Read please Important Information

The Medical Quality Assurance Commission received a petition to add bipolar disorder, severe depression and anxiety related disorders, specifically social phobia to the medical conditions for which medical marijuana would be beneficial and that are permitted under state law RCW 69.51A.010(4). The Medical Commission in consultation with the Osteopathic Board will determine whether the medical conditions submitted by the petitioner will be added to the Medical Marijuana Law.

Hearing Location: Radisson Hotel
18118 International Boulevard
Seattle, Washington 98188
(206) 244-6666

The Medical Commission and the Osteopathic Board committee invite written information from members of the public who are for or against adding the medical conditions to the Medical Marijuana Law. Written comments are to be submitted to the Medical Commissionâ??s office no later than close of business on November 12, 2009, and will be provided to the committee for consideration prior to the December 2, 2009 hearing date. Written comments will be received by mail or in person at the Medical Commissionâ??s office in


TumwaterMailing Address: Maryella Jansen, Executive Director
Medical Quality Assurance Commission
P.O. Box 47866
Olympia, Washington 98504-7866

Physical Address: Maryella Jansen, Executive Director
Medical Quality Assurance Commission
243 Israel Road SE
Tumwater, Washington 98501

Oral testimony will be heard December 2, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. from members of the public who are for or against adding the conditions of bipolar disorder, severe depression and anxiety related disorders, specifically social phobia as conditions for which medical marijuana would be beneficial and that are permitted under state law RCW 69.51A.010(4). The length of oral testimony may be limited by the committee.

The committee will deliberate in closed session after the hearing to consider oral and written testimony. The committee will make a recommendation to the Medical Quality Assurance Commission and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery to accept or deny the petitionerâ??s request to add additional medical conditions to the Medical Marijuana Law. The Medical Commission and the Osteopathic Board will consider the committeeâ??s recommendation and make a decision to accept or deny the petition. The decision will be announced at the Business Meeting of the Medical Quality Assurance Commission at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 4, 2009, at the Radisson Hotel, 18118 International Boulevard, Seattle, Washington 98188.


If you know anyone who is in need of mm for these conditions encourage
them to write a letter and send it, or if possable to show up and speak .

thank all for reading .

Looks like they're getting smart finally. There is no other drug that works as well as MJ for depression. I've never seen anyone unhappy after toking.:jointsmile:

........................Read this info i found.................

Frank Lucido, MD, a private practice physician, stated in his article "Implementation of the Compassionate Use Act in a Family Medical Practice: Seven Years Clinical Experience," available on his website (accessed June 2, 2006):


With appropriate use of medical cannabis, many of these patients have been able to reduce or eliminate the use of opiates and other pain pills, ritalin, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, anti-depressants and other psychiatric medicines...

June 2, 2006 - Frank Lucido, MD


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Lester Grinspoon, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School stated in his 1997 book Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine:



Thirty to forty percent of patients with bipolar disorder are not consistently helped by conventional treatment. For some of them cannabis may be useful in ameliorating the symptoms, reducing side effects of lithium, or both.

1997 - Lester Grinspoon, MD


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George McMahon, an author and medical marijuana patient of the U.S. Federal Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug (IND) Program, stated in his 2003 book Prescription Pot:


People who have never struggled with a life threatening or disabling illness often do not comprehend how debilitating the resulting depression can be. Long days spent struggling with sickness can wear patients down, suppress their appetites and slowly destroy their wills to live. This psychological damage can result in physiological effects that may be the difference between living and dying.




The elevated mood associated with cannabis definitely affected my health in a positive manner. I was more engaged with life. I took walks and rode my bike, things I never considered doing before in my depressed state, even if I had been physically capable. I ate regular meals and I slept better at night. All of these individual factors contributed to a better overall sense of well-being.


2003 - George McMahon


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Tod Mikuriya, MD, a psychiatrist and medical coordinator, cowrote in the 1997 book Marijuana Medical Handbook:



The power of cannabis to fight depression is perhaps its most important property.

