Category: marijuana

Research Study on Cannabinoids for Californians with OA, RA, or Fibromyalgia

Posted on by Grayson

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Researchers from the University of Michigan are conducting a study on the efficacy of different cannabinoids (such as CBD and cannabis) in treating Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Osteoarthritis and YOU have the opportunity to participate!

If you complete the study you may receive up to $500 in Amazon gift cards.

Again, this is for California residents only.

Learn more here!

The study sponsors are LEVEL and Overcome. Each participant will be in the study for 12 weeks. You can easily participate from the comfort and safety of your home using your smartphone. Again, this study is on the consumption of cannabinoids such as CBD and cannabis.

The study is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. To learn more and find out if you are eligible to participate, please visit releaf.at/umpain

white background with a photo of a pipe in the foreground and pot plants in the background and black text underneath: "Research on Marijuana and Chronic Pain" and "Not Standing Still's Disease"

Research on Marijuana and Chronic Pain

Posted on by Grayson

As a proponent of medical marijuana, one of the recent pieces of research I appreciate the most is around opiate use and pot.

Two different studies found that states that legalized marijuana across the board had lower opiate use rates and fewer opiate prescriptions. A few years ago, another paper found 25% fewer opiate-related deaths in states with medical marijuana. I personally think a lot of the hype against opiates is uncool, but they’ve also almost never worked for me.

With all of this information coming out, it’s a shame that the federal government won’t allow a lot of research directly with pot. The NIH is one of the only places that can participate in this research. Their research position hasn’t been changed in nearly half a century despite many advancements, anecdotal evidence, and changes in popular opinion.

It’s frustrating because we know that cannabis can treat chronic pain effectively for some conditions including multiple sclerosis and RA. With a lack of general pain management, especially with the opiate situation, many patients – like me – are left to experiment.

CBD oil, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in hemp and marijuana, has been found to have a number of medical benefits on its own. It can lower and help control both inflammation and neuropathic pain. It’s known to help with epilepsy and other seizure-causing disorders. CBD oil can also help a great deal with a variety of anxiety disorders including PTSD.

Whether the THC or CBD portions have been utilized, one thing is clear – people have been using marijuana as medicine for millennia.

It’s important to note that no insurance company covers marijuana because it’s illegal in the US. While patients are saving money on opiates as they have to take fewer if any while using pot, their out-of-pocket costs can be quite high. Marijuana always has to be bought with cash and it’s not like you can get discounts on generic pot, either. That said, a few states including New Mexico allow for reimbursement of medical marijuana costs in workers compensation cases. In Canada, however, insurance companies will begin covering medical marijuana soon!

I hope things will begin to change soon. That means, though, that those of us who advocate for the use of marijuana or CBD oil need to start showing up in the political world. That’s the only way these things are going to change.

While we’re at it, I hope that we forgive marijuana-related crimes like San Francisco as we begin to legalize and normalize pot across the board. To say it’s a shame that people are still in jail for pot-related crimes in fully legal states is a gross understatement.

When in Oregon

Posted on by Grayson

I grew up in Oregon but have not visited since 2010. T and I went out there for two weeks after I graduated college as his gift to me. It was a really nice visit, even though we had to see family that I didn’t much care to see.

I’m sure Uncle Jim doesn’t realize how harmful his words were that Thanksgiving he brought food over for my grandma but not for my sister and me. We missed turkey day at his place because I was throwing up. I wanted to stay home and sis wanted to stay home to take care of me. Grandma freaked out and, in a huff, decided we wouldn’t go at all.

There are so many reasons I don’t talk to most of my family.

Anyway, I really haven’t had a reason to be back, seeing as I couldn’t make my ten-year reunion earlier this year. I have had a few friends I wanted to visit, but not enough to spend money on a ticket just for that when I’m not working.

You can read more about why I was there over on Chronic Sex. I’m sensitive to the fact that not everyone is interested in my adventures as a budding sex educator and icon (not my words).

One thing that has come about in Oregon is the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

One thing I had never tried, despite growing up in Oregon? Pot.

I visited a dispensary whose website was really focused on helping those of us dealing with pain in addition to the average consumer. When I told the gal I had no idea what I was doing there – and explained – she really took to educating me a lot about pot and the various products there are for pain relief.

I picked up a salve – which I threw out because it smelled a lot danker than the test model in the store – and some edibles. Edibles are when pot has been put into another item like candy or brownies.

When I was sure that I was done traveling around for the night, I ordered some pizza and popped an edible.

The only effect I really noticed was feeling loose and maybe a little giggly. Mostly, though, I was tired and probably should have tried this not at my internal clock’s midnight.

Enjoying the soft sheets was definitely a highlight, too. I live-tweeted a bit of this first try which was fun.

I did have a nightmare that felt very real. However, the way I handled it was much differently than I have sober. I woke up, texted T (who I knew was likely still asleep), and then snuggled back down and went back to sleep.

I didn’t stay up crying or freaking out at all.

The next night, I set up a lot earlier for my foray into pot. I made some food, worked on packing a little bit, and continued my habit of watching Adult Swim.

Last night, I slept like a goddamned baby. I got the longest uninterrupted sleep I have had in a very long time. I was comfortable, cozy, and enjoying texting my loved ones positive and affirming things.

I felt very grounded, very sure of myself, and very present. I also felt like I was owning some of the positive things my friends have said about me and the work I do. I really began to feel like I was important and that it was okay to accept these compliments.

That’s not something that I’ve really been able to do before this trip.

My body slowly became comfortably numb. The few pains I had dissipated. My body felt loose in a positive way.

I really didn’t feel any mind-altering stuff at all.

This is because of the kind of edible I got. It had 5 parts CBD to 3 parts THC. For those of you unfamiliar with pot-lingo, THC is what gets you high. CBD, though, doesn’t; it decreases anxiety and short-term memory issues – along with having amazing pain-relief benefits. It’s known to have anti-inflammatory properties, too.

I consumed something much more medicinal than recreational, though it was available without a medical card – which still is a thing you need for some of the stronger stuff.

So, what’s my verdict?

It’s hard to give a full verdict when I have been having less pain lately, etc. I recognize that I cannot necessarily say exactly how much pain was relieved through my using pot two nights in a row.

I did get a little sick to my stomach, having to visit the bathroom a bit more often. The second night, I really got hit hard with that pot taste in my edible and nearly threw up because of it.

I had fewer side effects with pot than I have had with opiates. I was less high with pot than with opiates.

If people want to look at cracking down on opiates for chronic pain, they need to begin offering us an alternative. Frankly, pot seems like it could be one for some of us. Maybe someday, when Scott Walker is no longer in power in Wisconsin, they will join the states around them and – and the very least – allow us to have medical marijuana. If they do, I will probably be one of the first people to sign up.

Until then, I know that I will have ways to manage my pain when traveling to states like Oregon, Washington, and Colorado for conferences and more.

Is pot legal where you are, at least medically? Have you used it for pain relief? What did YOU think?