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Pass the Bong and Tune up the Berlioz...in Denver...


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When the Colorado Symphony announced recently that it would hold a series of bring-your-own-marijuana fund-raisers, called “Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series,” sponsored by the state’s newly legal cannabis industry, the orchestra got laughs on late-night talk shows and was featured in publications that rarely cover classical music, including High Times.

Now the city of Denver is asking the orchestra to call off the events, arguing that they would run afoul of laws prohibiting the public consumption of marijuana. The symphony, which planned the fund-raisers as private events in an effort to comply with the law, is mulling whether it can go ahead with the first one, scheduled for May 23

LOL! That's brilliant. Hope they work out the details.

 

One issue with something like this -- they would have a LOT less trouble if they allowed smoking...

 

... because, otherwise, you are going to get a WHOLE lot of people using edibles. And edibles are, for many folks, very hard to gauge and predict the affects of (for a variety of reasons running from varying doses in homemades or varying distribution through commercially made products (all the 'good stuff' is at one end of the cannabis-chocolate bar, for instance).

 

People who use marijuana medically have often found that the safest way to intake the minimum necessary is by smoking.

 

Of course, smoking can be counter-indicated for some, as well. But I have an acquaintance who has struggled with recurring cancer for several decades and had literally scores of operations. Her oncologist said, Look, have you considered marijuana to help ease pain and keep your appetite up? She told him she was worried about her asthma. He said, be careful, go slow, but you'll probably get more benefit from the medical pot than you will get negative impact on your asthma. And he was apparently right because she's been doing that since and swears by it.

 

That said, it may not be of benefit to others. And, as always, one should be wary of exaggerated health benefit claims. There are some very suggestive and promising scientific findings, but I've also read some exaggerated claims from some non-medical types.

 

There has also been some quite irresponsible and inaccurate reporting in the mainstream media, as well. The medical and science writers on many periodicals seem like they really want to break away to go write sports or lifestyle features and often take a superficial and inaccurate take on things. A recent, extremely preliminary and highly inconclusive study on 'brain changes' in marijuana users was grossly distorted in the popular press, for example.

 

Because I got sick of reading ridiculously bad medical reporting in the press, I signed up to get daily news reports from the physician-facing MedPageToday. Since it's oriented to practicing physicians, the write-ups are a bit on the dry side -- but that's how you avoid the sensationalism and distortions so common in the science and medical writing in the mainstream media.

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I'm totally with you on the irresponsible reporting on medical issues in the press. Each new study that "suggests" or "links" this and that is presented as if it's the latest, most reliable word on some medical issue. Instead of what all these "hot" articles are - just incremental steps in the long, complex academic conversation in which consensus is created only over time and with many "two steps forward, one step back" moments.

 

The public is partially to blame to - or should I say the ignorance that hampers public understanding of how medical science - or any science for that matter - actually proceeds is also to blame.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of GPs fall for the "latest study" and "newest drug" hype. I suspect a little palm-greasing from the drug companies is a heavy factor in this. I do know docs who have personally told me how they get courted by the drug and equipment companies with cash, vacations, freebie this and freebie that. And we all know how heavily the drug companies fund their TV advertising - "ask your doctor about Crapalex!" Exploiting sick people's desires for wellness..."maybe THIS drug will be what I need! (since the last 5 drugs didn't exactly do the trick).

 

As long as this sort of "free enterprise" degrades the medical system, it ain't gonna change soon.

 

nat whilk ii

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Yep. Big Pharma dumps HUGE amounts of 'considerations' into the hands of various medical biz entities to help ensure it's their products that 'come first' to the mind of prescribing physicians and PA's. So to speak.

 

MedPageToday's editors apparently got so exercised over the widespread mis-reporting of the cannabis study I mentioned above that they wrote an editorial castigating not just the mainstream media's gullibility -- but also, in somewhat reserved tones -- some of what they suggested were unfounded assumptions in the study's conclusion section.

Striking a Nerve: Bungling the Cannabis Story

 

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If it does go on(in a Closed private building), after the second hand smoke waifs through to the Stage you will find the Orchestra stuck in the same Motif and riff for the whole program, when it reaches the Brass they will adding Chicago style Stab's with the Woodwinds Noodling a semiquaver retort and all the while the Percussion covering the whole mess with their own version of Wipe out.

 

Not to worry the concert goers will be swaying lighters lit through the whole affair and afterwords proclaiming it was the best concert EVER!

 

They need to tape the event to see it the next day...just for laughs.

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I dunno... I saw the LA Phil do 400 Motels at UCLA under perhaps similar circumstances sometime around '70 and they didn't seem to loosen up much at all. Except for a couple guys who took Zappa up on his invitation to join the Mothers in an encore jam...

 

wink_zpsa9897a65.gif

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I dunno... I saw the LA Phil do 400 Motels at UCLA under perhaps similar circumstances sometime around '70 and they didn't seem to loosen up much at all. Except for a couple guys who took Zappa up on his invitation to join the Mothers in an encore jam...

 

wink_zpsa9897a65.gif

That had to be a classic.

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