Interviews with Medical Marijuana Patients

The following four people have a variety of medical conditions that have not responded well to some of the more traditional medications. Three of these people have experienced benefits from marijuana, some smoking, some in pill form. The fourth person would be very eager to trade in her present pain medication for LEGAL marijuana, but she doesn’t live in a state where it’s available.

Shelly

“I have chronic pain and a rare genetic disease called Porphyria. . I am chronically ill and have been so since I was a child. When I lived in another state I did use it in Pill form. It did help my chronic pain and really helped to control nausea and vomiting…to the point that I was able to gain weight which had been a problem at that point in time. I then moved back to Pennsylvania back in 2000 and haven’t touched it since as it’s too much of a pain in the bootay to get it here and I won’t do it illegally. Now I am back on morphine for chronic pain, Zofran and/or Phenergan for nausea and so forth. If I could, I would probably go back to using the pill form of marijuana as its cheaper and the response I had to it was better then what I am taking now.”

Mark

“My personal input… I have been on narcotics for pain control since 1989. For the past 6 years it has been morphine. On my less severe days I usually take Tylenol….then on other days I will take the morphine…some days one dose and on severe days maybe 6 doses. I had a great 2 weeks last month where all I took was Tylenol and no narcotics! I almost had a life! I take them when I need them and only when I need them. Since my morphine is in a liquid form, I can vary my dose to very tiny to potent…according to the amount of pain I am in that day. I prefer this method compared to a pill. I think the use of narcotics and other medications should always be last resort. I would much prefer the option of being able to smoke a little bit of marijuana and control my pain. At least it’s not addictive. This morphine does a number on me!”

Beth

“I have CREST Syndrome and Osteocronosis which has caused the bones in my legs to die. It’s probably the most painful condition you can experience. At least, that’s what they tell me. I have used Marijuana and, it should be legalized. The fact is, when you take any drug, whether it is Marijuana or Methadone (which I currently take 4 times a day) if you take it for pain, it is not addictive. Cigarettes and alcohol are addictive because they are not being used for medical purposes. I can not quit smoking for the life of me, but when I have low pain days I have absolutely no problem not taking a Methadone or Oxycontin. I have been on and off narcotics for over ten years and never have I gotten addicted to them. Side effects? YES! Addicted? NO. There are studies that show this to be true as well. Marijuana is not as harmful as heroin, or the other synthetics they put into prescription painkillers. It’s the political issues surrounding the substance that is keeping it from being used, not the medical issues. I just know that if marijuana were legal here I’d be using it right now. I’ve developed a tremor in my right hand that they suspect might be Parkinson’s and the pain is at least an 8 most of the time with the Methadone. It takes tremendous effort to keep working through it all every day.”

AJ

“I suffer from chronic pain due to a muscle disease and multiple entrapment neuropathy due to getting hit by a drunk driver in 1993. I have never tried marijuana ever, as I do not smoke. Not only that but as a mom in the USA I don’t want a rap sheet and honestly would not know where to get the stuff. On the subject of pain, I have been put on one of the strongest pain killers and controlled substances I know of, yet I worry what it is doing to my body. I seem to be going down hill. Even if I have a good spell for a while due to the pain med increase, it always gets bad again. I have stopped telling my family that I hurt so much because that becomes a burden to them, so I stiff upper lip it and pretend the pain will pass. I don’t want to smoke ANYTHING but would not be opposed to taking the marijuana pill, or trying the special recipe brownies!” All of these people have physicians who would be supportive of medical marijuana, but they are closely watching the pending court cases in California. They do not want to jeopardize their license to practice Medicine or even, subject themselves to a potential jail sentence. Until the Federal Government is in agreement with the states which have passed compassionate use laws, there will be continuing problems. But with more and more medical groups finishing studies on marijuana use, there will be less reason for the Federal Government to continue to classify marijuana as a highly addictive substance without any proven medical benefits. The cards are finally stacking in the favor of Medical Marijuana.