As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I evaluate patients for medical marijuana recommendations full time. I keep reading in the news about California and cities wanting to impose special taxes on the sale of medical marijuana. Medical Marijuana should be taxed, but not at a higher rate than any other business or industry. This increased tax rate will only be passed on to patients. Insurance does not cover medical marijuana so the burden is going to fall on patients which is not right.
Taxing Medical Marijuana;
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 30th, 2010
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
Long Term Affects of Medical Marijuana on the Brain and Cognitive Function; A discussion
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 29th, 2010
As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I evaluate patients daily for the use of medical marijuana. Often patients ask me if cannabis (marijuana) has any long term adverse effects on the body. It is a great question and one that can not be answered with 100% confidence until more research and studies are completed. Cannabis research has been limited because of the federal governments currently classification system which states that cannabis is a schedule 1 drug (no medicinal value). It is difficult to get any funding to study this incredible plant
Posted in disease treatment
Medical Marijuana Recommendations by Web Conference? Negligent Doctors stoop to new lows
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 29th, 2010
It is really unfortunate the lengths that doctors are going to make money these days. Recently medical marijuana recommendation clinics have opened up where the doctor see’s you over skype video conference. The state medical board is very clear when they say that physicians MUST PERFORM A PHYSICAL EXAM when recommending cannabis to patients. No doctor in their right mind would ever prescribe a blood pressure medication to a brand new patient that they have never met without meeting them in person and doing a physical exam. So why would they do it for a medication like cannabis?? The simple answer is GREED.
Posted in Medical Ethics
Medical Marijuana Patients In Irvine, CA July 27, 2010
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 28th, 2010
If you are wondering what types of patients come in to see me for a medical marijuana recommendation, here is a list of all the complaints for the patients I had in Irvine today. Most patients are coming in because of pain. They are typically tired of using opiates such as vicodin and oxycontin and want an alternative. Many of my patients are women in their 50’s and 60’s who are willing to try anything to get relief.
Posted in disease treatment
Veterans Administration (VA) to Approve Medical Marijuana Use for Disabled Veterans
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 27th, 2010
It has been a long time coming for United States Veterans who are in need of medical marijuana to treat their symptoms. It has been VA policy that patients who have admit to using marijuana to treat their ailments would not be approved for benefits of other treatment modalities. Because of the overwhelming numbers of veterans who suffer from PTSD, difficulty sleeping and chronic pain the government finally approved the medicinal use of marijuana.
Medical Marijuana and Medical Records; The Proper Marijuana Evaluation
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 23rd, 2010
After testifying in court yesterday for a patient of mine arrested for cultivation in San Diego I can not stress enough the importance of working with a medical clinic that demands medical records. The first thing the court did when they arrested him was to subpoena his medical file. The judge wanted to make sure that he was a legitimate patient. The great news for my patient was that we had HIS ENTIRE MEDICAL history intact. Everything was done according to the letter of the law.
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
How to Defend a Medical Marijuana Patient Arrested for Growing Marijuana
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 23rd, 2010
Today I had to appear in court for a patient of mine who was arrested in San Diego for intent to sell marijuana. He and another patient set up a grow on their property with 180 plants. They were both legal patients. Today was a preliminary hearing in front of a judge to determine if their was probable cause that a crime was committed to proceed to trial. The burden of proof for the prosecution is very minimal.
My role was to testify on behalf of my patient that he was in fact a legal patient and had the right to grow marijuana for consumption. After stating my credentials my patients attorney attempted to ask me: “In your opinion, what is a reasonable amount for a patient to possess for personal consumption?”
Posted in medical Marijuana Law
Sjogrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Medical Marijuana
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 22nd, 2010
Today I took care of a 58 year old women who suffered from Sjogrens Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis who had tried medical marijuana recently and found relief of her symptoms. Her arthritis mostly affected her hands and shoulders and required multiple drugs for pain management. She had been on Bextra then Vioxx then Celebrex but had to stop all of them because of kidney disease. She was at her “wits end” and wanted an alternative to help her get some relief and sleep throughout the night.
Posted in disease treatment
Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Medical Marijuana; Alternative Treatment
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 21st, 2010
Today in my Irvine office I took care of a 71 year old man who suffers from Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and wanted to see if medical marijuana could reduce his symptoms and decrease the amount of prednisone that he is taking. Specifically, PMR is characterized by pain in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, lower back and hips/pelvis. It’s key pathology is inflammation which in turn leads to pain. The reason why medical marijuana works so well is because the cannabinoids(medically active ingredients in the marijuana plant) have both anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reduction) properties.
Posted in Uncategorized
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Medical Marijuana; A supplemental Treatment Approach
Posted By Dr. Sean Breen on July 20th, 2010
Lately I have been seeing more and more patients with PTSD looking to medical marijuana as an alternative to the medications that their psychiatrists have prescribed. Because I have an office in Long Beach next to the VA and also take care of many Marines from Camp Pendleton I am seeing more and more how cannabis is helping them.
Posted in disease treatment
