Medical Marijuana may have a future in Texas!

[scifi-enthusiast]

I'm sorry guys, I didn't know where else to post this, and since it is a medication that's known to work on many Crohn's patients I wanted to share.

So, I found out that in Texas (the state I currently reside) the democrat representatives have decided to push for all legislatures to vote for the legalization for medical marijuana.
Texas Dems Embrace Medical Marijuana (article)

See whenever I flare and my appetite drops and am in severe pain I turn to marijuana, but as of late I had to temporarily quit since my sister & nieces have moved in with me. I've done some research and found that people have been able just to rely on marijuana instead of having to take prednisone and other medications. Many people have gone years without a flare up because they have been using it as a daily medication. Hopefully, soon it will be legalized here and I won't have to worry about being arrested for using a medication that actually works.

 

[Chris1984]

good to hear texas may be legalizing medical marijuana. without marijuana i dont know where i'd be, becoming legal was one of the best things i did. good luck with everything.

 

[Regular Joe]

First I'll admit to having used this drug for recreational purposes for many years, from early teens until I was 30. I had an extremely bad experience with it at that time, and I was through with it. I never had the urge to partake for recreation. I became sober, and I was adamently against drug use. Period. Medical or not.

I won't take narcotic pain medication unless I'm nearly forced to...that happened after a major surgery when a Brit doc here in Cleveland exclaimed that my recovery prognosis would be "disasterous" if I didn't "push the button". I did it while he was watching, and two more times when the nurse kept pestering me. I just can't stand the feeling of an "induced" pharmacological/drug "buzz". I would not smoke marijuana even knowing it's clinical benefits.

But that is my choice, and it might not even be a good choice. However, a few things happened that really took me by surprise.

I have seen personal cases and stories upon stories that have convinced me beyond any doubt that marijuana (medical and from "da street") possesses INCREDIBLE clinical healing and theraputic properties. I have strong respect for the use of medical marijuana, and I would advocate it's legalization, in spite of being against personally using it ever again.

Have you ever seen the final stages of metastasized cancer overtake a person you love or care for? Have you ever looked into the hollow eyes of a friend with gray skin covering essentially a skeleton? Have you ever heard someone tell you how two joints of weed a day helped her keep a job for over two years now, and gain back weight lost from Crohn's Disease? How she used the bathroom 10 - 15 times per day, and now goes regular once a day? Have you ever seen a clinically depressed adult, over a year depressed, laugh, stick out their toungue and spray you with "cottonmouthed" spit, and laugh themselves into tears? I had the absolute joy of sneaking a piece of bread with peanut butter only to this person, and what a rumba to be a part of! We both could have laughed for days (I was not using the weed).

There has been a time or two when I "scored" for someone in medical need. That goes against almost every fiber in my body...but it was worse to watch and be a part of suffering that I had the limited ability to ease.

For Chris1984: Please tell me, since you're on the border to my farm state, how does the process work in Michigan? Please be as detailed as you wish because I understand exactly how well marijuana can help with Crohn's, cancer, AIDS, and depression. I know a few people who might be interested in this type of therapy.

 

[Chris1984]

you're a good man joe, i respect you a TON after reading that post.

well first you have to find a doctor that supports the use of medical marijuana which is not too easy. but after that its a breeze. just take your records that state your disease/disorder to the doctor and as long as its on the list of supported diseases, the doctor will fill out and sign an application, then the patient must fill out and sign and application and send it to the state with a $100 application fee. the state then has 15 days to approve or deny the applicant, the ONLY reason people are denied is if the application is filled out incorrectly, the state will send you a letter if you're denied, not if you're approved. then 21 days after the state cashes your check you are legal to medicate. now, you can assign a caregiver, which is a person who will grow your marijuana for you or you can choose to grow it yourself..you must make your decision on the application. the state is about 4-5 months behind on getting patients their cards, i still dont have mine, but it doesnt matter because copies of the application is just as good as the card. there are a few marijuana stores opening up and there are club meetings where you can purchase your medication.

if you dont like smoking it there are other ways to ingest it, it can be made into tinctures, edibles and the oil can be put into capsules, you can also use a vaporizer which is 100x safer than smoking. small doses of the oil and/or tincture has great medicinal value without ANY high/buzz what so ever. i whole heartedly believe that most all people should be on some kind of regimen of marijuana.

are you a farmer too?

 

[JUSTINtime.]

i am a user of marijuana. i began taking it last christmas night. it was the worst christmas i've ever had. my crohn's was in full out killer mode. so i went to my twin (a former pot-head) and asked him to help me try weed. i knew the benefits of it but didnt want to have to keep spending money on it so never tried.

well. what happened next was magical. aside from the high which was amazing, my crohn's pretty much disappeared for hours.
now i am an regular user. when i smoke it, my symptoms are no longer there. i swear by this. i see no personal long term effects, but if the day isnt going to well, weed becomes a short term cure. i highly (pun) suggest everyone with crohn's at least try it.

