If you find yourself turning your nose up to someone as they light a joint in your presence because they said they have a prescription from their doctor, you are not alone. While the number of states legalizing cannabis and the number of people who possess a medicinal marijuana prescription continues to rise, so it seems does the skepticism.
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Medical Marijuana Helps People
If you have your doubts about whether or not medical marijuana helps me, just ask one of the nearly 200,000 people across the nation that currently have a prescription for marijuana. That number is only going to continue to grow as more and more people become fed up with traditional medicine, side effects, risks, and plain dissatisfaction related to traditional treatments.
Cancer patients are among the most impacted by medical marijuana use as it can drastically cut down on the amount of pain they are experiencing, not to mention it can curb unbearable nausea associated with cancer treatments and symptoms. Others who suffer from chronic pain swear by the profound effects that medical marijuana has on them.
Medical Cannabis Takes Over Medical Marijuana
In an effort to legitimize the notion of medicinal marijuana, government officials, doctors, and other professionals have started calling marijuana, cannabis. This move to disassociate the term “marijuana” helps people to start thinking of the plant-based treatment as a real option, rather than a drug. After all, there are over 1000 street names for this “drug” so the powers that be saw it time to set the record straight and start normalizing the term with cannabis. It’s an indication that the governments accept the use of the drug in everyday life, as well as in the treatment of people who suffer from terrible conditions.
Fancy Language Doesn’t Convince Everyone Though
A recent study conducted by Deloitte found that nearly half the country of Canada was divided about the legalization of cannabis. In almost every province, nearly half were for or against the legalization. But we all know that what people say and what people do are two different things. For example, nearly 22% of Canadians used cannabis on a regular basis, and another 17% said they would try it when it was legalized. Despite the split, it is something people are slowly but surely getting on board with.
If you find yourself wondering what the appeal is, or what the fuss is all about, consider what you might do if you were in a great deal of pain? You might not take chemotherapy drugs if you weren’t suffering from cancer, so how can you say that you would never take cannabis if you suffer from chronic pain. One begets the other. If you are of the opinion that medical cannabis users are just “milking” the system, it’s time to take a hard look at what some of the other options are for these people.
Side Effects… or Not?
A woman who suffers from chronic pain takes opioids, which can help reduce the amount and severity of pain she is in, but it is highly addictive, can cause serious impairment, and can rob her of her life with her children and family because it “numbs” her. Medical cannabis, on the other hand, comes and goes out of the system to provide temporary relief when it is needed most, often in conjunction with other more powerful drugs, but the long-term effects and side effects associated with medical cannabis are far less reaching than opioids or other painkillers.
When you stop and think about how one treatment for a chronic condition can cause another chronic condition, such as cancer, it’s no wonder people are flocking to plant-based treatments as a way to find some relief.
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover
It’s easy to let stereotypes get in the way of what you think a marijuana user looks like, and in most cases, you might not be wrong, but when it comes to medicinal marijuana or cannabis, you might come up short in your assessment. With prescription numbers approaching 200,000 in the nation, you might have family members, friends, colleagues, bosses, former classmates, and neighbors all relying on medical marijuana to help them manage pain, stress, depression, and more.
It’s easy to judge people when you are arm-lengths removed from them, but as traditional medicine continues to let people down, and more people are taking their pain management into their own hands, you’re going to see a rise in the use of medicinal cannabis, so you should get used to talking about it more and judge it less. It will become as common as popping some Tylenol for a headache someday soon, and you wouldn’t roll your eyes as someone taking pills to get rid of a headache, would you?
