- by Matt Nilsen
I am an anti-marijuana kind of guy. I think smoking it for recreational use is a big mistake and has huge potential to damage relationships, psychology, and health. I don't think cannabis (a more formal name for marijuana) should ever be legal for recreational use, nor for most medical situations. I have that same opinion about all other illegal drugs. I wish we supported the law enforcement officials who police and remove illicit drugs from our society. Nevertheless, I realize cannabis may have medical benefits for specific conditions. It's difficult to explore this topic because it goes against my nature and triggers some strong biases.
If you have stitches or a cavity filled, you stand a good chance of getting a shot of lidocaine, benzocaine, or marcaine. It surprises some people to learn that they are the straight-laced cousins to cocaine; notice the common suffix, "-caine." Doctors use amphetamines every day, and opiates pour through IVs and into prescription bottles millions of times each day to address pain. Dronabinol is an opiate that scientists contrived by copying THC, the molecule in marijuana that gives users the "high." Doctors prescribe dronabinol to reduce nausea in chemotherapy patients, and to people with HIV who have lost their appetite. These are reasonable uses and science has helped magnify the benefit and diminish the risks.
In the Parkinson's community we hear whisperings that marijuana helps some people with Parkinson's. We recently received an email from a caregiver who accesses cannabis legally. She claims it helps her PWP reduce his symptoms. By the way, he eats it instead of smoking it, as far as I know.
I am trying to develop a newsletter story about the issue, assuming there is an issue here. I've read a lot of studies, and some of them offer a little insight. If you have any insight about the issue please email me by clicking here
