Marijuana.com

Migz420

Medical Marijuana: The Replacement for Very Dangerous Drugs
05-17-07|Salem News|Dr. Phillip Leveque
Cannabis/marijuana medicines were at one time the “drugs of choice” in the United States, until they were declared illegal. They had been used for 100 specific medical problems through the use of about 30 prescription medicines.

When I was ordered before the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners, the first question I was asked by Dr. Spokas, the chairman, from Ontario, Oregon, was “Dr. Leveque don’t you know that marijuana is very addicting and very dangerous?”

Frankly, I didn’t know or believe this and all of my experience with fifty years study and 4000 patients told me this was totally false, but when one is facing a “Spanish inquisition” with psychological “thumb screws” or “hanging”, I decided to answer “maybe for some people”. I didn’t believe a word of it. I didn’t dare ask where he got his information but I assumed it came from the U.S. government, which has produced false propaganda for 70 plus years.

Marijuana is less addictive and less dangerous than Starbuck’s espresso.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Law allows the use of marijuana for Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s rage, Glaucoma, chronic pain, chronic nausea, chronic spasms, Multiple Sclerosis and seizures.

As a retired Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, I accepted this with a grain of salt but when I started seeing patients, I was astonished and pleased that indeed the above conditions were “miraculously” alleviated by the use of medical marijuana.

I was further astonished when I was told by the patients “marijuana is much better than any prescription I have been given". Further questioning of patients indicated it was better that the morphine-like painkillers, such as Oxycontin, Percodan or Demerol. It was also better than the Valium-like tranquilizers, such as Xanax, and Ambien, etc. and even the anti-depressants, such as Elavil, Trazadone, etc. and the really heavy anti-depressants, such as Prozac, Zoloft, etc.

Another, almost strange, report was that it was preferred to Aspirin and Tylenol, etc. because it worked faster with no stomach or liver damage.

For a retired Professor of Pharmacology, the patient’s reports were really a “blockbuster”. The biggest surprise came really quickly by Viet Nam veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They had been given every kind of medication, which gave minimal, if any, relief and many suffers simply turned to alcohol stupefaction to blot out PTSD battle stress.

The latter had become a tragedy for many as they had discovered in Viet Nam the marijuana was an excellent tranquilizer, better than any standard such drug or alcohol.

Literature review for current Marijuana Therapy led me to “O’Shaughnessy, The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice”, a newspaper-like magazine published by a group of California Marijuana Specialists, which are providing the cutting edge for information on the subject.

California is the leading marijuana state with about 300,000 legal marijuana patients. I am not / was not surprised to see that the reports of the fifteen doctors in the journal correspond with my own experiences. In fact, Dr. Tod Mikuriya has found that marijuana provides relief for about 200 specific diseases. It seems like marijuana could be / should be the first choice drug rather than the last.

 

Sec

This is what he says to the general public.
This is what he says to those who can actually set policy (Oregon Board of Medical Examiners)

Even physicians who actually recommend marijuana in practice, don't have the balls to justify or defend it completely when pressed.

__________________
Guidelines.
Search
http://www.marijuana.com/drug-test/index

sterbo

I cry Foul,
We're talking about a man who has been walking point for years, without complaint - following his conscience...
Read on -

"Jack DaltonPortland, Or The Assault on Dr. Phillip Leveque: Part II"
"They want to strip him of his Medical License completely. This causes an extreme personal anguish for a man who has been willing to step in and help those of us in great need of medical relief, by signing our applications when the majority of doctors are unwilling to have their names on those applications. Why? Is it because they see no medical efficacy in marijuana? Or is it because they are afraid- afraid the DEA or some state agency under direction of the DEA would do to them what they have done to Dr. Leveque, or worse?

Three years ago, here in Oregon, there was a push by the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners to strip Dr. Phillip Leveque of his state medical license. His "crime" was that he was willing to sign the registration applications for some very ill people so that they could become registered medical marijuana patients under Oregon’s Medical Marijuana Act. Dr. Leveque had signed about 40% of all the applications up to that time. This was in July-August 2001.
What is being done to Dr. Leveque is not an isolated incident. Dr Tod Mikuriya in Berkley, CA, one of the foremost authorities there is on the medical efficacy of marijuana, is currently going through the same thing as what is Dr. Leveque.

Dr. Mikuriya was Mental Health division at the Institute of Medicine some years back, where he was looking into marijuana as medicine. Now they treat him like a criminal. Science and medicine should rule and not ideological based politics."



-annotated -
An editorial by Jack Dalton
(Source URL: http://www.drugwar.com/daltonlevequept2.shtm)
.

__________________

Sec

I stand behind what I said. I am not knocking the doctor personally, nor am I saying he didn't have his reasons. For whatever reason, he is still telling two different stories.

Edit:
From "High Noon" thread in the Headline News Forum.
There are some doctors and scientists willing to testify in open court contrary to the government hogwash, write books and even teach college courses on the benefits and facts of medical marijuana.

Dr. Phillip Leveque is not one of them apparently. He instead refutes the very testimony he gave to the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners in a Salem, Oregon newspaper. Now, he is giving two very different opinions on marijuana. It seems he will say what is expected of him to say depending on who he is talking to.

sterbo

With all due respect sec, it doesn't come any more personal than that.

I agree that it would be great (and engender a lot of additional respect) if he could, under such circumstances, stay true to his convictions no matter the cost. But each one of us makes similar decisions from time to time.

We all have to draw our own line in the sand and often that means we compromise one given moment to live another day to give back two.

The old adage "Choose your battles wisely" has not stood the test of time for nothing...
.

 

Buzzby

I would say that it makes perfect sense to temper one's testimony when the result of giving the whole story would result in the loss of one's license to do his job. Medical examiners don't determine policy. This was not a hearing on whether or not to ease marijuana laws. It's results would make absolutely no difference in the campaign to get medical marijuana to the people who need it. Quite the opposite.

It was a hearing to determine whether or not Dr. Leveque would be able to continue practicing medicine. That is what medical examiners do. How would it benefit that movement to have one of its greatest proponents taken out of the picture?

__________________

Sec

You need proof that the doctor is endangering his patients to remove his license. If they can't proove that marijuana is addictive, they can't remove his license.

In my mind, he is dabbling. He wants to provide his patients with recommendations, but is not willing to defend his actions completely.

Was this a hearing to remove his license? From where do you draw that conclusion? He could have been ordered to testify for another matter or even involving another physician. If you have other information other than was included in the article posted, then you have an advantage in this debate.

His answer should have been: No, I don't know that; I have read no studies nor have I seen actual proof that marijuana is physically addicting. I have seen a lot of literature published by the US government saying that it is addictive, but there are no studies listed to back that up. Would you please show me an independant study with this "evidence" you speak of? Most other prescription pain medication has been proven to be extremely addictive, yet it is condoned by the medical community for pain management.

If they could have, and that was their intention, then they would have done it 3 years ago. Obviously they cannot suspend or revoke his medical license, so what is his fear now? Apparently, according to the information sterbo provided, the doctor has had plenty of practice testifying and should have had an appropriate answer ready. Why did the Board of Medical Examiners' question surprise him? It could not have been the first time in 3 years that the subject of marijuana addiction has come up.