Wednesday, March 16, 2011
A Closer Look at the RAND Study on MediCann Patients
Health & Medicine David Downs — Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 9:03 AM
Today, the Legalization Nation print column reported on a new study, co-authored by the independent think tank RAND Corporation, which analyzed just who is getting medical marijuana recommendations in California. The paper's primary author, Dr. Helen Nunberg of the RAND Corporation, as well as researcher Amanda Reiman, say the data shine a rare light on a severely under-researched (and often maligned) population. Follow the jump to download the study and read it yourself.
Download "An Analysis of Applicants Presenting to a Medical Marijuana Specialty Practice in California" here. Some highlights:
- more than half of the roughly 1,650 California MediCann applicants included in the sample were over 35- 67.8 percent of them brought medical records to their appointment
- 73 percent had health insurance
- 68.7 percent were employed
- Most of them sought relief from chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety; 79.5 percent had previously tried prescription medications.
- More than 50 percent of the sample reported they had used or were using marijuana as a substitute for prescription drugs.
Comments (2)
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I can't wait for that day myself, but I know that it's coming. I live in the most
backward state, a state that more than likely beats all for a geriatric populace, that still believe "REEFER MADNESS'' is true. ah you guessed it,
beautiful florida. I love this state, but I could live without those who feel
it's ok to come home from a long day , suck down a scotch or two, but feel
somehow theatened if one comes home and fires up a,,,you get the picture.
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The extremists currently in charge of the DEA will stop at nothing to derail the medicinal cannabis program and the Will of Voters who voted for it. I wish I could see the day when the senseless and shameful witch-hunts against citizens over a natural medicinal plant cannabis finally end, and they will! I predicted a long time ago that anti-cannabis repression will lead to increased hard drug and alcohol abuse because they are not "easily" detected in random drug screens, especially when it comes to the "window" of their detection. All these so-called "random drug screens" unfairly target the users of the safest substance of them all - cannabis! I can't wait to see the day when these shameful and senseless witch-hunts against citizens in connection with cannabis medicinal plant will stop altogether. I stressed many times already that no system, no matter of how repressive, can survive on a series of "un-realities". Current undisguised assault by the "radical pragmatists" from the DEA in the will of the people of Montana demonstrate their delusional thinking their attempts in suppression science (and people's will) will be more successful than those of Inquisition, Gestapo, or KGB! I wish I could live to see these people's miserable and disgraceful failure! Everything that the DEA and its allies use to intimidate citizens (and politicians) about the remarkable cannabis plant is based on unreality: cannabis is NOT physically addictive, the so-called "gateway drug theory" is NOT scientifically valid, smoking cannabis does NOT lead to increase in the risk of lung cancer, legalization in other countries did NOT lead to increased cannabis use, and in addition it is proven that cannabis use suppresses violent behavior. Cannabis is immeasurably safer than alcohol, (and most currently used prescription drugs - do we even notice their devastating potential side effects at their TV commercials?), and be so ignorant as to say that cannabis plant does not have medicinal value is to be out of touch with "reality" altogether. Legalization of medicinal cannabis is non-partisan because all of us can get sick and be able to take advantage of its remarkable medicinal properties. Let's reject the prohibitionist fear-tactics as they have no substance to them, and legalize cannabis in all 50 States without further delay!
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