# moral debate: marijuana usage



## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

Some of you may remember I was investigating whether marijuana could have any possible benefits for the treatment of muscle pain/myalgia in CFS/ME.I have trialled using it on and off for about six months and found it does help to relax the muscles, reduces spasm and also helps me sleep a little better - which is a positive effect. However, if like me you have fluctuating cognitive dysfunction....I can't say my dysfunction is any worse but then again it isnt any better...and they do say marijuana use can effect concentration and short term memory...so the verdict is still open on that score.Now my dilemma is this: marijuana because it is illegal in this country is quite expensive to obtain.....and at this time impossible to obtain for treatment of pain in CFS/ME....I am seriously considering to grow it.Now the legal implications are that if caught by the police I could be in trouble....My hypothetical questions are these: If you found something that helped make your illness more bearable but it was illegal would you use it or even possibly cultivate it? would you risk getting into trouble with the authorities? or do you think that you wouldnt risk the benefits in case of the potential for trouble? how serious would your illness have to be to make you do something illegal even if you knew you had a chance of being caught?I'm just interested to know how other people with CFS/ME/FM feel about such issues really...especially considering british government are currently looking at trials of the medical use of marijuana for the treatment of multiple schlerosis...and other pain related conditions.Please give me your thoughts, and I mean ALL I'm not looking for you to condone my view point here...I'm interested in what you really think!


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

> quote:how serious would your illness have to be to make you do something illegal even if you knew you had a chance of being caught?


I think for me that severity of my symptoms and extent of relief from the illegal substance/activity would be the determining factors. If the relief was dramatic, and helped me lead a dramatically more 'normal' life, then I would definately consider it. If the relief was small, but significant enough, then severity of my symptoms would determine whether I did it or not. I think I'd have to be suicidal to do it. But then again, that's just because one day I hope to be employed by the Civil Service and I don't want to jeapordise my chances *too* much (god knows they probably already have a file on me and my activities!!)







Interesting topic Clair.


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## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

Susan,I worked for the civil service for 5 years - they're not that clever trust me


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## Ian (Apr 18, 1999)

The last article I read said that it would be available on prescription in the UK by the end of the year.Ian


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Hmm, very interesting topic Clair! At this point in my life and my illness, I wouldn't consider using something illegal to help my symptoms. One thing I think about is how would I fare physically if I would have to do any jail time? That would be the mother of all flare ups. LOL But, on the flip side, sometimes when I'm in the middle of a really bad flare, and have been bed ridden for weeks I'm ready to do almost anything to get out of bed. If the benefits were amazing, I might think more about it. But, the benefits are not concrete (as of yet) and we know it does harm to cognitive function (and goodness knows we don't need MORE harm in THAT department - lol) - So to me it looks like concrete cons with some intangible pros. (Does that make sense?) Not to mention the fact that if you get caught you're up a creek. I think ultimately you have to take into consideration your symptoms and what you need to do. Not everyone is as sick as everyone else, duh, so only you can gauge your personal symptoms. There are pills that work as muscle relaxants - have you ever tried them? Or had any success with them?


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## lbtweetie (Apr 9, 2002)

As most have said I would have to look at my current physical state to make that decision. One thing I wouldn't do would be to post it on the BB or discuss it with others. I would just do it. The chances of you being caught by the authorities are a lot less the less that people know.


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2003)

Clair.... I think you need to do what you need to do. Sometimes when rules are not fair, they need to be broken. I think booze carries with it just as many potential hazards, but it's still legal.Evie


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## Ian (Apr 18, 1999)

...or listen to:'All in the Mind, Cannabis and psychosis',BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 29 July, 9.00 pm, repeated Wednesday 30, 4.30 pm.Ian


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## celticlady (Aug 6, 2001)

If it works, well,do what you need to do to get some relief!(I also would suggest you perhaps post under an "alias", here in the US "drug paranoia" is rampant,maybe not so bad in the UK....but under "Dubya" it isnt helping matters-people tend to put marijuana in the same catagory as harder drugs such as LSD,cocaine,etc.)I myself think marijuana is in the same catagory as alcohol,fairly mild and boy,would we make a dent in the national debt if it was legalized!I myself have thought about using pot for the severe muscle spasms,but cannot do so right now.(I am at a pain clinic which has helped and am on chronic narcotics(low-level) which has helped the pain immensley.They do drug testing,randonly,and I wouldnt dare to jeaopardize my Duri-gesic patch use)***See,I cant get convicted for my thoughts(yet)****





















