I've learned to start most discussions about my experience with medical cannabis with these words, "First of all, I don't smoke it." I've gotten into lengthy discussions advocating for legal medical cannabis feeling the tension in the conversation until I clarify that I take cannabis oils sublingually (under my tongue). Once I say this, usually there is a moment of relief from the other person who seems to listen more openly about what I have to say.
Funny how the method of delivery of cannabis makes that much difference to the others when smoking tobacco for the addictive nicotine doesn't put people in this much alarm. They wouldn't have the same objection if I said I smoke tobacco. Strange. But, I will not doubt those patients who seem to get the most benefit from smoking cannabis. There are people in which this is the case. Just please know that it's not the best way to take it for medical purposes.
Cannabis as a medicine is not always smoking it; MANY people don't know this about medical cannabis. There is growing research that smoking cannabis does not have same harm as smoking tobacco, but do understand that people learn new info through building on what they already know.
So, I have to meet them where they are now. If they are strongly opposed to smoking tobacco, then smoking anything else must be bad too. However, there are oils and other ways to consume cannabis which can give different types of relief. Many people try smoking cannabis and because they don't get the relief they seek, they think it doesn't work for them and then give up.
Funny how the method of delivery of cannabis makes that much difference to the others when smoking tobacco for the addictive nicotine doesn't put people in this much alarm. They wouldn't have the same objection if I said I smoke tobacco. Strange. But, I will not doubt those patients who seem to get the most benefit from smoking cannabis. There are people in which this is the case. Just please know that it's not the best way to take it for medical purposes.
Cannabis as a medicine is not always smoking it; MANY people don't know this about medical cannabis. There is growing research that smoking cannabis does not have same harm as smoking tobacco, but do understand that people learn new info through building on what they already know.
So, I have to meet them where they are now. If they are strongly opposed to smoking tobacco, then smoking anything else must be bad too. However, there are oils and other ways to consume cannabis which can give different types of relief. Many people try smoking cannabis and because they don't get the relief they seek, they think it doesn't work for them and then give up.
This issue of whether one smokes cannabis or takes it another way does confuse people who are uneducated about the benefits of cannabis. And any opposition group knows this and uses this ignorance for their advantage. They use what are the side effects of smoking anything as their proof that cannabis is bad for you. If I smoked my spinach instead of eating it, it would be just as harmful...because I am smoking it. Just look at any research against cannabis. It most often will state that there can be lung issues or other problems related to smoking it, but they make blanket statements only based on intaking cannabis through smoking and applying to all methods of taking cannabis.
So, once I learned myself that most people who use cannabis medically don't smoke it, I became curious and learned through my own questions. As a medical cannabis consumer, I was searching for solid evidence in how the pain relief I had found could have more potential for my health in general and how it might help my Multiple Sclerosis.
Because cannabis is illegal in most states, the information out there online can be confusing. Much of it is geared towards the recreational consumer who is looking for much more basic info mainly like where to get it. I personally had a hard time getting the right type of info to understand cannabis as a medicine and I was often not sure of the accuracy of what I was reading. The following is a list of the lessons I learned when I had questions as a newbie cannabis oil patient. Hopefully, this saves you some time from doing the searching I had to do:
You may have these same questions:
Because cannabis is illegal in most states, the information out there online can be confusing. Much of it is geared towards the recreational consumer who is looking for much more basic info mainly like where to get it. I personally had a hard time getting the right type of info to understand cannabis as a medicine and I was often not sure of the accuracy of what I was reading. The following is a list of the lessons I learned when I had questions as a newbie cannabis oil patient. Hopefully, this saves you some time from doing the searching I had to do:
You may have these same questions:
Lesson 1. "I think I know what THC is, but what is CBD?"
Now, most people know what THC is...right? That's the stuff in cannabis that makes people high or gives the euphoric feeling recreational consumers are primarily after. THC stands for Tetra-hydro-cannab-in-ol.
It's the reason most people imagine this when you say you believe in medical cannabis.
Instead of this...
