Yeah, that's pretty much what it is here. They'll only arrest for over 30 grams in possession. For crying out loud - that's month's worth of supply for me!!!

This past summer has been great. Smoke on the street. Smoke at concerts. There are even little cafes opening up where you can BYOP (bring your own pot), but not in Toronto yet. The police aren't doing anything.

Kat

Honey, paranoia goes with the territory. I still get paranoid at times, but not often. Usually because I'm safe at home, but every so often, the paranoia monster rears its ugly head and I become convinced that as soon as I go to sleep my house is going to burn down, or get robbed, or my cats are going to drown, or some such silly thing.

I've been doing it for so long, tho, that it takes me more than one puff (big or small) to feel anything. Still, I'm smoking less than half a joint every night.

Actually, I just bought a ventilator to smoke up with. It's smoke free. It's an electrical gizmo with a heating element in it. You put the post on a little pan and it bakes it. Because nothing's burning, there's no smoke. You just inhale the vapours. Very different high. More of a body buzz than a head buzz (because you aren't asphyxiating yourself with the smoke). Very different and very odd. It'll take a little getting used to because I'm so accustomed to the other way. I keep thinking it's not working, but then I take a deep breath, and my thorasics actually move somewhat easily, and I realize that it is working.

I'll be interested to hear what happens in your state.

Hugs,

Kat

OK, that does it, I'm going to look for a new pasture in CA! Snort!



"The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by life's strongest storms."

Why in CA, honey. It's up here in ON that all the fun's going on!

Kat

CA = Canada silly



"The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by life's strongest storms."

Hi Kat and everyone posting here,

I've been doing a whole lot of research on medicinal Marijuana, and it has been very positive. All of the research that I have done about using it to control chronic pain has shown that it is very effective, the side effects are much lower than most AS drugs, and it is relativly inexpensive. I can see why countries and states are leagalizing it's medical use.

(There is a sister group to Power Over Pain that is starting to form. A 501(c)3 charity cannot do more than minimal lobbying, and this 501(c)4 group plans to do the lobbying that we cannot leagaly do. I would bet that this will be a part of their lobbying , though I can't be sure since they are a different group, but their aim is to change legislature to make life better for people with chronic painful diseases. When they get up and started I'll have to ask the E.O. come here and talk about it with KA. I think that it is going to be a good group to stand up for our rights as patients.)

Take care my friends,

Daniel

http://www.Power-Over-Pain.org
"NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD" Margaret Mead

Ooooooooh. Dopey me.

Kat

Yes, everything I've heard about it is also quite positive - including personal experience. It doesn't cut all my pain, however, which really surprised my rheumy. He has many patients who use it for the pain killing properties. For me, it's more the muscle relaxant (which helps with pain) and helping me to sleep properties that I love!

I'd be interested in hearing from your 'sister' organization on this. Although, up here, we already have it in place legally (medicinally anyway).

Hugs,

Kat

Well I have to agree that marijuana is a legitimate (well ok, still technically illegal...at least growing it and selling it and possessing more than x amount of grams) alternative to treatment for AS for the chronic pain associated with it.

Let me elaborate if I may.

My husband was 25/26 when he was diagnosed with AS (previously Drs thought it was bursitis and then a slipped disc). This man, even as a teenager, while hanging with friends who did occassionally indulge, would not have considered trying it...and was very much against it in his house. (Myself, having done it in highschool way back when didn't really consider it worth my time).

Fast forward a few years and now we're living in Central America, where surprisingly the doctors there treat both the disease itself and the pain (which strangely the doctors up here seem to consider the pain to be less than something worth consideration), and the doctor down there prescribes marijuana. Needless to say (now this is 2002 we're talking about) it took a month or so to convince my husband that you know...it's not going to hurt any worse than anything else.

And you know what? For the first time in 8 years, he slept through the night...pain-free. And it carried over to the next day...the effects of a full sound sleep, without pain.

Now of course, we come back to Canada and trying to get ahold of that stuff even in small amounts (as it was used only before bed and on a "as needed" basis) is difficult at best. And the prescription from the doctor (legal meds) to sleep do nothing, don't help the pain, don't keep him asleep, and make him feel dopey and lethargic the next day.

Really, it's not for everyone. But for some, it helps. I just wish I could find it here as easily.

Yeah, I've found that the benefits are so incredibly numerous (as in, a relatively good night's sleep means I can accomplish more the next day). Wish I had some advice on getting it, but I can't do that here. However, has your hubby talked to his rheumy about getting onto the medical marijuana list? At least then he'd be able to get it legally. Although, I hear that the legal stuff sucks rocks.

Also, I would suggest that you invest in a ventilator. I find that after I smoke with one of these I'm not couch bound (as I am if I use my regular pipe), which means that I can do a bit of clean-up before I go to bed and I'm thinking clearly.

Just a suggestion.

Hugs,

Kat