We must legalise access to medical cannabis as a matter of urgency | Mike Barnes

You’re effectively using the essential ingredients of cannabis right now. You and everyone else. That’s because our brains, and other parts of the body, have a natural endocannabinoid system that is now known to assist with how we deal with pain, the control of movement, the protection of the brain after damage and a host of other functions. Our increasing knowledge of this natural endocannabinoid system now gives a solid scientific rationale for why cannabis has so many positive medicinal effects. And as well as this recently understood scientific rationale, there is a substantial body of clinical evidence that medical cannabis works. My review of that evidence is published today by the UK all-party parliamentary group on drug reform as part of their inquiry into medical cannabis.

My challenge to the government is to have the political courage to accept the scientific rationale, accept the evidence and move to legalise access to medical cannabis under prescription here in the UK as a matter of urgency.

Cannabis has been a useful medicine for centuries, with known use dating back to 4000BC in ancient China

Currently, the government has cannabis classified as a Schedule 1 drug, a classification for substances judged to have no medicinal value. This is irrational and incoherent. The evidence is plain to see and has been compelling enough for a large number of countries to legalise access to medical cannabis including the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and 25 US states.

My report shows that there is strong evidence that medical cannabis helps with chronic pain; spasticity (common, disabling and painful after stroke or brain injury and common in those suffering from multiple sclerosis, as examples); for nausea and vomiting, especially during chemotherapy; and for the management of anxiety. There is also evidence of usefulness in sleep disorders, for appetite stimulation (in HIV, for example), fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe childhood epilepsies, bladder problems and even for control of some cancers. The list goes on.

And this issue matters to a lot of people. Estimates by the campaign group End Our Pain put the number of people in the UK taking cannabis primarily for medical reasons at one million. Many have found that “regular” prescription medicines just don’t work for them, or have debilitating side-effects. As access to cannabis in the UK is illegal, all these people are at risk of prosecution. These people would be regarded as patients in those countries with a more enlightened approach, but here they risk being treated as criminals.

The usefulness of medical cannabis is unquestionable; but is it safe? Certainly there are some potential short-term effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, balance problems and sometimes confusion. These effects, however, are largely induced by the psychoactive component – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is the chemical that causes the “high” sought by recreational users. The other main chemical is cannabidiol (CBD), which is neither illegal nor psychoactive and indeed counters the effects of THC. That’s why medical cannabis will be produced in controlled conditions to ensure the right balance between CBD and THC.

Much more powerful and potentially dangerous prescription medicines are prescribed routinely by doctors. Every drug prescribed has positive and negative effects and the doctor’s job is to weigh those risks and benefits, explain that balance to the patient and allow an informed choice. It would be no different in the case of medical cannabis.

What about the threat of long-term problems, such as triggering schizophrenia? The evidence is conflicting but nevertheless some cannabis products (mainly those high in THC) can induce transient symptoms similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia and exacerbate symptoms in individuals already suffering from psychosis. I would expect a doctor not to prescribe medical cannabis in such cases.

Cannabis has been a useful medicine for centuries, with known use dating back to 4000BC in ancient China. It was also widely used in ancient Indian, Greek and Roman cultures. Medicinal use was first properly documented by Dioscorides in the first century AD. It has certainly gone through periods of being in and out of fashion. A particular period of enthusiasm was during the 19th century when, for example, Sir John Russell Reynolds recommended it for period pain suffered by Queen Victoria.

The government now has the scientific rationale and the evidence. And through the campaigning efforts of End Our Pain and others, we have the powerful personal testimonies of those that are suffering. Let’s act. Let’s legalise access to medical cannabis now.

We must legalise access to medical cannabis as a matter of urgency | Mike Barnes

Want To Travel To Outer Room? The Urgency Network Is Creating It Achievable For Anybody

The Urgency Network is a Los Angeles-based mostly startup that partners with nonprofits to offer when in a lifetime experiences as a way of bringing increased visibility to social and environmental causes that want support. The two founders, Donald Eley and Brandon Deroche, launched the organization in July of 2013 with some huge names involved – Sir Richard Branson, Paul McCartney, Thom York and Ram Dass, to identify a couple of – likely arousing at least a smidge of envy in other entrepreneurs functioning tough to stand out from the crowd. So how did they pull it off? Most often, the prizes are sourced from the nonprofit’s donor checklist – influential men and women who previously assistance the organization financially are generally satisfied to offer additional perks as a way of helping out. But that is only component of the story.

