Using Medical Marijuana for Pain Management

One of the more prominent reasonings behind the use of medical marijuana is for treating symptoms of pain for health patients all over the United States. The world is full of pain, both mental and physical. Did you know that roughly 12% of all prescriptions filled in the United States alone are to treat or manage some type of pain? There seems to be a surplus of pain surrounding residents in the United States, and there is a lack of appropriate and helpful resources available to patients that are dealing with severe pain. Chronic pain, the type that patients struggle with constantly, can usually be attributed to some other type of health condition.

There are many types of pain management that patients attempt to use, including prescription medications, physical therapy, or even substances that are not suggested or prescribed by their doctor. These are short term fixes for a long term issue of pain. Most patients that struggle with pain of this caliber have a hard time just getting through the day, let alone be successful at work or be able to exercise when their responsibilities are done with. These are some of the reasons that medical marijuana has become even more popular for dealing with different types of pain. Not only does the cannabidiol content found in marijuana help reduce inflammation at the source of pain on a cellular level, but the THC component also helps to alleviate mental stress and increase energy and mood levels.

In comparison to other prescription medications that one might take to manage levels of pain, cannabis is much more natural and risk free. Opioids, which have sadly become the industry standard for dealing with chronic pain, are inherently addictive and can lead to long term problems, specifically addiction and overdosing. Many medical patients that use opioids to treat and manage their pain conditions will testify to the fact that opioids lose their effectiveness over time, meaning that the patient has to take increased doses of the drug over and over. In contrast, marijuana can be taken in micro doses, higher potencies, and taken in a variety of ways through different cannabis products. This allows the patients to really decide how they want to be treated by medical marijuana, and it doesn’t control them in the same way that other pain medications do.

Another thing to consider about the medical marijuana industry is that it keeps adapting. Cannabis can be implemented into a variety of products that are specialized for dealing with different types of pain. For people who experience pain closer to or at the surface of the skin, there are topical options like lotions or creams that can be infused with CBD or THC to treat the pain at the source. Of course, medical marijuana patients can also take part in smoking weed, which is definitely the most effective (and fun) method of cannabis consumption. There are also oils, tinctures, edibles, capsules, and many other products that really allow the medical marijuana patients to decide how they want to consume cannabis. Plus, we finally have doctors and medical practitioners that are able to give informed opinions and prescriptions for medical marijuana to a patient suffering with chronic pain or health conditions. This helps to ensure that each patient is getting a safe recommendation from their doctor and knows what they are getting into before they head on over to the dispensary. So if you have been dealing with chronic pain for quite some time and have not had success with other treatment options, it might be time to ask your doctor if medical marijuana is right for you!