Forum cites health benefits of medical cannabis
CALEXICO — Medical cannabis and its use in treating a variety common illnesses and serious diseases was the subject of an educational forum organized by the City of Calexico on Tuesday.
The forum was the first in a series of planned events aimed at informing the public about cannabis, its regulation, medicinal properties and impact on communities.
“We feel this is very important for us to bring to the community,” said Assistant City Manager Miguel Figueroa. “We want to make sure we have a community that is informed.”
Tuesday’s forum had been advertised as including presentations on local and state cannabis laws, as well as the reported medicinal value of the plant.
Ultimately, a desire to provide attendees with a comprehensive presentation limited Tuesday’s discussion solely to the plant’s reported medicinal value.
During her 1 1/2-hour presentation, Elisabeth Mack, registered nurse and founder of San Diego-based Holistic Caring, a medical cannabis consultation service, spoke about the personal and collective benefits of cannabis.
Mack used a multitude of scientific literature to present a case that cannabis is as viable a medicine, or even more so, than the traditional pharmaceutical compounds that Americans use regularly.
“Too often it’s the last option for serious disease,” Mack said.
Mack also used her time to try to dispel common myths associated with cannabis use, including its characterization as a so-called “gateway drug.”
To back up her claim, Mack cited research that demonstrated cannabis usage has been successfully used to reduce alcohol and illicit substance addiction.
“What we’re proving today is that cannabis is an exit drug,” she said. Since its founding two years ago, Holistic Caring has been working with participating physicians and patients to create personalized cannabis regiments that are customized to a patient’s particular illness and physiology.
Its services can often range from 30 to 90 days, Mack said, and become less frequent and necessary once patients are able to determine their own optimal dosage and administration of cannabis products.
She also recommended that patients keep a daily journal that documents the effects of their cannabis usage and its effect on their ailment.
"We feel this is very important for us to bring to the community. We want to make sure we have a community that is informed.” Assistant City Manager Miguel Figueroa"
“If you make things work right for you, it makes the whole journey more pleasant,” Mack said.
Mack’s presentation on Tuesday also indicated her hope to soon provide her services for Valley residents.
It also laid bare the eventual need for her to employ local Spanish-speaking nurses to assist with the Valley’s Spanish-speaking population.
“I would love to have a nurse based out here,” she said.
Mack’s admonition came after finding out that a Spanish-speaking couple had attended to find out more about how cannabis may be used to treat Parkinson’s disease, yet found themselves at a disadvantage because of a language barrier.
The couple subsequently made arrangements to obtain pertinent information from city officials.
Another couple in attendance expressed their desire that future forums discuss the evolving and conflicting laws that regulate cannabis-related products and their sale.
As producers of a legal CBD (cannabidiol) product, the couple expressed frustration that their product had resulted in a local pharmacist having been cited by a local municipality for selling a cannabis-related product. Figueroa assured the couple that such information would be forthcoming in a future forum.
“This is the first forum of others that are coming,” he said.