I mean, Mylie might be a better adjusted and balanced person in the first photo, not my place to judge, but unfortunately, people see what they want to see. Most often it's negative. Even though I don't like it, I know people generally judge by visual appearances. But, if you can't see past appearances, then you have nothing to stand on when someone judges you by the way you look. THC does give Cannabis a bad reputation, but only for those who are uneducated about it. THC does have a place in medicinal cannabis, though.
CBD is short for Cannabidiol (kan-i-bi-die-ol). They can isolate this compound from any other part of cannabis and it is not psychotropic. Many people get great pain relief from this part of the cannabis plant and don't need any other part of the plant. However, the whole plant should be used for full true medicinal value.
CBD helps with a lot of symptoms like neuropathic pain, spasticity, and tremors for me. These are symptoms of MS that are difficult for doctors to treat with other medications. People say that it has more benefits than I've listed, but I can only speak from my own experience.
There are hundreds of compounds in the cannabis plant. We've only mentioned two of them here. By themselves there are benefits, but together is how they are designed to work best. I've read that THC does have side effects like anxiety, but when CBD is paired with it, the negative side effects are tampered down, and they work on pain more efficiently. I believe there is more potential for whole plant medicines than the isolated chemicals which are promoted more.
I think most people who have never used any cannabis for an illness think that it is the euphoric feeling or high that relieves your pain. It is not for me. The FDA approved opiates and other class drugs the doctors have given me give a euphoric feeling, but they does nothing for the pain. They just make me loopy or give me hallucinations. So, this is why I don't think we should ignore a cannabis compound just because it gives a euphoric feeling. I believe the whole plant is meant to be used as a whole plant.
Lesson 2. Ok, so if you don't smoke or vape it, consuming it in oil or in food seems to be the way. But, why oil or in baked goods?
The chemicals in cannabis like CBD are fat soluble which means they are absorbed best along with fats in our diet and can be stored in the body's fatty tissue. This is why you hear about baked goods with cannabis as a popular delivery method and old school cannabis consumers baked it in brownies. It's the fat in the baked goods that help the cannabis be absorbed into your body. There are vitamins that are fat soluble too like vitamin A, D, E, and K. It's just how our bodies process some things efficiently.
Lesson 3. There are so many places on the Internet that advertise CBD oil, how can I trust what I get is safe to consume, free from harmful chemicals and actually contains CBD oil in the strength I should have?
This is a lesson I continue to explore on my own. It's what led me to ask questions, talk to experts, and join the fight to speak up for legalization. There are so many sources out there that are not safe to consume or are inauthentic leading people to spend hundreds of dollars taking a gamble of what kind of product they will get. I have tried several brands so far, but I have found CW Hemp Everyday Advanced is what works for me the best so far. Haleigh's Hope is another good brand I hear others trust. I don't get any kick backs nor do I sell this product, but I've learned about the product through other cannabis oil patients I trust. I trust the Stanley Brothers story in how when they were asked to make a cannabis oil to help a little girl named Charlotte Figi with Epilepsy, they did and ended up naming the oil after her - Charlotte's Web. Their website shows all the science and purity in their brand. You can see for yourself here. One thing to keep in mind wherever you decide to get CBD oil is to have access to testing stats. If the CBD oil company can provide you with the testing stats for the oil they are selling you, then this is a sign they follow some protocols of efficacy and purity. There are two types of CBD oil, one from Hemp (a close cousin to Cannabis, but not as effective) and CBD oil from the Cannabis plant. At first, I went for the cheapest oil I could find and I didn't know there was any difference. CBD oil is pricey which is one of the downsides. Hopefully, that will change soon.
Lesson 4. CBD oil is claimed to help with everything from headaches to cancer, so how can this be anything but a snake oil?
This is one question I started to wonder until I started to read about the Endocannabinoid System from trusted sources like Dr. Sulak in this explanation. https://healer.com/the-endocannabinoid-system/ It makes a lot of sense how CBD oil can help so many problems because it works at the cellular level with the communication and coordination of our cells. I believe there needs to be more research done because cannabis has more potential than we know currently.
This plant has been demonized for 100 years and used to grow wild in our country. Animals used to eat this plant and the nutritional compounds used to be in our food cycle through us eating the animals. It may be true that our bodies have been insufficient in these specific nutrients and we have diseases we wouldn't have if it was still in our food sources. Something like why without vitamin C we know we can get Scurvy. But, this research cannot be done due to Cannabis being Federally illegal. This particularly upsets me personally since I have a disease they don't really know the cause nor do they have a cure. I might not have MS if it was never illegal.
Lesson 5. If it has wonderful medical benefits, then why does my doctor say it's harmful? Your doctor is against it or doesn't know about it because they don't teach about the Endocannabinoid System in medical schools. The Endocannabinoid System was only barely discovered in 1992, so with Cannabis being illegal, it's not in the curriculum even that it exists. So, your doctor is telling you his/her truth with what he/she knows. He/she is telling you what our government would have us believe for years because the whole reason cannabis is illegal to begin with was only political. There was no research or medical reason to make it illegal. President Nixon needed a way to target certain racial and social groups who were against him. These groups had cannabis in common, so by making Marijuana or Cannabis illegal, he could arrest them when they used it. Nixon was president from '69 to '74 and I just told you that they only began to know anything biologically about cannabis in 1992....so, sounds like the dangers were made up. Opponents to legalizing cannabis today constantly demand research to prove cannabis has benefits, but because it's illegal, the research is blocked. Yet, the research didn't exist in the 1970's and our country was fine to make it illegal without it. Think of the medical advances we've had since the 1970's. Why wouldn't we want to apply those advances to cannabis too?
Lesson 6. You cannot decide if Cannabis works for you on the first try, or even by the fifth try either!
Part of the misinformation out there about medical cannabis is that it doesn't work. If you try CBD oil for health and you try it once or twice, then say it didn't work for you, then you didn't do it right. For some illnesses, it takes a consistent dose over time. This happened to me too. I felt benefits right away the first time, but it did take time to find the dose I needed built up over time. I've heard the Endocannabinoid System works by finding balance in the body. Disease and pain is believed to be an imbalance in the body, so the dose to get it back in balance is different for everybody's biochemistry.
I'm still learning a lot of lessons myself in this journey, so I'll continue to add more here, but here is a list of links I trust that I have found helpful in my curiosity. Please educate yourself.
http://norml.org/
NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable. NORML's website has boatloads of information on everything cannabis you can imagine including the effects of cannabis on individual illnesses. They have an extensive library of research done already on cannabis as well as current info for each state's laws.
https://healer.com/
Healer’s mission is to empower people to live life to its fullest in great health. We achieve this through education, advocacy, and research. We offer unmatched expertise in the correct use of medical cannabis, and through the educational programs on this site, provide the tools you need to get the most out of your cannabis therapy. Developed by recognized cannabis expert Dr. Dustin Sulak, these valuable educational programs are based on science and clinical experience that’s successfully helped thousands of patients find relief from chronic pain, anxiety, spasticity and other health challenges.
https://www.projectcbd.org/aboutProject CBD is a non-profit in California created to give a non-biased look at the benefits of CBD and other cannabinoids. I look for a lot of my information on websites like this because they are not trying to sell me their product nor are they promoting recreational cannabis. There are a lot of articles on this site for medical cannabis education.
https://wakeandbake.co/cannabis-dosing-not-a-one-size-fits-all-solution/
- A great place to learn more about CBD. She is in Canada, so cannabis is all legal for her, but I love the site. It makes me think of her as the Martha Stewart of cannabis.
Tamara Netzel is a blogger who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She writes through voice to text software because MS has taken her ability to type with her fingers on the keyboard. She writes about her journey with MS and finding relief from the pain and everything else MS throws at her. She calls herself Blondwonderwoman as a form of positive self-talk. She says, "If I can't call myself Blondwonderwoman, then what would you have me call myself? Sad, suffering, victim of MS?"
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