1997 - Tod Mikuriya, MD


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The Journal of Clinical Investigation stated in an Oct. 13, 2005 article "Cannabinoids Promote Embryonic and Adult Hippocampus Neurogenesis and Produce Anxiolytic- and Antidepressant-like Effects" (Article in PDF format) by Xia Zhang et al.:



We show that 1 month after chronic HU210 [high-potency cannabinoid] treatment, rats display increased newborn neurons [brain cell growth] in the hippocampal dentate gyrus [a portion of the brain] and significantly reduced measures of anxiety- and depression-like behavior.




Thus, cannabinoids appear to be the only illicit drug whose capacity to produce increased hippocampal newborn neurons is positively correlated with its anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects.


Oct. 13, 2005 - Journal of Clinical Investigation


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The Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, stated in a Jan. 2004 article on a study designed by Prentiss, Power, Balmas, Tzuang and Israelski "to examine the prevalence and patterns of smoked marijuana and perceived benefit" among 252 HIV patients:



Overall prevalence of smoked marijuana in the previous month was 23%. Reported benefits included relief of anxiety and/or depression (57%), improved appetite (53%), increased pleasure (33%), and relief of pain (28%).

Jan. 2004 - Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome


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Jay Cavanaugh, PhD, National Director for the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, wrote in his 2003 article "Cannabis and Depression," published on the American Alliance For Medical Cannabis website:



Numerous patients report significant improvement and stabilization with their bipolar disorder when they utilize adjunctive therapy with medical cannabis. While some mental health professionals worry about the impact of cannabis on aggravating manic states, most bipolar patients trying cannabis find they 'cycle' less often and find significant improvement in overall mood. Bipolar disorders vary tremendously in the time spent in the depressive versus manic states. Those who experience extended depressive episodes are more likely to be helped with cannabis.


Patients who use cannabis to 'relax' may be treating the anxiousness sometimes associated with depression. Cannabis aids the insomnia sometimes present in depression and can improve appetite. Better pain control with cannabis can reduce chronic pain related depression. While cannabis cannot yet be considered a primary treatment of major depression it may improve mood when used under physicians supervision and in combination with therapy and/or SSRIâ??s.


2003 - Jay Cavanaugh, PhD


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Bill Zimmerman, PhD, former President of the Americans For Medical Rights, stated in his 1998 book Is Marijuana the Right Medicine For You?:



Some patients have found the mood altering effects of marijuana to be helpful for treating mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and bipolar (manic-depressive) illness. Using marijuana to treat mood disorders was described in medical writings in the 19th and early 20th centuries...

However, using marijuana to treat mood disorders can be very tricky... If you intend to use marijuana for this purpose, it is very important that you thoroughly discuss it with your doctor. Patients who respond well report that marijuana not only diminishes their undesirable moods, it also motivates them to productivity. For some of these patients, depression was a by-product of a debilitating disease or illness for which marijuana provided a welcome remedy. For others, the marijuana seems to have acted directly on the depression.

The mental component of the pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) often causes psychological problems and is now technically classified as an atypical (not typical) depression. Many women report benefit from using marijuana to improve the symptoms of PMS.

This is great news! I have been using prescribed Ativan for my severe anxiety and to be honest it sucks. Every time I try to go off the drug I suffer from horrible insomnia and night sweats. I would much rather have MMJ card to treat my severe depression and anxiety....plus I would love to gain back the 30 pounds I lost due to these conditions.

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Originally Posted by ShedToker

This is great news! I have been using prescribed Ativan for my severe anxiety and to be honest it sucks. Every time I try to go off the drug I suffer from horrible insomnia and night sweats. I would much rather have MMJ card to treat my severe depression and anxiety....plus I would love to gain back the 30 pounds I lost due to these conditions.

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write a letter and send it in !!

Thanks Self-Med!

Will do, I'll send it in this week.

any word?

I started smoking marijuana because of severe social anxiety and depression! I was going insane on ativan the doctors were giving me more and more it got to the point where they had to strap me down in the hospital and shoot me full of haldol

finally a family member was so stressed seeing me suffer like that (they literally thought I was posessed and even had a pastor pray over me I was doing so poorly) they introduced me to weed.

It helped me in ways nothing else ever had. Definitely writing a letter.

Jan. 2nd or so from my understanding, is when we will get the news from MQAC.

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Originally Posted by jamessr

Jan. 2nd or so from my understanding, is when we will get the news from MQAC.

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cool, thanks, hope it went well...