NJ just passed its Medical MJ law, i'm going to probably apply when it's ready. i don't think my doc will allow it, but i'll try and convince him.

good luck texas!

 

[Chris1984]

lol you seem like a funny guy justin. i love hearing these marijuana success stories.

does your twin have any of the GI problems you have?

 

[JUSTINtime.]

my twin just has a loud stomach. but that could just be him not eating healthy foods. its like REALLY loud. he cant be in quiet areas after eating because everyone will experience the sounds of digestion. he got the "good body" yet he abuses it so badly!

whatever. i was gonna smoke tonight but i remembered (THANKFULLY) that i have to get a colonoscopy on friday and my clear liquids diet just started 34 mins ago. i would have eaten so much food and screwed myself over. ill wait till saturday to medicate.

im like really hungry. im staring at my cup of water. i better get used to it. ill see only clear for all of tomorrow. im gonna be such a bitch tomorrow its not even funny.

 

[Chris1984]

lol i had a loud stomach too, taking tests at school were the worst..the whole class could hear me growling and gurgling. once i started the probiotics that all seemed to go away though..

those clear liquid diets are the worst...especially when you have a case of the munchies. good luck with the scope.

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

Thanks guys.

I sent a letter to my representative tonight and I'll post it in detail after this post.

im like really hungry. im staring at my cup of water. i better get used to it. ill see only clear for all of tomorrow. im gonna be such a bitch tomorrow its not even funny.

One thing I like to do before a colonoscopy is watch Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. I get so hungry that I begin to think, "hmm, those worms, crickets, and brains look so appetizing."

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

Here's my letter to my district representative:

Hi, I'm a 24 year old Crohn's Disease patient living in your district. I heard that in last month's democratic convention that the democratic representatives have adopted a resolution for the approval of medical marijuana use. I want to tell you the reason why I would need this medication.

Crohn's Disease is caused by your immune system going out of control and starts to attack your digestive system. It causes ulcers to form in your colon that can hemorrhage and a patient can die from this.

As a matter of fact, in March 2008 I went to the hospital because I was riddled with ulcers from the tip of my tongue down to my anus. Well one of the ulcers perforated and I started to have bloody diarrhea. I was losing so much blood that they had to transfer me to the I.C.U., put me in a diaper, and give me blood transfusions. After 13 hours and 6 blood transfusions they decided to do emergency surgery to take out a foot of my colon. Now because of all the bleeding they couldn't do a colonoscopy to see which part of the colon was affected, so they had to go in blindly. They informed me that if they didn't get the part of the colon that was being affected that I was most likely going to die. Luckily they did get the right part of the colon, and they sent it to a pathology lab in San Antonio to be tested on. Seven days after the surgery the doctors finally got the results which stated that it was Crohn's Disease.

I am on several different medications that are meant to combat the symptoms of the disease. The medications I am currently taking are Prednisone (corticosteroid), Dicyclomine (abdominal muscle relaxant), Lialda (anti-inflammatory), & Imuran (imunisuppressant). Even with all these medications I still seem to have flare ups that cause constant diarrhea (15-20 times a day), bloody stool, vomiting, joint pain, severe abdominal pain, back pain, malnutrition (since my body can't digest foods that well), appetite loss, weight loss, and depression. These symptoms most of the time take months to go away, and they come back within a month or two.

It's really hard to have this disease since I got fired from my job in October 2009 because I was put in the hospital and went over my sick days. I'm also having problems in college because I was put in the hospital at the beginning of May 2010 which was the week of finals, so I failed one class and am now on Financial Aid Probation because of it. I am currently trying to get on Social Security Disability and will most likely have to appeal it with the help of a lawyer.

Medical marijuana has been proven to help many Crohn's Disease patients with their symptoms. Through research it is known to have properties that all my current medications have. Not only is it a pain killer, but it's also an anti-inflammatory, an immune system stabilizer, promotes healthy digestion, is a muscle relaxant, and brings your appetite back. Many have been able to get off the dangerous prescription drugs and rely on that alone, and a lot have not had a flare up in years because of it.

Now my mother is a breast cancer survivor and when I was in high school would have to miss classes to drive her to get her chemotherapy. After the chemotherapy her appetite would be shot, she would start vomiting, and be in a surmountable amount of pain. I really think that medical marijuana would have helped her through that painful treatment.

So please know that you represent people that are in need of this medication. And I want to personally thank you and your colleagues for adopting this resolution. If it's not too much trouble, could you send me a response letter.

 

[Chris1984]

very nice letter. props for doin your part and taking action.

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

If you smoke it you can control your dosage better. Sometimes when you eat it you may not be able to judge what dosage you're getting, so you may get too high. Also, if you smoke it your lungs just build up with tar and since there's no carcinogens in cannabis it doesn't cause cancer like cigarettes and certain other types of tobacco does. But now there's vaporizers that let you inhale the chemicals without burning the cannabis which means no tar is released, so you get the benefits of smoking it without the drawbacks. And with vaporizers, you can use the leftover cannabis to make a tea that I personally think tastes great, although most (if not all) of the THC and other important chemicals would be burnt off.

