Is this topic taboo? Its probably better for us than all the meds they give us. I have read a book about a woman Who used it for MS, she said it gave her immense relief and better quality of life. All drugs scare me even the Humira, i have a phobia about things like that and am like a little kid when my jab comes round
Once the government figures out how to tax it the stuff will prolly be medical necessity legal everywhere. It has been proven to help with nausea, pain, glaucoma, MS, and other medical issues. Too bad our goverment won't let it be medically legal. I can't smoke it. Makes me feel like I can't breathe lol. Have always wondered why that wasn't legal when alcohol is...Personally I haven't smoked pot since college in the late 80s though....I wonder if it would still make me as goofy (and sometimes even paranoid) with out of control munchies as it did back then? Of course the pred is doing that (munchies) to me anyway. I also wonder if when it is in a "medicinal form" is it more standardized-like or is it the same kind of crap shoot stronger/weaker thing I experienced "back in the day"?
For a free country the government really has some control over what we put in our bodies to help ourselves get some relief from pain, nausea, illnesses, etc. Back in the day you used to be able to get seeds from Holland and grow some amazing stuff. I never did but I knew people that did. Personally, I dont want "fake" stuff that they concoct in a lab if I was going to use marijuana medically. There is a reason that it needs to be done from the plant itself. Breck stated that very well. Breck you made some very good points that I do agree with. Especially your philisophical ones. This thread is really very very interesting. Thanks for starting it Alleycat and thanks for sharing your political/tecnhical knowledge/insight all (Brecklunden especially). Have to share something really funny with you all timing-wise sort of regarding this topic. During the two weeks that I had to wait for my Rheumy Appt to discuss the RA diagnosis he had left on my answering machine, I distracted myself seemingly coincidentally with a massive first time greenhouse gardening project. Have always liked flowers and have usually bought them each year to enjoy on my patio, but had never messed with seeds before. In any event, as soon as I heard dx, I just felt compelled to engage in an activity to cope with my "houseboundness" and isolation - and to do something with my ever deteriorating hands while I still could. (I seem to have these little windows of time (1-3 hours) each night at odd unpredictable times where I suddenly feel really good - my hands especially). I also think subconciously I was seeking the therapeutic aspect of needing to engage in something where I could exert some control and experience progress. And probably because it beat the heck out of directly talking about my dx, my friends/family were more than happy to assist me in getting me set up with easy access to every single type of flower seed made, as well as some as vegetables/ fruits, pots, dirt etc etc... and I have basically converted my office and another couple of rooms to greenhouses now. Three weeks into this, with thriving sprouts absolutely everywhere (it looks completely insane and eccentric btw) I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do with all of this...AND with my newfound interest... So as far as my current crop goes, I've decided on donating potted and cut flower arrangments to area nursing homes etc. since there are far more flowers here than I will be able to live around as they grow.......BUT (whenever/if ever it would be legal enough for me to stay out of jail) I would love to volunteer as the "forum gardner" with my newfound passion. :-) Personally I think the use of Marijuanna is up to the individual. If it helps and you can balance the pro's and con's just like any other of the meds we take, then go for it. I know that personally I would never use it, due to the psychotic properties it has. Having already experienced psychosis and not really wanting to again, I try to avoid all drugs which may affect thought, including alcohol. When the doctors put me on something which may cause any psychotic side-effects (like pred) they monitor me very closely. If they could find a way to distill the pain-killing component (like asprin from willow-bark) then who knows! I smoke everyday. It helps ALOT! -Zeekman
My approach to my illness, like many of you, will be to fight joint damage and deterioration with whatever drugs show the most promise even if it means taking risks, and to fight the pain with the minimum effective dose and with the most minimally harmful drugs. It seems to me that Sativex (derived from cannabis) and/or smoking pot offer two possible treatments for pain and sleep difficulties (and morning stiffness).
Right now, neither option is legally available to me and I have no personal experience with either, but I feel the need to develop a stand on these issues and would like to know what others think.
-Allie
There are people who do use cannabis for chronic illness and get great relief from doing so.Personally I have never been into using anything like that for any kind of reason, but i keep an open mind and each to their own
To each to his own!
If it's legal, and people use it responsibly, I have no problem with it.
Honestly, I don't care if its legal or not! I think there are a lot of things that are legal that shouldn't be but that is a different topic all together!
