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theoneRogue420 · 11-11-2007, 08:43 AM

I'd like to throw my "two cents" in here, if you don't mind.

I think, like pharmaceuticals, that mmj (medical marijuana) is a very useful tool. It has applications for many different diseases and conditions, as in my case.

I have rsd/crps. Mmj works wonderfully for my pain, spasms, and muscle tightness.

I also have epilepsy. Mmj allow me to take 1/4 less of my pharmaceuticals, which helps greatly in reducing the "fog".

Furthermore, I have aids. I have a serious issue with my weight. Mmj increases my weight from 87 lbs. up to 105 or so. I have much less nausea and more of an appetite.

Just as people have different reactions to various pharmies, they have it to mmj. For most folks, their benefits greatly outweigh the side effects.

There are also many different varieties, all with different effects. They can range from "mild", like an Ibuprophen, to "hard core", like Morphine. Some are, as they call it, "couch lock" types, where you want to sit and veg on the couch with a bag of Cheetos. But others will actually make you more energetic and able to deal with your life. It just depends on what effect you are looking for at that time. You also control the effects by how much you consume, just like dosages of a pharmy.

All this being said, I am sad to say that mmj is not available to me. It is legal to obtain it... if you can find a dr. brave enought to prescribe it. But none of that matters if you receive any type of aid from the federal gov't. If you get caught with any, they take away your money.

There is also an ironic twist to the money situation. The fed gov't won't allow mmj to be used, but they allow a synthetic version called "marinol" here in the U.S. . Each months supply costs $1,500. Obviously, with my serious health issues, I receive fed. funded medical aid. So, instead of allowing me and my hubby to grow our own medicine (he too, of course, has aids... as well as Hep C) , the fed. gov't spends $3,000 a month of the taxpayers money for those two people alone. Not having mmj available also increases our need for other pharmies to compensate, a further expense. That is bad for our health as well as the taxpayers pocket.

This situation makes us feel awful, as well as more of a burden on people. We would much prefer to be self-sufficient in this area. Not to mention that when you multiply our costs by the vast numbers of poor patients needing all these meds, the financial costs to the taxpayers is mind boggling.

Thanks if you managed to read this long-winded post, lol. It's a subject I feel strongly about, as you can tell.