Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com
The latest round of answers for the myriad questions our viewers submit over the use of legal cannabis.
(SALEM, Ore.) – In our ongoing video series on the legal use of medical marijuana, Dr. Phil Leveque and Bonnie King discuss the person many regard as the first medical marijuana pharmacologist; Queen Victoria of England.
Dr. Leveque explains that the Queen used cannabis throughout her 11 pregnancies. Many women will tell you that marijuana has no equal when it comes to suppressing morning sickness.
While some doctors may scoff at the idea of pregnant women using marijuana, there are no proven ill effects, and doctors are trained with out of date material in medical school to take issue with the substance when in reality, there is no sound reason. The standard jargon published in anti-marijuana booklets is turning out to be mostly false. So if a woman is able to avoid being wretchedly ill, how can it be negative?
At any rate, it worked for Queen Victoria whose influence is visible to this day across the western world, and right here in Oregon.
In fact there is a long list of moms who are mostly quiet on a public level about their successful use of marijuana during pregnancy for legal reasons.
The state of Oregon in particular, will essentially kick a woman to the street and strip her of benefits, along with her unborn child in need of pre-natal care, if they discover by sifting through their urine that they have used this herb.
But back to the video.
Who can legally grow marijuana for medicinal patients?
Doctor Leveque addresses this important question by reminding everyone that anything they do should take place within legal boundaries. There are no provisions that he knows of that allow a person to grow without authorization from a state authorized medical marijuana program. Patients can designate both caregivers and growers, but it all has to be conducted according to the voter-approved rules.
The doctor addresses a total of five viewer questions related to diseases or chronic pain and the related use of medical marijuana.
One asks, “how does medical marijuana work in conjunction with other prescribed drugs?” Dr. Leveque says that in many cases, medical marijuana can replace some narcotics that a person is dependent on. We at Salem-News have received contact from many people over the years who tell us this is true from personal experience.
However, there are plenty of situations where this will not be the answer and it is important to remember that in spite of its many applications, marijuana as medicine is not a miracle cure and should not be seen as such. Either way, it is a natural remedy versus one created in a scientific laboratory.
The father of a 14-year old with verbal Asberger’s asks Dr. Leveque if, after exhausting traditional treatments that all involve hard drugs, which have failed to work, medical marijuana might be worth exploring?
These questions and more, in this video segment:
