MAB: It's rewarding to see the scientific research on these things -- which many former hippies certainly suspected!
NE: Well, it's not just hippies who knew there was something inherently special in cannabis. Until the early 1900s, cannabis was in almost every doctor's medical bag. Back then, every doctor was a botanist because medicines came from Nature -- and cannabis was known to help with many health concerns, from minor issues such as anxiety and sleeplessness to serious health challenges. When a body is imbalanced, cannabis helps it achieve homeostasis. (See the book excerpt below for more info on "The Role of Cannabis in Promoting Homeostasis.")
MAB: Do you have any anecdotal stories of healing to share with us?
NE: Actually, the most amazing stories are those of people who experience quick and dramatic benefits. I was delighted to see an example of that in this 2-minute video clip from the award-winning feature documentary, "Ride with Larry." It shows a retired police captain with advanced Parkinson's disease trying medical marijuana for the first time. You can actually watch Larry's debilitating symptoms quickly and dramatically improve in just a few minutes after he takes one drop of cannabis oil.
NE: While not all patients experience such rapid and dramatic improvement, there are many different strains of marijuana available today, each with its own unique chemical profile. Finding the right one for you may require research and experimentation. And taking the time to do so is imperative to obtaining the best possible results.
MAB: That video is amazing to watch, as well as heartbreaking. It's sad to see his wife's distress at the fact that such an easy and effective treatment is not available to him due to their state's laws. I'm glad this election has made the benefits of medical marijuana available to so many more people. Norma, what is most important thing for these "newbies" who are thinking of trying medical marijuana to know?
NE: When people hear the term "medical marijuana," many of them think of two things -- smoking a joint and the psychoactive "high" or "stoned" effect. But, these days, "smoking" is optional and, in many cases, so is the "high."
Smoking a joint is fine for those who want to ingest marijuana that way. But there are numerous other ways, including my preferred methods: tinctures, capsules, lozenges, and chocolates.
MAB: Chocolate! That sounds like a great way!
NE: Yes, there are lots of edible products that are easy to take.
In terms of the "high," not all marijuana products cause psychoactivity. It all depends on the ratio of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in the specific plant. Over many years, starting in the 1930s and 40s, the illegal back-alley trade created strains that were higher and higher in THC, making it much more psychoactive than the strains prescribed by doctors in prior generations.
Today, medical marijuana experts are trying to recreate those more medicinal strains with a focus on the most healing ratios of the hundreds of chemicals in each plant. But it's a time-consuming process because it can take five or even ten years to create a new strain. As one expert explained to me, "It's like starting from scratch since we don't even know the chemical profiles of the most healing strains from yesteryear."
Throughout my book, I continually clarify that each strain of marijuana is like a different medicine. Not all strains and forms of marijuana are efficacious for all conditions -- so patients need to research their options. But it gets confusing because, in some states, a doctor who recommends that you use medical marijuana is NOT legally allowed to tell you where to go to buy it or what strain, potency, or dosage to choose. So, instead of being given solid advice on a specific marijuana product to purchase by a trusted medical expert, patients are on their own in making those decisions.
While it's hard to imagine a similar scenario in the world of medicine, here is an analogy: Let's say your doctor wrote you a prescription for an antibiotic. But, instead of writing down which of the 100-plus antibiotics in the pharmacy that she wanted you to take, and the dosage, she simply wrote "antibiotic" on the prescription and signed it. The pharmacist would be flummoxed and, of course, unable to fill the prescription.
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