The only things that irritates me more than stereotypical potheads, are people who think they're real life vampires. All bitching aside, I hear that marijuana has medicinal purposes. In fact I would probably be a prime candidate for Oregon's medical marijuana program, which twelve other states also implement. Although I could totally be sporting the members only jacket in the pot club, or rather becoming legal, I don't have any plans to do so, at least at this time. The problem is, I fear that smoking weed would almost make some of my symptoms worse, such as those of the cognitive nature. Although I admittedly had "brain fog" long before I ever knew I had MS, it has become increasingly worse over the last year, and downright disturbing at times, since my Nov. attack/relapse/exacerbation/whatever. Another issue that has popped up lately is this short term memory business. Making brain jokes is getting a little old already. Now that I know it wasn't "all in my head" and in fact the brain is slightly out of whack, I sort of don't want to mess things up further.
So it seems like here in Oregon, since it is legal to grow and smoke marijuana if you have your handy dandy medical card, everyone and their brother wants to find a reason to get one. However the law here requires that you have one of a handful of specific conditions. It just so happens to be the most vague of these conditions, that of "severe pain", which as of January 2009, qualifies over eighteen thousand patients throughout Oregon to smoke the doob legally. The second highest group of qualifying members, with 5,683 patients, fall into the "persistent muscle spasms included but not limited to those caused my multiple sclerosis" group. Oddly enough, there are only 705 carded members with cancer, and 410 with HIV/+Aids. I suppose some of the people in the "severe pain" or "nausea" categories could also have cancer or HIV/+Aids, but it seems like it would be more logical to simply use the disease to qualify if you could, rather than a symptom.
Another interesting statistic that I found in my research, was that the Oregon county with the highest number of carded members, aside from the actual largest county in the state, is that of Lane county. The hilarious part about this, is that Eugene is in Lane county. If you know much about Oregon, you know Eugene is the hippy mecca of our state. You venture into Eugene, you are at an immediate risk of being hit in the face by a hackie sack. I live in Marion county, with a population of about 40,000 less than Lane county, yet we have about a third of the amount of carded members as Lane county. Anyway, funny finding.
So let us imagine then that you live in Oregon, and you have one of the various conditions which could qualify you for a medical marijuana card. Your first plan of action would be to visit your doctor, and hope to heck that they are one of the doctors that gives out actual recommendations. Not all do, but a little research and I'm sure there would be no issues getting into a doctor that would perhaps (with a little persistence on your part), hand you over that little slip of paper. Keep in mind however, that this is different than a prescription. You cannot go down to the pharmacy and come home with some sweet bud. Once you receive your recommendation, you will then use this to apply through the state, for your medical card. There is an application for you, with the basics, including where your grow site will be, along with who will be growing the plants. You can actually have a caregiver who takes on this task for you. You cannot have been convicted of a felony within the last five years, and you also need to include $100 for an application fee, unless you already receive some form of assistance from the state or SSI, in which case you pay $20. There is a short application for your attending physician, basically just consisting of a check mark of your condition, signature, yada yada. If you are under eighteen, there is also a small form for your parent/legal guardian to fill out.
It does strike me funny that once you receive your medical marijuana card, you're basically on your own. You or your designated caregiver are in charge of growing your own green. I suppose this isn't such a bad deal though, in fact I think this may be a HUGE part of the appeal for many of those who just might be part of the more "vague" symptoms club. The funny part about this is that the state will have no part in providing starter seeds, right down to even giving advice on where to get them. I did however notice that there are some websites online which give advice on how to go about finding starter seeds. Another important note regarding state laws and medical marijuana use, is that although you may be in compliance with the state, you are not protected from federal law.
So back to what medical marijuana use has to do with multiple sclerosis. Apparently there have been some studies done which show cannabis can be used for the treatment of spasticity, tremor, neuropathic pain, insomnia etc. I already know that there have been times that I have smoked in the past, and definitely gone straight to bed, those were the good experiences. As far as testing it out on any of my other symptoms which have included both spasticity and fine tremor, I can't say I've smoked recently enough to know. I also don't think that my symptoms are severe enough for me to really even notice a difference if I did smoke. I have read plenty of online examples however that have many MS patients who swear by the effects of MS, in fact 15% of those with MS use it. Considering that here in Oregon, there are over five thousand carded members smoking legally, coming from the group that includes MS alone, I'm assuming we have a decent number of MS patients here who are rocking some sweet ass bongs.
One of the main pros for the advocacy of medical marijuana use is that it not only seems to quell various symptoms, but it does so without having any major side effects. If the side effects aren't enjoyable to you, then you don't have to smoke it. It isn't like a drug that you feel like you should try and "tough out" taking until the side effects wear off or anything. Another positive take on legalized smoking is the fact that it is an organic substance, and doesn't contain the amount of toxins and chemicals which are often found in various symptom therapies. I found more than one study which backed up the claim that smoking can have positive effects on the treatment of MS, on some patients anyway. As pointed out on the NMSS site however, studies regarding the use of "cannabis" are tough in the aspect that they cannot be "unblinded" as well as administration levels in regards to various peoples tolerance levels, among other things. Apparently the NMSS is "funding a well controlled study on the effectiveness of different forms of marijuana to treat spasticity in MS...". I'll be interested to see the results.
The major downer in regards to having MS and using marijuana as an alternative symptomatic therapy, has to do with cognitive issues, which was my personal issue. There is a study in a 2008 online edition of the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology states, "People with MS who smoke marijuana are more likely to have emotional and memory problems." Well, this seems like a somewhat obvious statement. This is definitely my major issue with the thought of smoking weed after my diagnosis. Apparently though, not every single person living with MS deals with cog fog and short term memory. The statistics say something like fifty percent, but this isn't exact I'm sure. I think that those NOT dealing with cognitive issues would definitely be much better candidates.
All in all though, it really boils down to personal choice. Although clinical trials are great, and studies may help us determine the efficacy of a particular symptom therapy, that doesn't necessarily give us answers on how it will work for us. The studies thus far involving the use of medical marijuana haven't really turned me either on or off of the idea altogether. Our bodies are all different, we all have various symptoms, we all react to things differently. Unfortunately, my experiences with smoking weed haven't always been so pleasant. I generally just turn into a panicky, paranoid pig. However as I sit here typing this, and my fricking calve muscle is spazzing like crazy, I'm wondering if there may come a day when I would perhaps like to give weed one more shot, from a medical perspective this time. I think the beauty of this is that I live in one of those states where if I want to smoke something that could potentially relieve some of my symptoms without pumping a bunch of chemicals into my system, I can do that. I think everyone should have this choice.
If you are someone with MS and you smoke weed because it helps you deal with your symptoms, leave a flipping comment and help inform us on how it works for you. If you think smoking weed as a symptom therapy for MS is bullshit, say so. If you live in a state where it is illegal to smoke for medical reasons and you think it is bullshit, say so. Feedback people. I am curious to hear real opinions on the issue, good, bad and in between.
