News From Dallas: ASA on the Road

October 25, 2007

ASA Participates in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's National Conference! This week, ASA Executive Director, Steph Sherer, Government Affairs Director, Caren Woodson, and I traveled to Dallas, Texas to attend the annual National Multiple Sclerosis Society's 2007 National Conference in an effort to continue to build a coalition of condition-based groups and expand ASA MS Patients' Union. We staffed our educational outreach exhibit and discussed safe access to marijuana with a receptive audience of people living with MS, their family-members, caregivers, and advocates. We also were afforded the opportunity to broaden our knowledge about both the National MS Society and the innovations in Multiple Sclerosis research and treatment. The overall reception from conference participants has been very encouraging. Many people remembered us from last year's conference. Others were introduced to medical cannabis as treatment for symptoms associated with MS for the first time. Building on the momentum generated from an article published earlier this year by InsideMS, "Considering Cannabis," We have been introducing several MS Society chapter leaders, members, and staff to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis and it's ability to treat several symptoms associated with MS. Since ASA participated in last year's conference, the National MS Society has implemented a Cannabis Task Force, led by MS expert, Dr. Alan J. Thompson, to, "review published studies on medical marijuana and make recommendations." Read more about the objectives of the task force in the Considering Cannabis article. Click here to read more about ASA's Patients' Unions.