I wrote this today for the residents of the senior community where I live and put it on their Facebook Page.
CANNABIS CORNER: I don't know how many people at W.V. have considered or tried using cannabis for chronic pain and other physical ailments. I do know and have talked with more than a few residents who have researched and experimented with the different forms of cannabis both to help with medical problems and for recreation, and/or stress reduction, sometimes instead of alcohol and sometimes in addition to alcohol, the former I am leery of for several reasons which I can discuss elsewhere.
For those new to the subject, the first thing to note is that of the dozens of chemicals in the cannabis plant there are two basic kinds: THC varieties which may make you feel euphoric, high, enhance perceptual experience, and for some people with the high Sativa varieties have mild psychedelic effects., and CBD which has many medical benefits but doesn't cause you to get high.
The other thing new or potential users should know is that you can get cannabis into your system in ways that don't include smoking. Vaping is one way in which a rather expensive gadget ($80-$250 or more) heats fine ground cannabis buds without setting them on fire, but causes the chemicals to vaporize. With glass bongs, some the elaborate work of glassblowers costing over $1,000, you burn the pot but then inhale it through water which cools it. You still have to inhale the vapors into your lungs.
The easiest way to use cannabis it to try edibles. They come in many varieties but I see most people choosing chocolate. It comes in several varieties but not nearly as many as the buds, usually 100-200 hybrids with different chemical combinations and aromas from sweet to pungent to sour. These are sold for smoke and vaping. The effects or ingesting cannabis take 90 minutes or so to be felt and last for a longer time.
An Oregon company, Peak Extracts makes a delicious $20-25 edible chocolate bar with 10 squares in several varieties with different effects:
Another use of cannabis is to help relieve joint and muscle pain and tension with CBD cream which also includes other ingredients. Some of the Sacred Herb Medicinals look like small deodorant sticks which you apply to the painful area. The ingredients of this product are cocoa butter, olive oil, beeswax, avocado oil, Johaba oil, Cannabis (4.14 mg CBD, 0.85 mg. THC), cinnamon, rosemary, arnica, pepper, camphor oil, peppermint oil, and lavender oil. Just reading the ingredients might enhance the placebo effect.
I find it works almost instantly on my mild knee pain and lasts a few hours.
Here’s another topical, Rescue Rub, which touts its mix of CBC cannabis and Chinese herbs. The manufacturer recommend its for a wide range of conditions:
- Arthritis, Joint Pain, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, Strains, Sprains, Eczema, Psoriasis, Neurogenic pain, Abdominal Pain, Whiplash, Dry Skin, or any inflammatory condition
Residents who report using cannabis for medical reasons tell me that they have had varying degrees of success. There is a wealth of information online and, notably, free personalized advice readily available from the friendly and knowledgeable staff (aka budmasters) at cannabis stores like Green Planet which is just down McLaughlin ( a street residents where I live are familar with) on the left next to the pet food store.
I have my own personal story to tell about my wife's experience with using marijuana to alleviate the debilitations symptoms of chemotherapy. Reading Corey Booker’s first Daily Kos article "It’s (Past) Time to Legalize Marijuana," led me to look up the story I wrote in 2013 which was published in our local paper in Southeastern Massachusetts. It is still relevant today so I republished it here on Daily Kos (above).
I don't consider myself an expert on cannabis, however I have been trying to read up on the current research and am always willing to discuss the subject. There may be some people who consider the subject verboten and are loath to reveal that they have been using it, let alone share their personal experiences perhaps out of concern that there are people here who will judge them harshly.
Considering that some people who consider marijuana use alcohol to achieve a state of consciousness that is to varying degrees impaired I see a kind of ignorant hypocrisy when they look askance at those who use a far less harmful chemical to alter their consciousness.
I am more than willing to talk to anybody about my experiences.