I'm a medical marijuana user. Ten years ago, I was an addiction professional, working in a chemical dependency program. I also worked in DWI programs. Five years ago, I was in an auto accident that totaled my truck and me.
When a year had gone by and I wasn't healing from my softtissue injuries, my doctor diagnosed me with fibromyaliga. I lived in chronic pain and soon discovered there was no relief for it. I tried nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) but they caused me to have edema in my feet and legs. I tried muscle relaxants but they lost their effectiveness at the prescribed dose and didn't work any better at a higher dose. I went to physical therapy and regained some mobility, balance and strength but no improvement from chronic pain.
I was never interested in painkillers since I knew they were highly addictive and not designed for chronic pain patients like me. I tried alternative therapies; massage, chiropractic, meditation, herbs, vitamins and supplements. Nothing gave me any relief from pain.
By this time, I was pretty discouraged, not to mention depressed. My doctor put me on antidepressants because I became suicidal. My mood improved somewhat but I was still living with chronic pain on a daily basis. I was exercising on a regular basis, meditating on a regular basis and I definitely looked better and felt stronger but...the pain continued.
One day an old friend, who had watched me go through this struggle for years, stopped by. "Listen" he said, "I know you don't smoke, but some people are getting relief from chronic pain using marijuana. I've brought you some to try." Like many people who were young in the 60's and 70's, I had smoked my share of the herb. And I did inhale. But I left that past time behind many years ago.
With trepidation I lit the pipe, drew deeply and inhaled. I repeated this two or three times and slowly a deep peace settled over me. My tight muscles began to relax, a big grin spread over my face and I felt like the person I used to be, before the accident. I couldn't say I was totally pain free but I wasn't consumed with it either. I felt slightly removed from the pain in my body and slept better that night than I had in years.
The next morning l sat and dealt with the cognitive dissonance produced by the idea of smoking reefer to control pain. I was an addiction professional, had done my graduate training in that field and knew that marijuana had no physically addictive qualities to it. I knew that most people who had trouble with marijuana abused it and became psychologically dependent on it.
I started researching medical use of marijuana on the Internet. l quickly realized that use of marijuana didn't equal abuse of marijuana. I read enough reports, studies and anecdotal reports to believe l'd finally hit on the least harmful way for me to deal with chronic pain. Rather than become part of the drug underground by buying marijuana, I decided I would grow my own. I made this decision after finding out that the bags of pot we'd bought in the 60's for $15-20 now ran $100-125.
As I enter this new millennium I am very aware of the danger in using this illegal substance for a legitimate reason. I have joined the ranks of other Americans who are advocating reform of our antiquated drug laws. I'm telling my story so other people suffering from chronic pain know there are alternatives to daily misery. But in order to have access to this simple, medicinal herb, we must stand up, be counted and work for reform of the drug laws in this state.