Eley and Deroche first crossed paths in 2011 at the Hangout Music Festival in Alabama, where they connected more than a shared passion for dwell music and free booze. Both have deep histories as musicians themselves – Deroche played guitar in a band that was productive enough to consider him straight from high college to touring the U.S. and Europe, and contemplating a variety of options with main record labels. But right after six years of growing annoyed with the music sector, he ended up taking a task at Causecast – a result in advertising business that, at the time, permitted him to operate with musicians from the other side of the table. A single of the initiatives he became deeply involved with was Music for Relief’s “Download to Donate,” which leveraged exclusive tracks to raise money for relief efforts following the Haiti &amp Japan Earthquakes, and featured over 400 well-liked artists. He then left Causecast to turn out to be the Director at The Make Your self Foundation, a nonprofit started by the band Incubus.

Eley knew from a younger age that he wished to be an entrepreneur and keep away from the circumstance his father found himself in, in which he’d spent his life working in the oil sector and was abrubtly allow go soon after becoming injured on the task. At age 19 Eley started to DJ, and this ultimately led him to  touring the planet and launching a label that was accountable for putting out in excess of a hundred releases from electronic music artists. Then the web boom hit, and people stopped getting music in the exact same way. He grew to become obsessed with making a digital download retailer, and whilst doing work on this new venture crossed paths with Rob McDaniels of INgrooves, a behind-the-scenes leader in digital music distribution, marketing and advertising and publishing solutions. He worked as their Director of Industry Development for a year, and then moved to Texas the place he started out a true estate brokerage company with a friend that was later on acquired by Keller Williams, managing the branding and advertising facets of the organization.

Following Eley and Deroche’s first meeting in Alabama they reconnected back in Los Angeles, exactly where they grew to become roommates and began mapping out the details for what would later grow to be The Urgency Network. Even though the concept began with a focus on utilizing music as a device to drive social and environmental progress, they expanded their vision to incorporate a better diversity of memorable experiences. One particular thought they’ve pursued because the early days was sending a person to outer area – the reason becoming that civilian area travel is presently restricted to the super wealthy, and what far better way to show the power of their platform than to blast a person into orbit. Three years later on, in partnership with VICE Media’s Motherboard, their dream is coming accurate with the launch of Ticket To Rise – a campaign that permits you to help a trigger of your choice, and be entered to win a journey to area on XCOR’s Lynx Spacecraft (watch video right here).

What differentiates Eley and Deroche’s giving from firms like Omaze, which applies a fairly straight forward “donate to win” fundraising model for nonprofits, is that each campaign they develop is extremely personalized primarily based on their client’s particular objectives. Some of the nonprofits they operate with are interested in educating (e.g., watching awareness vids, reading through articles or blog posts, and so forth.) even though other people are driven to enhance engagement (e.g., signing petitions, participating in mass tweets, connecting by means of social media etc.). And for people looking to fundraise, The Urgency Network uses nonprofit organization Network for Good to processes monetary transactions, making certain donations are tax deductible while retaining ten% of the total sum raised to cover their operating expenditures. They’ve outsourced design and style and development to imaginative shop Ludlow Kingsley, who they see much more as a long-term partner provided the firm’s high degree of strategic input, and commitment to The Urgency Network’s vision moving forward.

As for the instant street ahead, Eley and Deroche are currently hyper-centered on the Ticket To Rise campaign, and are also in the midst of raising a Series A round of financing. This will permit them to increase their team and invest far more time and vitality in organization advancement, which involves functioning with leading-tier brand names, evolving the platform based mostly on lessons discovered, and creating much more social action campaigns linked to attention-grabbing experiences. They both admit to becoming exhausted, and when asked what keeps them going Eley says, “We’re constantly surrounded by good individuals and we know what we’re doing is functioning – so truly, it is a dream job.” To this, Deroche nods his head and smiles, proving magical partnerships can certainly start over also several drinks at a music festival in Alabama.

If you are a nonprofit interested in joining Ticket To Rise click right here.
Other inquiries can be sent to area@urgencynetwork.com.

Want To Travel To Outer Room? The Urgency Network Is Creating It Achievable For Anybody