United Methodist Church
Presbyterian Church
United Church of Christ
Episcopal Church Unitarian Universalist Association
Union of Reform Judaism
Progressive National Baptist Convention

Bookmark this page and watch as more and more church bodies make decisions for or against the medicinal use of medical marijuana.

The best thing that I see coming out of this new set of laws, is the fact that by passing them the state of Colorado, has for all practical purposes, legitimized the Medical Marijuana Center concept. There are varying opinions on what our state amendment says concerning dispensaries or centers and how that amendment should be interpreted. However, you can rest assured that once the law has been signed into effect there will be lawsuits of all kinds aimed at specific details of this law.

In the state of Colorado today there are hundreds of dispensaries, which under the new legislation with be known as medical marijuana centers. The phenomenal rise of dispensaries in the state is due in most part to the entrepreneurial spirit of some and the compassion of others. Even though there are some of our lawmakers that have decided these centers were not part of the voters intent when the amendment was passed there are many others who seem willing to accept them as part of the state’s medical marijuana infrastructure.

There are many provisions and requirements in HB 1284 that if left the way they currently read, will jeopardize the future of many existing medical marijuana centers. One of the most egregious parts of the bill is the section that allows local municipalities to ban medical marijuana center without any reason. So in theory, every city and county in the state could elect to do so. How does a patient, who has the right to obtain medicine get it if every city were to ban medical marijuana centers?

There is little doubt that this particular piece of the law will be hailed as unconstitutional and you can bet that there will be many lawsuits filed before the governor finishes signing it into law. So what does this new law mean to the average person? For caregivers, it could cost you quite a bit of money to serve your patients if you have more than the limit of the new law allows. For patients it could mean traveling to another city to obtain your medicine. For medical marijuana center owners, it will mean heavy licenses and fees to pay. What does this mean? Basically the patients gets hurt financially and in their ability to obtain the medicine they have a right to get.

Years of lawsuits and countless trials and tribulations for medical marijuana caregivers and patients are on the horizon. Keep abreast of the situation and be ready to vote if necessary for your rights.

We hope you will enjoy this series of testimonies and that you will learn more about this medicinal herb. To view the videos click here: Medical Marijuana Testimonial Videos

We are located at:
Colorado Springs Alternative Care Services
324 Cedar St
Penrose, CO 81240-9378

Medical Marijuana
Patient Rights
Licensing
Medical Strains
The Law
Doctor Patient Relationship

There will be time allotted for a question and answer period after the speakers have concluded.

Please RSVP at 719-481-4761 or below

For Directions Click HERE

Colorado Alternative Care Services – Gleneagle
13832 Gleneagle
Colorado Springs, CO 80921

The question is how much medical marijuana can you legally have in your possession. The amount itself is generally cut and dry. You are allowed to have up to 2 ounces of usable medical marijuana per patient. If you are growing your own, then according to Rob Corry Jr., Attorney at Law, there is a non-binding guideline which allows you 6 plants, three that are in a flowering stage and 3 that are in a vegetative stage.

The problem is, that 3 flowering plants can easily produce over two ounces of the medicinal herb and this makes it difficult to say the least, to stay within the legal guidelines the state has set forth. The good news is that the law does allow for a greater amount per patient if it is required for the condition but there is no clear guidelines as to what that amount could or should be. So, in theory, it is possible to have more than 2 ounces in your possession but you should have some kind of documentation to back up your claim if you have more than the law states.

As with anything you do in life, do it in moderation and follow the law. If you don’t look for trouble, you won’t find it.

Cannabis sativa, is a tall plant that generally grows between 8 and 12 feet tall. The leaves are long and thin and are a light green. Depending upon where they are grown there could be some varieties that have a more yellow pigment to protect the plant from intense light, such as is found near the equator. Sativa buds are long and thin and turn red as they mature in a warm environment. When grown in cooler environments the buds may end up being slightly purple. Sativa plants have a sweet and fruity smell and the smoke is generally mild.

Cannabis indica, is plentiful in the Mideast, India, and Central Asia especially Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Pakistan. Generally the indica plant is short, usually between 3 and 6 feet tall. The leaves are shorter and wider than sativa plants. The color of the leaves is usually a dark green and can be tinged with purple. It is a strong smelling plant with a “stinky” or “skunky” smell. The smoke of indicas is generally thick and more prone to cause coughing when inhaled. Indicas are the traditional source of hashish.

