medical Marijuana in 14 states
 

i live in nj where med. Marijuana was recently approved. the office told me it will be available for patients in july or so. i'd like to know how it affect you and does it help with stiffness or spasm?
i tried mj and didnt feel anything besides good mood - it wasn't effect i hoped to get.

Works for Jim, better than any pill. Everyone is different.

Hi, ykonstan! :Wave-Hello: Welcome to NeuroTalk!

It works on both for me but I reserve it as a last resort.

I'm an avid believer in medical MJ. I take it for spasms and definitely seems to help, though not completely. It is a great addition to my medicine cabinet, though. It seems to augment the relief I get from baclofen and lyrica and the fuzzy-headedness that goes with the MJ doesn't last like it does with baclofen. It helps with TN pain, spasms, nausea. Even alleviates the Hug to some degree (depends on how bad it is).

I just wish after the states vote for legal access the friggin' state would let me use legally! Los Angeles is closing down like 90% of the dispensaries. I can't remember the number of shops they're allowing (less than 30 (I think) in a city of millions). Many shops have been brutally busted by the cops (doors broken in, glass broken, people arrested) and store locations are also restricted now to mainly industrial areas (not safe at night!). I could go on and on about the situation. :mad:

Sorry for that little rant, I just want to let you know that just cuz the state passes a law doesn't necessarily work as intended.

I wish you luck and hope MJ works well for you!:)

I am in Washington State, which legalized medical marijuana in 1998. I have been using it medicinally since about 2002. My prescription is for control of Crohn's symptoms, but my neuro supports my use for spasms and nerve pain as well.

A good dispensary (I go to a co-op) will have folks who will be able to tell you which strains work better for spasms, pain, nausea, appetite, etc.
Sativa provides more of a cerebral or head "high" which can be good for pain where you need distraction.

Quote:

Medicine produced from cannabis sativa plants have lower CBD and higher THC counts which produces a more clear headed, energetic type of high.*

Indica gets you more of a body "high" which can help with spasms, but can also relax you enough to get you sleepy.

Quote:

Medicine produced from cannabis indica plants have higher CBD and lower THC counts therefore a pure indica strain will produce a heavier, sleepy type of high.*

* http://www.sanfranciscocannabisclubs...juana/strains/
** http://www.alamedamedicalmarijuana.c...juana-strains/


Sativa is often chosen for daytime use, and indica for symptom control and night time.

Hi ykonstan! Welcome to NT!

I may get a lil wordy here...:p

Maine also has a medical marijuana law that was updated by the voters in November 2009.

The law has been in effect since 1998 with virtually no known problems, but the voters allowed dispensaries and increased the diseases and symptoms covered under the law this past election.

The Legislature is charged with implementing the law and they came out with their recommendations this past week
.
The originators of the law that the people voted on are not happy with the recommendations. The Legislature is calling for a card ID system/registry, a limit of eight (8) dispensaries in the whole state and oversight by the state department of health and human services. The legislature is already past the 90 days they had to implement any changes to the law, and are still working on trying to come to an agreement that satisfies everyone. They are charged with coming up with a law that causes the least amount of difficulty for the people for whom the law was written.

The originators of the law feel that having a registry may endanger people if the data is breached by persons or law enforcement agencies outside of those who need to know, and that having only 8 dispensaries may make it harder for people who are approved to get what they need without traveling a long distance. It also goes against the grain to have to register for something your doctor has prescribed or recommended for treatment, especially when the FDA and the feds aren't yet on the same page...:cool:
This would be for those who choose to use the dispensaries.

Those who want to keep growing their own or buying on the market would still be covered by a letter from their doctor at this point, although that might change before the law goes into effect. There's parts in there about how many plants you can have, how many may be mature, how much processed product you can have , etc, etc, etc.

Lefthanded is correct in that different strains have a different effect.

You might try using it in a vaporizer, making a butter infusion for cooking rather than smoking it, or grinding it for baking. There are many good articles online to lead you in a direction that may work better for you.

It works for me in different fashions depending on whether I smoke or use it in cooking, and what strain it is and how strong it is. When I find something that works I save seeds to ensure that strain remains available to me. At this point I am truly not interested in being on any registry as long as I can grow it without penalty or get it from trusted sources, but I will be interested in how the dispensaries work when they start up and will investigate that end of things when it all quiets down...it's my understanding that Maine is tending to follow New Mexico as far as what they want to do in the end.

Hi Ykonstan.
Welcome!
Nice to meet you. I hope we hear more from you in the future. This is a great place, with really nice people. It was nice of you to inform people with your knowledge.
Thanks.:)

Welcome Ykonstan..:p

Howdy. I believe its a great tool unmatched by most man-made drugs. I say most because synthetic thc is available pill form but cost is $12.80 each.
My only question is how is your weight because you might gain weight from the increased appetite. Solution - stay active & exercise.
It's a major remedy for anorexia and increasing water intake.

It does work differently when cooked. It is particularly effective on pain and spasms. You can bake with pot butter, or pot-cream in some tea or cocoa. (PM me if you want to know more:winky:.)

Haven't read any of the posts here...just letting you know that I am awaiting Illinois legislature to pass MJ act here...but I won't partake unitl it's legal. So I don't know if it will help me, but I hope:smileypray:

...and then I open the Sunday paper and what is the legislature's new proposal?
They have decided to tax people who use dispensaries. Maine taxes over the counter medications that are not prescribed-aspirin, tylenol, cough and cold medicines etc. They've decided that medical marijuana is not prescribed, only recommended, so it qualifies as an OTC med, and so it will be taxed.

I've been waiting to see how the money hungry state government would get their hands in the "pot" and there it is. They also want to charge the folks who run the dispensaries $5000.00 to $15000.00 per year to be certified...they haven't decided on how much yet. So much for helping people. :mad:

That sucks RW :(.

I hope that it will be legal and accessible in all States soon. I'd like to eventually relocate to Florida, where M.M. isn't legal yet, and it will probably be some time coming there.

I can vouch for what others have said, it's more effective at treating my pain than anything else I've been prescribed. I'm still taking Cesamet (Nabilone) 3 times a day.

We have to acknowledge short term memory loss may be an issue depending on individual & amount used. Do I care? No because I believe if used in low dose it'll be no different then a prozac "just feel good" high. As far as the taxes go, I'll gladly pay tax like I do on tobacco if thats all it takes and my state puts the money to good use. I wouldnt worry about dispensaries..5-15k is less then 10% of what they'll likely profit. Bring it on and close down these ---- oxycodone/contin whatever they are pharmacies wrecking this country. Amen.

It is true that ingesting cannabis instead of inhaling it can have a different effect. I find inhaling gives more or less instant relief, but it does not last as long. Ingesting (I make smallish cookies so I can control the dose) can take 60-90 minutes to kick in . . . in my experience. It gives what I have heard termed a "body high" in that it feels deeper and stronger, and definitely lasts longer. You don't want to sit and munch your canna-goodies without knowing how your body will react! The first time I made gingerbread cookies I "taste-tested" a couple too many and was pretty well disabled the rest of the day. No pain . . . but really out of it!

Making your own butter is messy and smelly, but if you can get the 'shake' for free (it is the leftover leaves after the cutters trim the bud) it is the way to go. The THC likes to bond with fats, which is why most people bake with it in the form of canna-butter or canna-oil. Recipes abound for this on the internet.

[And remember to keep your baked goods under lock and key away from the kids or grandkids . . . they won't know the difference and truly wouldn't know what hit them.]

Our co-op dispensary sells cookies, candy, chili, lasagna, and other goodies for folks who prefer can ingest instead of inhale. My guess is that most dispensaries carry food products made with cannabis.

I have traveled with my cookies on two different airlines with no issue. I carry them on, nicely wrapped to look like gift packs, tied with ribbons and all. Actually, each small bag contains what I expect to need on a daily basis, making it easier to dose my medicine. Cookies are a good way to go if you are going somewhere that you can't take a pipe and light up whenever you need to.

Again, you must take it slow the first time you ingest . . . so you will know how it affects you. And please don't eat (or inhale) and drive unless or until you are sure your driving ability will not be adversely affected.

I'm taking Cesamet (Nabilone) for Trigeminal Neuralgia/general neuralgia in my head. It's the best thing I've found outside of the actual plant. The pills aren't as effective, however I can work on them and function 100% (there was a bit of a dizzy/muddled period in the beginning, but that was short lived and I got used to the medication fast).

I'm the 'fittest' I've ever been now, and a healthy body weight. I don't have an increased appetite, but I do find it is very drying for the mouth (which is my #1 complaint, as I'm a mouth breather already and I have so many mouth issues - long story, but the dry mouth doesn't help!).

So long story short, it works, and for some it could have side effects like increased appetite, but for me it didn't.

Dry mouth is one of the best side effects for those who need to increase water intake for urine infections, Rebif and alike side effects. One of Rebif's undocuented fixes for flu symptoms is consume 1/2 gallon water daily. Worked for me. Have to stay home because you'll be using the bathroom often but urine color (or lack of) will thank you for it.

As dmplaura said he's the fittest he's ever been. The marinol actually speeds me up a bit since thats how i programmed myself to react. Beats sitting around listening to Floyd and if this MS wasnt progressing so rapid, id be superman by now.

Jim and I are heading down to Springfield Illinois Thursday to talk to the reps to get their votes! Wish us luck!!

:yahoo: :stirthepot:

If you live in Illinois and believe in this bill please sign the petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/SB1381/petition.html