How Not To Die

RackMaster

Nasty-Dirty-Canuck
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This is a good read. No matter your personal views on medical-cannabis or even cannabis use in general; it has proven to be a life saving medication for many Veteran's around the world. Here in Canada it has helped many Veteran's from current conflicts to Korean War Veteran's; some that would have never touched the stuff in the past. In many cases getting off much of the typical prescription drugs and become a functional member of their families again.

Why one New Brunswick veteran—afflicted by PTSD, forgotten by the military, and armed with an evangelical faith in the healing power of pot—turned his small town into Canada's medical-cannabis capital.

How Not to Die
 
Any doubts I had about medical marijuana--and I had quite a few--have been reasoned out of me. The more I read the more I'm convinced my initial skepticism was unfounded.

Just like any medication, it's not for everyone. I personally use it and after years of numerous other meds, it's been the only one to bring me back closer to who I was. It has a steep learning curve, as there's so many different strains that do different things and many different ways to use it; no longer just a joint or pipe. Ingestion is actually proving to be the most effective.

There's also some great research out of just the use of CBD which can be extracted from hemp and has no psychoactive reaction. There's some really good companies in the U.S. doing just that with hemp to make it legal every where. Even a company dedicated to the military community and with a fairly prominent warfighter celebrity behind it. I won't put them here as per site advertising policies but anyone interested, feel free to send me a mesaage.
 
And all the better under controlled circumstances. I used to treat some of my issues by self-medicating with pot & booze & loud rock music in various low dives and roadhouses. And that's a temporary fix that has a lot of bad consequences.
 
Medical marijuana has benefits that should be studied; however, one of the problems that negatively affects its recognition as a legitimate medication is the number of people who suddenly develop eligible medical conditions so they can receive a prescription (yes, I know people do this with opiates and benzos etc.). They aren't even discreet about it; it's a running joke.

The conflict between state laws authorizing its use and federal law that prohibits it must also be reconciled here in the US. You can't have it both ways.
 
Medical marijuana has benefits that should be studied; however, one of the problems that negatively affects its recognition as a legitimate medication is the number of people who suddenly develop eligible medical conditions so they can receive a prescription (yes, I know people do this with opiates and benzos etc.). They aren't even discreet about it; it's a running joke.

The conflict between state laws authorizing its use and federal law that prohibits it must also be reconciled here in the US. You can't have it both ways.

Completely agree on all points. There's a lot of work still to be done. And now the push for recreational use in Canada is complicating the issue. So many claim it needs to be legalized so they can get their "medicine" but they can already get it if they have a legit medical use. There's a lot of online and Skype based "clinics" popping up now, just to get your R/X; some are legit but many are not. Even worse are storefront dispensaries that have a doctor on call and you can get your card in one visit. Besides the fact that the current legal producers can't keep up with current medicinal demand, when recreational hits; who's going to suffer. There's some good studies going on now, here and the US but we shouldn't discount research done in other jurisdictions. Israel is far ahead of both our countries with research but it's not cited because Health Canada or the FDA didn't do it or fund it themselves.
 
When I saw the thread title I thought, "The perfect book for all pre-op patients. and staff".:rolleyes:

The argument for marijuana use has and will go on as long as it is there to use. The one caution I have, in "First Do No Harm" is to avoid inhaled products. The active ingredient is carried in the inhaled tar. The tar will hang around in the lungs longer than the tar inhaled with tobacco. The damage to the lungs may not be worth the believed benefits.

My suggestion is to make brownies, not paper rolled and inhaled products.

My $.02.

Among most that I know, especially those that never used it before; don't smoke. They either use vaporizers or edibles, whether food items, edible oil and capsules. It lasts longer between doses and seems to be more effective. Also A lot use strictly high CBD, with low or near nil THC; resulting in no impairment.
 
My thoughts on this are well known. Marijuana should be legalized federally. Insurance should cover the CBD heavy variants for appetite stimulation and pain relief. We use canninaboid containing products in the ICU now, for exactly those things.
 
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I'll add that before I went this route, I tried synthetic canninaboids with little success. It helped a bit with pain and sleep but not to the same effect I get now.

And after years of a variety of different sleep aids, this is the only medication that I noticed a major change; it seems to have reset my internal "clock". I haven't had the need fòr a nap since and it was almost a daily occurrence for year's. Even if I have toddler induced broken sleep. lol
 
Canada does lead the way in the field ( it has it's growing adherents here) and if I'm not mistaken, the medical variety takes out the THC or something similar so it is fundamentally a medication.
 
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