Soma as a muscle relaxant works somewhat well for me,and going for massage.Have you trieed Soma?If not,good luck with whatever your decision is.CelticPS-A totally gluten-free diet and dairy-free(casien) diet has helped my symptoms TONS!!!!! some time I should post this as another topic.I also take Relaxin which is not FDA approved but is avail OTC I beleive. Relaxin and the diet are 2 things I would recomnmend highly to anyone-the diet is HARD to follow but is worth it!!!!!!!!!(diet helps my IBS BTW also!)If anyone interested in Relaxin,can google-search under Dr Samuel Yue,who has done research on this and has had excellent results with it in fibro patients!!!Just need to have your MD approve,dont just take it on your own,as it is a hormone and needs to be monitired-)


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

> quote:they're not that clever trust me


I think 5 or 6 might be







Ian, I read that about cannabis too, although I think initially it's only licensed for use in Multiple Sclerosis?


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Clair, you need to do what will help you. If the "weed" helps, I see nothing wrong in using it. I've been tempted to try some, too, but I'm scared s**tless I'd get caught. A few years ago when I was really bad, my son even offered to get me some, but I told him not to because I didn't want him to get caught and have to pay the consequences for his mother's sake. I sure thought it was awfully sweet of him to offer, though!







In my opinion, they should make it legal. They can get us hooked on pain meds, and that seems to be okay in their eyes, so why not allow us to try this.Go for it, girl.


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## Ian (Apr 18, 1999)

Susan,Yes, I think trials were in connection with MS.It will be interesting to see whether prescriptions will be available for other conditions eg muscular spasms associated with Fibro/CFS.Ian


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## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

I may be butting in here cuz I don't have FM but I do have bliary problems that have caused me chronic pain so I have often grappled with the question presented here. Yes I would probably try to obtain something that society considers illegal if doing so does not put my life in jeopardy and if it reliably and quickly alleviates my pain. Morality / illegality is not always absolute even in the justice system so that there is a lot of room for interpretation, even if you would be "caught in the act" so to say. Sometimes it is the courageous acts of bucking the system that ultimately ends up serving the public interest as well as the individual personally.Experiencing chronic pain changes the way a person looks at things and at times, you are willing to do whatever it takes to rid yourself of it, even if only for a short respite.And as a twist to the same questiono you think that it is ok to use something legal, but obtained illegally? (say, for example, using someone else's prescribed drugs). This results in the same legal conundrum, but seems to have a different connotation in the morality / legality debate. Our society seems to accept that this happens and therefore the social stigma may not be as severe.Laurie


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## bellyknot (Jul 24, 2000)

I don't know about other states but in California they don't arrest you for using pot, just selling or growing large amounts. I've tried it and it works in that you are unable to hold a thought long enough to focus on your pain. I really wish I liked it better than I do, think I'll try again.


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Ian, good point. I saw on BBC teletext news today that trials are going to start on cannabis for post-operative pain - glad to see it's being tried for more than MS.


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## Rowe2 (Sep 26, 2002)

Clair, since I work in law enforcement this will probably sound bias, but the use of marijuana is far more dangerous than getting caught with it. It can damage your lungs with long time use, just as cigarettes. Actually, even more so. It doesn't leave your system overnight. The chemicals absorb into your muscle tissues and stay longer than you want to know. It causes all kinds of problems in the body for you. Please try another solution.


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## Ian (Apr 18, 1999)

There was a short feature on last night's BBC news.Trials are being carried out, using cannabis spray and capsule extract, for alleviation of post operative pain and a range of chronic pain conditions eg rheumatism.No mention of ME/CFS but report suggested availability by end of year. Ian


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## Charlie357 (Apr 3, 2002)

Anyone remember that TV show Barney Miller? Someone left a container of brownies laced with marijuana in his department and he had to send all the officers home early because they were all happy,giggling and feeling no pain. It doesn't have to be smoked (for goodness sake)Grow one plant for experimental purposes in among your house plants and use Miracle Gro! Good Luck!


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## Charlie357 (Apr 3, 2002)

Post Script-- Didn't George W.smoke pot in his college days? And it doesn't seem to have affected his mind?(lol!)All we need is one more big tax cut! And we'll all be growing it!


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