The Sativa High:
The sativa high is often characterized as uplifting and energetic . The effects of a sativa marijuana are mostly cerebral. They give a feeling of optimism and well – being, as well as providing a good measure of pain relief for certain symptoms. A few pure sativas are also very high in THC content. They are known to have a quite spacey, or hallucinogenic, effect. Sativas are a good choice for daytime smoking.

The Indica High:
The indica highs are most often described as a pleasant body buzz. Indicas are great for relaxation, stress relief, and for an overall sense of calm and serenity. Marijuana indicas are also very effective for overall body pain relief, and often used in the treatment of insomnia. They are the late – evening choice of many smokers as an all – night sleep aid.

The American Medical Assn. on Tuesday urged the federal government to reconsider its classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use, a significant shift that puts the prestigious group behind calls for more research.

The nation’s largest physicians organization, with about 250,000 member doctors, the AMA has maintained since 1997 that marijuana should remain a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive category, which also includes heroin and LSD.

In changing its policy, the group said its goal was to clear the way to conduct clinical research, develop cannabis-based medicines and devise alternative ways to deliver the drug.

“Despite more than 30 years of clinical research, only a small number of randomized, controlled trials have been conducted on smoked cannabis,” said Dr. Edward Langston, an AMA board member, noting that the limited number of studies was “insufficient to satisfy the current standards for a prescription drug product.”

This is a new position for the AMA and they do not directly advocate the use of medical marijuana directly. However they are in favor of more research on the benefits of medical marijuana. This is great news for medical marijuana advocates. The reason is that good quality clinical research has been hampered because of harsh drug laws in our country.

Because of the fact that the Obama administration has adopted a more relaxed policy toward medical marijuana, patients, caregivers and growers are not being prosecuted as often as they may have been in the past. It is still important to realize that even though states have relaxed or made “legal” medical marijuana, the federal law hasn’t changed. These laws are still severe and for now have simply had the enforcement of them altered. The hope of us all is that with the increasing number of voices advocating this change, which now includes the AMA, we will eventually be heard and recognized.

An interesting aspect of the AMA’s change in policy is that it fits in with a larger shift in the organization’s positions. Traditionally, the positions of the AMA have been on balance fairly politically conservative. However, this year, for example, the AMA has come out in favor of sweeping health care reform–despite its many years of trying to block similar reforms. This brings the position of the AMA more in line with the views of the physicians it represents. Arguably the most definitive survey on this subject to date (published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine) found that 72.5% of physicians support a public health care option (either or alone or with private options as well, the latter being by far the most popular view).

Recently in the U.S., state government legislation has made medical marijuana available to qualified patients. Patients in many states including Colorado, are now able to secure a medical marijuana card or license which enables them to have a specified amount for personal possession and a limited cultivation allowance or the option of having a caregiver which can grow and supply their medicinal needs.

There are very few natural remedies that can offer the variety of therapeutic applications that marijuana does. Some of these applications are listed below.

• Relief of muscle spasms
• Relief of chronic pain
• Reduction in interlobular pressure inside the eye
• Suppression of nausea
• Weight loss
• Increase metabolism

Over the years marijuana has been used successfully to treat the conditions listed below as well as many others.

• AIDS – Marijuana can reduce many symptoms associated with aids such as nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting from the condition itself and the medications.
• Glaucoma – Marijuana relieves the internal eye pressure of glaucoma, thus relieving the pain and slowing or even stopping the condition.
• Cancer – Many side effects of cancer medications can be relieved with Marijuana. There are some studies that suggest Marijuana tends to slow down the progress of some types of cancer.
• Multiple Sclerosis – Muscle pain, spasticity, tremors and unsteadiness are some of the effects caused by the disease, all of which can be relieved by Marijuana.
• Epilepsy – in some patients, epileptic seizures can be prevented with Marijuana use.
• Chronic pain – Marijuana helps to alleviate the pain caused from many types of injuries and disorders.
• Anxiety, Depression or Obsession - Even though mild anxiety is a common side effect in some users, cannabis can elevate your mood and expand the mind.