Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

Hummm, lobbying implies influencing Law to me.

Spreading knowledge isn't blocking science if done with scientists and people with conflicts if interests (unlike grabbing public projects or impeding legal change in your favor).

It's important to note that, unlike opioids, cannabis doesn't make the sensation of pain less strong, it makes it less urgent. This means that if you won't necessarily feel a direct effect on the pain, but that its subsequent effects aren't as strong - the pain is not as exhausting, distracting, or debilitating. In fact, the initial 'come-on' of cannabis tends to make me more aware of my pain for a few seconds.

Moreover, my pain is neuropathic, rather than physiological in nature, and so what works for me, may not work for other forms of pain. That said, I had the best effect managing pain with high CBD low THC strains - meaning strains with over 7% CBD and one percent or less THC. For me, the pain relief is so profound and quick acting that I can pinpoint the second it starts to have an effect, and it has the added benefit of leaving me sober enough that I can go about my business.

Unfortunately, while I found CBD strains most effective for pain, I personally have not been able to tolerate them - they cause me memory problems that I have not found any mention of in the literature, not anyone else who experiences them.

So, what do I use, when I need to keep the pain at bay? Usually I reach for a concentrate of a indica-dominant hybrid, or an pure indica. I stay way from Sour Diesels, and the like, as they don't agree with me, but these things tend to be individual in nature.

Sorry not to be much more help: all I can really recommend is low THC/high CBD strains, and smoking/vaping concentrates or hashish rather than eating, at least until you find something that works for you.

Bingo. Just follow the money and see who profits from cannabis being illegal.

1. Can't put a patent on it and can literally grow it in your backyard - pharmaceutical industry is going to lose a large chunk of cash inflow from anti-nausea and opioids. Not to mention the fact a large portion of opioid/herion addicts started out on prescription medicine, which leads into my other points.

2. The entire law enforcement procedures will have to rethink the status quo. Smelling cannabis was a great way to have "reasonable suspicion" for violating privacy, and going after cannabis dealers were incredibly easy targets to bust. Don't forget RICO that gives LE a nice cash bonus from drug dealer assets.

3. Prison industry will have a hard time filling in the since a large majority of the prisoners are nonviolent drug offenders. Perhaps with less opioid addicts that sought cannabis instead would cause some extra vacancy as well.

4. The Cartel and several other underground organizations that I have a hard time believing would not have ties to politicians and decision makers on the subject.

Ever tried concentrates? You might go to sleep for a while, but "not have an effect?"

Heh.

I was 8 hours from heading to the airport for a family trip to Amsterdam last summer when I burned the heck out of the fingers of my right (dominant) hand. It was probably the most pain I had ever been in, even including a compound fracture of the clavicle that involved 8 screws and a metal bar to repair. The latter caused me to get addicted (unknowningly) to opioids (hydrocodone) which led to a miserable week of withdrawl symptoms. I didn't take any opioids a year later after the surgery to remove all that hardware.

I told the doctors at the hospital I didn't want to get addicted again, so they gave me Tramadol.

I made it to Amsterdam and, that night, I finally gave in and took one of the Tramadols. It put me through a loop and wringer, but took away the pain and let me sleep through the night mostly.

The next day, my wife came back to our place with a "space muffin", or pot-laced chocolate brownie thing. I had never had any edibles before. That night, I figured, what the heck, they're always talking about medical uses so I ate it.

I have never been so surprised at something anecdotal in my life.

The pain was gone just as well as the night before with Tramadol. Furthermore, although the edible definitely was psychoactive, I was much more functional and less out of it than the single Tramadol I took, and felt much better the next day - not hung over.

I became a strong medical marijuana advocate that night.

Damn shame we don't have this available in my home state in the USA. Damn shame we have a moron of a President who loves states rights except when he doesn't (most of the time?). Damn shame we have a war on drugs.