAYS FOR ITS PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH PROFITS MADE FROM MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Hello Bernie!

The Cannabis Conference is on the move and will appear again in Los Angeles: http://mailchi.mp/leexpos/test-cwcbexpo-ny-show-highlights-pzue9w02sl-352125?e=7113a1be5a

One of my favorite people I met at the show was a sweet grey haired lady named Jade from Cannashare.com a consulting firm for the cannabis business from the ground up. She said, “I am a second generation marijuana grower from Oregon. Marijuana saved me from cancer three times. I am living proof of its value.”

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881

http://norml.org/library/recent-research-on-medical-marijuana