Scrambled Brains
Thanks for all the straightforward responses! I guess those of us who need to try and use lots of medications have a more nuanced view of the whole legal/illegal substance debate. The line can be arbitrary and when you're in pain, that's infuriating.
Allie
One of my topics! I fully support the idea of MMJ. And that is because people need access to all the options put on this planet for our use. Nothing like declaring "illegal plants" it assumes those who make these laws know more then the God they supposedly worship. Which is supposed to be a "sin" in itself and far worse then making use of this "evil" plant....Ahh, but that is another issue for another time...
I have, from personal experience, found that I get total pain relief from a small amount. And it's not enough to get a high from really but there is a mood elevation for me similar to when I take vicodin. Nothing beyond that though.
We here in California voted to make MMJ LEGAL and it's the Fed that is now arresting folks who run the MMJ shops. I have not read about any of the patients being charged or arrested.
I am not the sort of uses drugs. Never have been as I earn my living using my brain and need a clear head. But I have tired it in recent years and it does relieve my pain better then any opiate I have tried. Additionally it offers stress relief for a while which also can only help reduce pain.
It's ironic that we with RA and other autoimmune diseases take medications like MTX, Remicade, Arava, Prednisone, etc...all of which can destroy your liver or kidneys in a single dose or slowly in the long term, can have life shortening or debilitating side effects, but yet a simple plant offering relief from the symptoms with no detrimental side effects, no possibility of overdose cannot be used legally. It is a medication that will not harm you in any way. Even when abused (usually by those would would or already abuse other things) the damage is minimal and cannot kill a person. But this medication is beyond our reach because the PTB's (Powers that Be) wish it so...oh, well, bummer...
I am not one to say everyone should use this medication instead of this or that...but we need the choice to decide what Tx works best for our individual needs. RA cannot be cured and I am not sold that the DMARDs and such have true benefit over the long term because of their toxicity so I simply seek relief from the symptoms until a safe medication/treatment is found. And this medication offers a safe alternative. If you doubt this I would suggest doing your own research and read the info out there from both sides of the fence. I suspect you will come to agree. And if not at least you read and decided for yourself, wouldn't it be nice if those people who want to use this medication were allowed that same option?
Plus the idea that we will not have a legal access until the DrugCo's can take their cut is down right in-humanly evil.
oops...I am ranting a bit...sorry...hehehe
yeah, the stronger/weaker thing is a huge issue today. Basically because some people have green thumb and others stink at growing. Also, a problem is the way it's grown. They say many growers use some seriously bad chemicals or the soil can be contaminated which of course can spread into the plant...which is bad for us.
The person who helped me try some has left the area so since I am clueless I would never obtain any from a source I could not trust completely. This is another reason for such medications to be legal.
The biggest concern over the "extracts" the Drugco's are creating is how effective they are compared to whole herb use. The make up is very compex. I forget the exact number but apparently there are over 100 compounds that go into creating the medical benefits of the plant. So these extracts might not offer the same relief. For example if one canniboid extract does work on pain and another on stress, are we then going to have to take two different meds? What I see is the DrugCo's know the writing is on the wall but want to be able to control it and turn what should be a cheap medication into a potentially toxic and expensive series of drugs. As with everything "...follow the money..."
As for the paranoia effect, I recall reading this is due to using the wrong strain of MJ for you. There are basically two types sativa and indica. Apparently they can effect people differently. It has all gotten really technical.
BTW, in some stats with legal MMJ laws it is legal to grow one or two plants for yourself for medical use. That is the tricky part, getting the Doc to write a recommendation so you can get your state MMJ card. Even the Feds do not seem to be interested in those doing so...of course there are the houses in LA recently that were HUGE pot farms...it has been amazing reading about them in the LA Times this year.
You actually can still order the seeds.
Don't even ask me how/why I know that. I just do. I used to work with an interesting group of people. lol
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/22/ CMGD3OTC0O1.DTL&type=health
Thanks for the article link. I found it very interesting; especially because we may well be moving to the Bay Area soon (for my husband's work, not for the pot).
I think that's what a drug company's tried to do with Sativex (and it might actually be legal already in the UK). Try googling
-Allie
Allie - According to their website it has not been approved anywhere except Canada, but it is licenced to a drug company in the UK and one for Europe. Although it is only approved for neuropathic pain due to MS.
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