A man in his early twenties lost his sight as the result of a gun accident. Subsequent to his accident, he wandered in the woods for over 36 hours before being found. The damage to his eyes resulted in blindness, but the trauma of the experience produced a whole set of other problems, including anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, sleeplessness, and severe depression.
In the 18 years since his accident, this man has tried a "vast array of prescription medications," he says, including anti-anxiety agents, sleep aids, and anti-depressant drugs. Many of the prescribed medications affected his libido, including the newest antidepressants on the market such as Luvox. Not only has he paid for the medications, but also spent over $500 a month visiting a psychiatrist in order to get the prescriptions for the medications.
For this man, marijuana has been a big help. "Good smoke really helps me get by," he said. "Because I had Medicare, I have had no prescription benefit and trying to live off $800 a month Social Security check doesn't allow for the cost of these medications."
He says he was fortunate to inherit some money from a relative, which has allowed him to get by better than others in his shoes. He says that hydrocodone helps him deal with the pain he experiences from a degenerative disc disease, but it keeps him from sleeping. This is typical of what he often experiences, which is that medication for one problem just creates new problems.
"Marijuana is as effective as any prescription medication for my anxiety, for the sleeplessness and especially for the depression," he says. "I really hate the fear I have that I might get arrested for using it. They ought to leave us alone - the people who need to use it."