In the last six years, Colorado has seen a population boom reminiscent of the state’s first few years of settlement. But rather than staking mining claims or establishing homesteads, these new pioneers are on the frontier of an emerging science: marijuana as treatment for various debilitating conditions. This book contains personal accounts from doctors, researchers, and patients—self-proclaimed “refugees” seeking treatment unavailable elsewhere—who are at the forefront of medical marijuana practice. Their stories provide unique insights into a social, political and medical revolution.

Tracy Ferrell, Ph.D., is on the faculty of the program for writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research and teaching interests include Latin American literature and culture, Mexico and U.S. border issues, immigration, and drug policy/the drug war. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Tracy Ferrell
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 237
Bibliographic Info: 30 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7859-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3723-5
Imprint: Toplight

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction: “Pikes Peak or Bust” 5
1. What About the Children? 21
2. Inadvertent Activists 50
3. Providing Hope 72
4. Refugee Community 93
5. Where’s the Research? 116
6. Thank You for Your Service 136
Conclusion: Why Federal Policy Must Change 157
Epilogue: What Now? 165
Appendix A: University of Colorado School of Medicine Guidelines for Human Subject Research Involving Cannabis as of February 2016 173
Appendix B: Resources 175
Appendix C: State Medical Cannabis Laws as of December 2018 181
Chapter Notes 187
References 200
Index 221

• “Even ardent just-say-no proponents may reconsider their feelings toward medical marijuana after reading the stories Ferrell shares about how pot helps people struggling with seizures, Crohn’s disease, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism…an informative, thoughtprovoking, and worthy read”—Booklist