Medical Marijuana
I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in early 2003. I am also one of the approximately 1,400 registered medical marijuana patients under Colorado's Amendment 20, so I feel that I can offer a unique perspective as to what the government should be doing about medical marijuana.
The human need to seek relief from pain and suffering is a medical issue, not a legal one, and it should be dealt with within the context of the doctor-patient relationship. Congress needs to immediately order the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to stop arresting and prosecuting licensed patients, caregivers, and their providers in the states that have passed medical marijuana laws. Contrary to the 1988 ruling of DEA administrative law judge Francis L. Young, who said "cannabis has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress from great numbers of very ill people, and of doing so with safety under medical supervision," the DEA continues to deny the medical efficacy of marijuana. Many chronically and terminally ill people, and those who care for them, are treated like violent criminals and drug dealers when their only crime was to seek relief from their pain. Not only is this policy inhumane, it is a tremendous waste of supposedly scarce financial resources. Society is better served when state and local law enforcement agencies are tasked with enforcing the medical marijuana laws of their respective states.
Secondly, Congress needs to order the DEA to quit blocking efforts to reschedule marijuana and allow researchers such as Professor Lyle Craker, Ph.D., at the University of Massachusetts to scientifically study the therapeutic effects of marijuana. Despite efforts by senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry—and despite the opinion of DEA administrative law Judge Mary Ellen Bittner, who said that it "would be in the public interest" to allow Professor Craker to proceed with his research—the DEA continues to stonewall all attempts at any true scientific study of the medicinal properties of cannabis.
Marijuana is a legitimate palliative medicine. It is far superior at treating my symptoms than the pharmaceutical medications that I have been prescribed and far less harmful. - Daniel Pope, Longmont, CO
MS and Relationships
I was gratified to see Neurology Now tackle the subject of sexuality and multiple sclerosis and honored to be interviewed for the article. This is a subject of interest and concern for men and women with MS and, unfortunately, one that doesn't often get talked about during office visits to the neurologist.
I was concerned, however, that readers might take away from this article the idea that women experience fewer—or less significant—changes in sexual function than men. The most recent studies have confirmed that women as well as men report a variety of changes in sexual function. In the most recent epidemiological study by Foley and colleagues, almost 70 percent of all respondents to the Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSISQ) reported significant sexual dysfunction. The most frequently reported problems were orgasmic difficulties (38.7 percent), erectile difficulty or inadequate vaginal lubrication (38.6 percent), and genital numbness (28.9 percent)-with no differences found between men and women on total MSISQ scores. Of particular interest was the finding that women scored higher on primary sexual dysfunction (problems directly caused by lesions in the central nervous system) and secondary sexual dysfunction (problems related to other MS symptoms or the medications used to treat them), while men scored higher on tertiary sexual dysfunction (problems related to emotional, social, and cultural issues).
Both women and men with MS should bring their concerns about sexual function to the attention of their health care providers so that they can receive the help they need. - Rosalind C. Kalb, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, Professional Resource Center National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Cervical Dystonia
Since I've started getting Neurology Now, I haven't read any articles on any forms of cervical dystonia. I have this condition and would like to see some articles printed on this topic. - Tammy Aldridge, VA
THE EDITOR RESPONDS: Thanks for your suggestion, Tammy. Check out "Speak Up" in this issue. In the upcoming Sept/Oct issue, we'll feature an interview with professional hockey player Rem Murray, who also has cervical dystonia.
Correction to "Forecasting Seizures": Neuropace Trial Still Open
The article "Forecasting Seizures" in the May/June issue incorrectly stated that the trial that "allowed [Neuropace] to enroll 220 people" is closed. The feasibility trial ended over a year ago and is closed; but the current pivotal trial is still open for enrollment. (At press time, the National Institutes of Health website clinicaltrials.gov had not been updated.)
The RNS System is a novel therapeutic device that uses advanced technology to detect and suppress abnormal electrical activity in the brain before seizure symptoms occur. The new device builds upon established neurostimulation technology that is FDA approved to treat Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.
The RNS System Pivotal Clinical Investigation aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of RNS as an add-on therapy for reducing the frequency of seizures. Eligible participants should be 18 to 70 years of age with partial onset seizures that are refractory to two or more antiepileptic medications.