Pubdate: Thu, 30 Aug 2012
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: David Downs

WHICH POT WORKS?

A Refresher on How Cannabis Can Remedy Symptoms

SN&R's covered this story before, but it's worth repeating: Different 
tokes for different folks. Here's a look at what cannabis can accomplish.

Pain: Patients commonly report that pot doesn't actually eliminate 
pain, rather, weed dethrones it. As Americans for Safe Access San 
Francisco patient advocate David Goldman pointed out, the pain is 
still there, but it's not as insistent or overwhelming. "The person 
is no longer obsessed with it," Goldman explained. "Part of the 
misery of pain and suffering is the obsessing about it. You can't 
think about anything else besides how much misery and pain you're in. 
Cannabis can distract you."

Patients generally report that the purer the indica, the better it is 
for pain. Try Pure Afghan, Afghani #1, Grape Ape, Jilly Bean, King 
Louis or L.A. Confidential. For those who don't want to sleep, 
sativas in the Jack Herer line have been reported to relieve pain.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short, is the main psychoactive 
cannabinoid in pot and is responsible for the euphoria or "high" 
associated with the drug. The second most abundant cannabinoid in pot 
is cannabidiol, better known as CBD, and it's a known 
anti-inflammatory. That means strains with high levels of 
CBD-typically sativas-can also be effective in relieving pain. And 
patients who seek pain relief but don't want to be too stoned are now 
often turning to sativas with low levels of THC and high levels of 
CBD, such as Trident or Harlequin.

Insomnia: After pain, insomnia and tension were the top three reasons 
why patients sought a physician's recommendation for cannabis, 
according to 2006 RAND survey. For insomnia, indicas provide a 
knockout punch, and you probably want to stay away from sativas, 
which can make you feel speedy and energetic. Blackberry Kush and 
Platinum Bubba Kush are two go-to insomnia strains.

Tension, stress and anxiety: For tension, websites such as Leafly and 
other experts recommend hybrid strains that include both indica and 
sativa, like the famed OG Kush lineage, which includes Sour Diesel 
and Chemdawg. Hybrids that include the sativa Haze can also melt 
anxiety. We love Blue Dream, a 50-50 mix of sativa Haze and indica Blueberry.

Some people recommend the hybrids Girl Scout Cookies, Green Ribbon, 
Green Crack and Trainwreck for stress, but if you suffer from 
anxiety, high-THC strains such as these have been known to worsen 
anxiety in some patients. If you're anxious, and pot makes you 
paranoid, a strong indica like Romulan can relieve anxiety.

However, if you have problems with both anxiety and depression, you 
might try Trident or Harlequin strains, as noted above, that are low 
in THC and high in CBD. High-CBD, low-THC tinctures can also work for 
cancer patients who need an appetite but don't want to feel euphoric.

UC Davis' Kymron deCesare, lab manager at Halent Laboratories, wrote 
in an email that sativas high in THC, like Super Silver Haze, also 
are being used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 
some patients.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom