*Disclaimer: Check with your primary care provider (PCP) a MD or DO before you make any decisions. I am a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and cannot legally authorize the use of medical marijuana.
First, there are already many people using Marijuana for chronic aches and pains under the OMMP.
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) has been around for a while. The program is set up to allow individuals with certain medical conditions to use marijuana. Yet, now with the legalization of Marijuana more and more people are considering it as a means to cope with pain. As of July 1, 2015 Oregonians can legally grow limited amounts of marijuana on their property and possess limited amounts of recreational marijuana for personal use. So now people that don’t have a qualifying condition for the OMMP can start using if they wish.
Here are a few of my personal thoughts. If you can deal with the pain naturally, do that first. I would recommend exhausting conservative treatment measures prior to consideration. Massage, hypnotherapy, chiropractic and acupuncture are a few treatments to consider. Are you really giving a solid effort to resolve your condition prior to using? I believe it’s better not to rely on any substance whether its ibuprofen, prescription medication, alcohol or marijuana. If you can actually correct the problem causing the pain, let’s try. Personally, I do not use, but I understand why people do.
With that being said, I would rather my patient use marijuana over most prescription medications. Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin can make days bearable if you are recovering from a surgery but they can be as addictive as heroin and have deadly side effects. 46 people a day die from overdose. 80,000 people per year are treated in emergency rooms because they have taken too much. The problem I see is when patients use marijuana as a way to cope with daily stress rather than unbearable pain. They are temporarily escaping reality rather than findings a real solution and it has nothing to do with their physical pain. As of July 1st, 2015 it doesn’t really matter as adults can use for recreation.
So in conclusion, I would recommend exploring medical marijuana if you have already exhausted conservative treatment measures and/or it decreases your use of pain medication. The negative and positive side effects of using should be explored prior to use. Again you should check with your MD or DO prior to using.
D’Vida Injury Clinic & Wellness Center in Beaverton, Oregon.
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