 

[Jennifer]

Without the high huh? There's a thought. That's the main reason why I stopped using it because I don't personally like the high. Especially after I started having panic attacks (not while high thankfully), I like being in control of the way I feel. I'd like more information on the subject.

 

[Chris1984]

you can make less potent marijuana butter and add it to any recipe that calls for butter...may take a few trials to see what dosage works for you. i just spread the butter on toast.

hash oil, which is oil extracted from the plant and contains high concentrates of thc and cbd (which are the medicinal chemicals of the plant), can be put into capsules and ingested that way...you would have to eat a LOT of hash oil to get high. there are stories of this method curing everything from abdominal pain to skin cancer. the oil can be applied topically as well.

another, and fairly new, way that doctors are promoting is grinding up that marijuana in a coffee grinder and then baking the pile of marijuana for a certain amout of time, then the marijuana is packed into pill capsules and eaten that way and that doesnt get you high either but it puts the thc and cbd into your system. ive never tried this but will in the near future.

i also read an article about a doctor that is totally against marijuana but he is all for the healing properties of the chemicals it contains so extracted the oils and made it into an injection and that doesnt get you high at all either.

marijuana has also cured incurable human brain cancer cells in rats...just a little fun fact.

 

[Silvermoon]

I have used it in capsules.... a friend essentially made it into "butter" for me, and then while it was maleable we put in it capsules... it took a few tries to get a "right" dose, but if you can use it legally, experiment with the capsules if you can.... helps if you can eat it with a bit of something cause you WILL burp after and taste it....lol.... which is OK to if you don't mind the taste.

And as Chris mentioned, vaporizing is good too.... it is a little difficult to find smaller vaporizers ( alot of vaporizers I have found are for "parties"...lol) but VaporBrothers (can be found on line) has a few nice ones for reasonable rates.... (btw... with vaporizing, what happens is the mj gets SO hot it doesn't smoke, it... well... lol... vaporizes, releasing the thc so THAT can be inhaled, rather than the other "carcinogens" that come from "smoking" anything)....

The other thing I found with capsules, is I didn't have to use them ALL the time... maybe one every second day. Your body will adjust to the thc so you get "high" less, but I found this didn't seem to affect the medical effects for me (ie cramping and diarrhea).

Anyway, just my two cents and experience.. lol.. :blush:

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

OK, sent a letter off to my State senator (not U.S.) about Medical Marijuana. Only one problem, he's Republican. But then so is Representative Ron Paul, who is for the legalization. It's basically the same letter, but with a different ending.

Ending of letter:
Please know that you represent people who are in need of this medication. You, as a republican, are in a position to help bring awareness of Medical Marijuana to other republican officials within our state. So, if at all possible, could you please support the Democratic party's efforts, like Republican Rep. Ron Paul of the 14th district.

 

[xSeneca]

It would be nice if it were legalized here in Texas. Unfortunately, the bill that was proposed earlier this year was never granted a hearing.

 

[guest9933]

There are sprcial strains that are high in cbd and not thc we need strains high in cbd as thats what cures illness I have used a strain called cannatonic and you don't get high from it I started gaining weight after a month on it and then ran out now waiting on some more I wish thay would legalise medical marijuana in australia but weare a long way of that here

 

[Munkyman27]

If you smoke it you can control your dosage better. Sometimes when you eat it you may not be able to judge what dosage you're getting, so you may get too high. Also, if you smoke it your lungs just build up with tar and since there's no carcinogens in cannabis it doesn't cause cancer like cigarettes and certain other types of tobacco does. But now there's vaporizers that let you inhale the chemicals without burning the cannabis which means no tar is released, so you get the benefits of smoking it without the drawbacks. And with vaporizers, you can use the leftover cannabis to make a tea that I personally think tastes great, although most (if not all) of the THC and other important chemicals would be burnt off.

Hey, I haven't read on to see if anyone has addressed this yet, so excuse me if I'm repeating someone else, but smoking anything, introduces carcenogines into the body. In fact, the tar itself contains hundreds, if not thousands alone. See, the physical burning, of anything, creates a chemical reaction in which compounds break down and change into harmful components and by-products of the reaction. Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide, just to name a few of the results of burning. Cannabis, itself contains no carcenogines, in it's natural form, and by vaporizing it, or making concentrates, such as oil or wax, and vaporizing nothing but the beneficial oils of the plant, you get no harmful compounds or chemicals associated with burning/smoking. Thus, your lungs are not harmed in medicating your existing conditions. I strongly recommend vaping over any method, but as a warning, although it is better for you and easier on the lungs, the fact that you are inhaling this pure vapor, can cause throat irritation, resulting in coughing. The main issue I have is that it clears my sinuses and gets my nose running down the back of my throat, causing a coughing fit when I inhale. As long as you don't over do it and remember that when vaping or dabbing concentrates, you don't start feeling the first dose, till you're done with the second or third, by that time, you are not gonna get anything done for the next few hours. Just take in moderation, allow 20 mins for dose to set in, and it just keeps building from there.