Spoiler Alert! It doesn’t go well — except that it does. Here’s the most telling line:

It took two days for the side-effects of my maiden trip to wear off. But here’s the thing…. I had no pain whatsoever, for two whole days. Nothing.

As certain chefs around the Compassionate Cooking kitchens like to say, “Start with half of what you think you need!” You can read the whole account of this woman’s maiden voyage into the world of medical marijuana here.

A new Michigan-based medical marijuana coalition –The National Patients Rights Association (NPRA) — has been formed by some of the nation’s leading medical marijuana advocates to protect patient rights. The group will encourage legislators, prosecutors, and local governments to fully honor the decision of voters that enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana in 16 states and the nation’s capital.

Read the full announcement here.

Richard Branson, “It’s time to end the failed war on drugs” from The Telegraph, January 23, 2012:

Drugs are dangerous and ruin lives. They need to be regulated. But we should work to reduce the crime, health and social problems associated with drug markets in whatever way is most effective. Broad criminalisation should end; new policy options should be explored and evaluated; drug users in need should get treatment; young people should be dissuaded from drug use via education; and violent criminals should be the target of law enforcement. We should stop ineffective initiatives like arresting and punishing citizens who have addiction problems.

The US could stand to pay attention to what smart folks world-wide are saying. Read more here.

Another recipe from Doc Red…

Heavenly Hashed Potatoes
Doc Red

Doc Red

Compassionate Cooking

2012-01-26

Potatoes

Doc Red's Heavenly Hash Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 5-6 large potatoes
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 4 tbs cannabutter (For a more potent alternative, use 3 tbs regular butter, whipped along with 2 tsp hash oil)
• Black pepper
• Italian Seasoning

Instructions

1. Peel your potatoes and cut into 1″ pieces.
2. Place the potatoes and chicken broth in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
5. Drain, but hold on to the broth.
6. Mash potatoes with 1/4 cup broth, cream, butter and black pepper.
7. Add additional broth as needed to reach desired consistency.
8. Sprinkle top with Italian Seasoning to taste.
9. Serve in a glass dish and enjoy!

A quick and easy snack or dinner accompaniment, today’s recipe is another one from Doc Red. This Quick And Easy Garlic Loaf truly is also versatile and tasty.

Quick And Easy Garlic Loaf
Doc Red

Doc Red

Compassionate Cooking

2012-01-24

Breads

Photo by jspatchwork

Ingredients

• One loaf of your favorite fresh bread — we’re partial to French.
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tsp cannabutter
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tbs paprika

Instructions

1. Cut the load in half lengthwise.
2. Mix cannabutter, butter and garlic together.
3. Spread onto the bread.
4. Sprinkle paprika on top.
5. Wrap in foil
6. Bake at 325° for 5-10 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

Thanks, Doc!!

Today’s recipe comes to us from Doc Red, a new friend to the Compassionate Cooking community. We hope you all enjoy it!

The Seattle PI has an interesting post up today touching on medical cannabis, children and autism. It includes two videos of a young boy who is being medicated with marijuana. The first video is pre-medication, the second post-medication. There is no question that the first video is incredibly hard to watch, but it’s worth it just to see the difference in the child’s disposition post-medication. I can’t imagine what this boy’s parents must have gone through while trying to find what works best for their child, but we wish them the best going forward. Hopefully medical cannabis is something they can work into this boy’s regular treatment.

You can read the whole post and watch the videos here.

With all the headlines about dispensaries being shut down in the last few months of 2011, it’s easy to forget that some great strides were made on the medical cannabis front. Fortunately, MPP’s Rob Kampia has taken the time to remind us over at the Huffington Post site. A highlight:

2. Our ideal bill is finally introduced in Congress: On June 23, Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced a bill that would let states determine their own marijuana policies — not just medical-marijuana policies — without federal interference. MPP had lobbied Congress for five years to initiate this legislation, which MPP helped draft. As of today, 21 House members are sponsoring this legislation.

You can see the entire list of 2011 Top 10′s here and it’s well worth the read.

Here is a quick guide to the six leading GOP Presidential candidates and their views on cannabis courtesy of the folks over at NORML.

Many thanks to WAMM.org for the video.