Knowledge of marijuana's medicinal properties is not new - Queen Victoria used it to alleviate period pains - but now, after many years of disinterest on the part of the medical establishment, demand is growing for wider official use of the drug. Among the qualities claimed for it are pain relief (especially for people suffering from spinal injuries and chronic muscle spasms), appetite stimulation, and relief from the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and glaucoma. In this book, three doctors describe each type of condition that marijuana can alleviate, explain recent scientific research, and provide practical information on the best ways to take it.
Bill Zimmerman is a partner in Zimmerman & Markman, Inc., a national political consulting firm based in Santa Monica. The firm has won numerous ballot initiative campaigns, including historic first victories for physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, state-funded elections in Arizona, medical marijuana in California, drug treatment instead of incarceration in California, and a 1% surtax on California income over $1 million, the proceeds of which fund community mental health programs.
Before joining the firm, Bill produced advertising for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, Colorado Senators Gary Hart and Tim Wirth, New Mexico Governor Toney Anaya, and numerous others. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and briefly taught there and at Brooklyn College. He is the author of three books and numerous articles, was the founder and Chairman of Medical Aid for El Salvador, and currently lives in Topanga, California. He is married to Joan Andersson. They are the parents of Nico Zimmerman and Emma Andersson.
