Jul 09, 2014
People with MS who live in New York are celebrating the state’s legalization of medical marijuana (or cannabis), but it’s not just people with multiple sclerosis who are celebrating. In recent years, medical marijuana has been shown to relieve symptoms of other conditions and diseases like cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries.
So what, exactly, does medical marijuana do for people living with MS?
Allan Doucette of Vermont, where medical marijuana has been legal and available for some time, says, “For me, a lot of it is appetite and just the feeling of well-being. When you’re sick with MS you feel bad all the time. And it’s not a bad thing to feel good. And the marijuana does help you feel good inside because it’s tough dealing with something that’s taking things away from you every day.”
Marijuana, which up until now, has been used primarily as a recreational drug, has properties that can treat disease, reduce nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy, ease symptoms, and alleviate pain. Besides smoking, medical marijuana can be administered by taking capsules, using oral sprays, and eating extracts, among others. The drug has been prescribed for both adults and children with success.
New York is the 23rd state to legalize the drug for medicinal use, with several restrictions. Patients won’t be able to smoke it. They’ll have to ingest it or administer it through a vaporizer. There will be a seven percent tax on it, and health insurers won’t have to cover it. Doctors who prescribe it will be certified and registered, and five licensed manufacturers will have the green light to open four dispensaries each across New York State.
New York has chosen the liquid form of the drug to dispense, and that’s okay with Dr. Keith Edwards of the Multiple Sclerosis Center in Latham. He explains, “The studies done in the United Kingdom and in Canada are using the liquid form, which is what New York State will be using so that is a pure medical use, so that’s better than smoking because you don’t know what you’re getting off the street, what other drugs may be laced in the marijuana.”
Cannabis has actually been a pharmaceutical since the 1800s, so the medicinal effects of the drug have been long recognized. MS patients who have been smoking it say it only takes a small amount to make them feel significantly better.
Tammy Mischitelli of Schenectady says of her experience, “If you take two or three puffs of it and your whole body just feels so good, and you feel so much better, and it’s not like when recreational people use it to get high. It’s just a nice feeling to not have your arm spazzing or your leg spazzing and the pain goes away.”
Here’s the news story about the legislation. If you’ve used medical marijuana for MS in states where it’s legal, please share your experience.
Source:
wnyt.com/article/stories/s3495763.shtml
en.wikipedia.org
Image Sources:
guardianlv.com
tobacconews.net
amazon.com
mjnewsnetwork.com
cannadad.blogspot.com
jewishjournal.com
cannabis.infos.com
About the author
Susan Hawkins
AMS Vans provides news about issues that are important to people with disabilities, their loved ones, disability advocates, and their friends.
Medical Marijuana for MS Now Legal in 23 States
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