New Medical Marijuana Bills Proposed; SB170 and HB429
New Medical Marijuana Bills Proposed; SB170 and HB429
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 25th, 2011
As medical marijuana laws sweep across the US, states are trying to figure out just exactly how to implement. I recently reviewed a few of the new laws being proposed and wanted to share some thoughts.
SB170 proposed by Senator Jeff Essman, R-Billings states that any recommendation given by a physician must be approved by an independent panel of three physicians.
HB429 by Rep Berry states that after a doctor recommends cannabis to a patient is must be approved by a judge.
The former seems like over-kill. The latter is absolutely absurd. READ ON…
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
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Should Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Be Taxed?
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 24th, 2011
As cities try to come up with a standard ordinance that regulates how medical marijuana dispensaries operate the same questions comes up every time: Should dispensaries be taxed over and above what they would normally pay?
I emphatically say NO. READ ON…
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
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Typical Medical Marijuana Patients In Orange County; A Doctors List
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 16th, 2011
Today in Irvine I took care of a patients from all walks of life and with very different illnesses and complaints. Here is a sample of the types of patients that came in to see me today. If you are wondering if medical marijuana is right for you simply give us a call and come in.
A 67 year old man came in with his wife because he has no appetite as a result of chemotherapy to treat a bone marrow disease called Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Since September 2010 he has had no appetite and is losing weight. They were giving him marinol pills but they were not helping. He also has end stage kidney disease and is on dialysis 3x per week.
READ ON….
Posted in disease treatment
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Medical Marijuana Gets Teen Expelled From High School; Colorado Springs
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 12th, 2011
Apparently a high school student who uses medical marijuana to help prevent seizures has been expelled from school as a result of their zero tolerance drug policy. This is yet another example of policy having to catch up to medical marijuana laws. Clearly this teen has a medical need to use this medication. The patient lives in Colorado Springs. The story did not list his name or the name of the school. READ ON…
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
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Medical Marijuana and Peripheral Neuropathy;
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 11th, 2011
This week I was contacted by the director of operations for The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy in Chicago because of the feedback they are getting from patients about how much it helps them. Unfortunately Illinois does not have a medical marijuana law on the books so the patients there are frustrated and want relief. The women I spoke with reached out to me because I have blogged about the success I have had using medical marijuana to treat neuropathic pain. READ ON….
Posted in disease treatment
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Medical Marijuana and Castleman’s Disease; A Rare Disorder and a Common Treatment
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 10th, 2011
Today I evaluated a 56 year old women who had multiple medical problems; Hepatitis C, Systemic Lupus, Diabetes and a very rare disorder called Castleman’s Disease. I must admit that when I was taking her medical history I told her I had probably studied it at one point in medical school but have not thought of it since. Nor had I ever seen or heard of a case when I was doing my residency training. Interestingly this patient told me that medical marijuana was helping her cope with her diagnosis, prognosis and overall improved the quality of her life. READ ON…
Posted in disease treatment
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Medical Marijuana and Paranoia; What is the deal?
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 7th, 2011
This week I had a patient contact me as a result of experiencing extreme paranoia after vaporizing three doses of medical marijuana using a vaporizer. He explained that within a few minutes he started feeling “not in control of my body.” He said he kept thinking that he was going to swallow his tongue and actually sat for 30 minutes holding the tip of his tongue. He also was fixated on the fact that his heart was beating much faster and he was thinking that he was going to have a heart attack. He said the paranoia laster for a solid hour until he just fell asleep. It is difficult to say exactly what percentage of patients that use medical marijuana experience paranoia but I estimate it at about 6%. READ ON…
Posted in Risks of Cannabis, disease treatment
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Praying With Your Patients; A Doctors Perspective
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 4th, 2011
In all of my medical school and post-graduate training I never heard one doctor talk about the power of prayer when it comes to healing the sick. We have all heard of the “placebo”affect; telling a patient that they are getting the most powerful and useful drug and instead giving them water pills and watching them heal. The reason is because the mind literally believes it is getting a medicine and the immune system gets supercharged… and the patient gets better. This has been demonstrated in surgery as well as with medicine. BUT WHAT ABOUT PRAYER??… READ ON
Posted in disease treatment
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Medical Marijuana and Driving
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 2nd, 2011
It is pretty frightening to think how many people are driving on our roads completely medicated. Whether it is marijuana, valium, oxycontin, alcohol or any other drug, it is unbelievable how many people risk the safety of others by driving impaired.
Today in Irvine I had a 57 year old man come into my office to pick up some replacement recommendations just wreaking of marijuana. My entire office smelled like a college frat party. Clearly he was highly medicated. I had asked him how he got to the office and he said he had a ride from a friend. However when he left I watched him get into his car and drive off completely oblivious to what was going on around him
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
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Follicular Lymphoma and Medical Marijuana; Medical Marijuana Cards and Doctors
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on February 2nd, 2011
Today in Irvine I took care of a 32 year old man who was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a specific type of non-hodgkins lymphopma. It is a cancer that typically effects older men (mid 50’s) but he was diagnosed a month ago. he was in my office because of a lack of appetite, difficulty sleeping and general malaise. He had been using medical marijuana with good results and wanted safe access to the medicine. This is fairly common with my patients. They try it first and get good results and then come into the office. READ ON….
Posted in disease treatment
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