Posted by Larry Hoover on February 4, 2006, at 23:12:05
In reply to Re: Wimpy hypocrites and naysayers and Marijuana, posted by Responsible_Citizen on February 4, 2006, at 0:43:05
> Regarding marijuana, I agree with Mark and Linkadge, et al. It possesses both medical value and the capacity to cause harm; here is your double-edged sword.
It is sad, though, that the "capacity to cause harm" issue has been so thoroughly exaggerated in such classic productions as the film "Reefer Madness".
As a recent inductee into the world of medical marijuana, I can look upon the subject with more than hypothetical perspective. I perceive a similar dose/response issue as seen with opiate drugs. If the dose is titrated closely to symptoms, the likelihood of psychoactive side effects is very small. For example, I have had no uptick in hunger or food-directed behaviours (i.e. the Munchies). And, should there be a minor excess in intake, the side effects of calm and peacefulness are not too onerous. Lord help us, that we might find a treatment that is actually pleasant!
I do regret that not all people exposed to cannabis have positive or pleasant experiences, but some consideration of the issues of set and setting may minimize that likelihood. In this instance, set refers to mindset, the cognitive variables that define state of mind. The setting is the environment within which one is exposed to the drug. There are surely situations which are not conducive to pleasant experiences. Unfortunately, the fear of criminal sanction might itself irrevocably taint any possible experience, and destroy beneficial effects.
All I know is that with cannabis added to my polydrug pain treatment, I can now state that I have left the world of the merely surviving, and have rejoined the realm of the living. I am obtaining restorative sleep, and have nearly entirely lost the onerous digestive tract symptoms accompanying the opiates. Moreover, adverse cognitive effects of Lyrica are similarly reversed. I no longer have a significant difficulty with speech production, for example.
I have only begun to recover, though, and the pain is still just as strong as before. It just isn't so onerous. I struggle with how to phrase that. In any case, I am now "cautiously optimistic" with respect to my prognosis.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:605108
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060129/msgs/606450.html