Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
I've dealt with chronic pain since I broke my hip at 17, and few years ago I had to have a second hip surgery. The recovery was long and arduous and the extent to which I would recover was uncertain. I was warned (as I was after my first hip surgery) that I would likely need a hip replacement before turning 40.
In and of itself, this information isn't interesting or important, but it segue ways into the subject of chronic pain, surgery, recovery, and more chronic pain. Surely, you can assume the theme I'm going to discuss, right? It's pain management, if you didn't.
This is significant because I live in an urban area where mobility is necessary. Even though the mass transit system is pretty good, you walk a lot. It's also significant because I've been chasing around my daughter for the last 4 years.
You heard that correctly. I am a parent and use cannabis as pain management and, contrary to the opinion of our current Attorney General, I am not a bad person. Now that I've got that off my chest, I feel that we can move on.
Opioids are both useful for pain management and a doorway
For the long and uncomfortable recovery my doctor prescribed a healthy amount of painkillers; specifically, about a three month's supply of 5m of oxycodone and a lesser supply of 10m oxycontin. Given that this was only two years ago, the literature on the addictiveness of opiates was ubiquitous and I had no intention of becoming a statistic. Despite this knowledge, dependency came quick and subtle, but I continued to take the pills to quell the grinding pain in my hip.
After nearly two months of using opiates, a friend joked how I'd probably become chemically dependent. I was, but my opiate story ends with several days of heightened anxiety and mild discomfort, then never looking back.
Not long after I ran out, though, I was back at my doctor for a checkup and he asked me if I needed another refill. I did but considering how much I'd come to rely on them for pain management, I passed. I told him no refills were necessary because this was DC- there was a safer alternative. He smiled and simply said, "Okay."
In some cynical part of my brain, I thought my doctor was testing me. Surely getting a refill on opiates, given the looming epidemic, wouldn't be as easy as saying, "Yes, I need another refill." His question, though, was earnest and without subtext- he simply wanted to help manage my pain. (I should point out this wasn't a pill mill and my doctor wouldn't have blindly filled another script without a lengthy discussion on whether or not I actually needed them.)
So here's my confession: I liked having opiates. They noticeably dulled the pain and made me feel great, positive, and mentally charged. I don't know if this is a common response to the chemical, but it was mine. Every several days, however, I had to take more to achieve the same effect- including dulling the pain. Yet, my experience with opiates was terminal, and even though I had a valid reason to use them, I said "no" to more.
A strong support network, reasonably good health, work, and a family strengthened my default setting on opiates. Many addicts across the spectrum don't have the same support network, and relapse, or addiction to harder drugs, is their foregone conclusion once opioids are taken away.
It helps that this white drug epidemic is being treated differently than previous drug scares that disproportionately afflicted communities of color. Back during the crack scare, fact-based responses were severely lacking and the criminal justice system only perpetuated the problem by focusing on punishment.
Assuming the current DOJ head doesn't further escalate an ineffective drug war, and we continue on a more compassionate pathway to treatment, addicts from this epidemic may recover better than victims of previous drug epidemics.
For me, I had another ace up my pain management sleeve: cannabis.
Legalization can go a long way towards breaking myths and normalizing cannabis
It's important to give all the context first for two reasons:
- There's always a necessity to establish the argument for pain management because a lot of people, especially old school drug warriors, simply don't believe there's any value in cannabis
- Please refer back to point 1
I'd like to credit my resistance to both chronic pain, and the resulting depression, to superhuman willpower alone, but that's not entirely true. My quality of life was skipping down a hill long before I went in for surgery and, by then, my resolve had withered. Even walking a few blocks caused immense physical discomfort, which only exacerbated depression and drinking.
Being able to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and start a regimen of physical therapy and cortisone shots was a big step (many who suffer chronic pain don't have the resources to seek out treatment). The effectiveness of the shots unfortunately didn't last long, but during the interim I heeded the advice of long time cannabis-using friends. Using herb, I was able to manage the chronic pain in my hip.
Over the years, cannabis was more of a novelty for me- just for fun and recreation. As I've gotten older, I've noticed a different effect; it dulled my hip pain and made it easier to walk around. And by walk around, I mean chase my crawling, walking, and now running child.
Several years ago, this wouldn't have been an option for me, but a year before my surgery, DC overwhelmingly passed Initiative 71. On November 14th, 2014 nearly 65 percent of District residents approved legalizing small amounts of recreational cannabis for personal use.
While there are no recreational dispensaries in the District, yet, there are many creative ways to find what you're looking for. It's not an ideal situation for cannabis enthusiasts, but until a more liberal congress takes over, the gray cannabis economy will be the business model.
Of course, if you have a medical card this isn't a problem. Medical cannabis has been legal for a bit longer and getting a card is as easy as finding an approved doctor through a dispensary. You can even get subsidized medical cards. (Medical cannabis was technically legalized in 1998 but the first medical sale didn't happen until 2013.)
No matter how one obtains cannabis in the District, decriminalization and legalization has brought on an air of legitimacy. The social stigma attached to purchasing and consumption of the plant, here, has lost its power to shame people. Now, both the stereotypical hippy and suit-wearing professional can openly discuss their use of cannabis without much judgment.
Still, regardless of your stance on it, there's still a lot of misinformation about its drawbacks and even its efficacy as medicine. To advocates, its properties are many and the zeitgeist almost mythical, but in reality legitimate research is just catching up to decades of propaganda. Some of the old myths are still touted by anti-legalization advocates today: that it's a gateway drug, extremely dangerous, useless as medicine, and that only bad people use it.
Yet, unlike other controlled substances we use recreationally, for example alcohol, cannabis seems to have far more value than social lubrication and altered states of consciousness. There's a growing body of evidence, from researchers and doctors, that its legalization correlates highly with reduced opioid addiction.
Still, I won't sit here and tell you cannabis is literally a miracle panacea. No such substance exists, natural, manmade, or engineered by the gods. Not yet, anyway. I'll also be the first to point out that it can be abused like any other substance. Anything out of moderation can be abused to a body's physical and mental detriment. For example, you shouldn't operate heavy machinery or perform difficult tasks under the influence of Cannabis. Neither can you produce a coherent, well-edited essay when stoned, even if anecdotally people claim it makes you more creative.
Well, there is some evidence for that last one. This essay, for example, was written and edited while one hundred percent sober, but it started out as a stray thought conjured out of a cannabis cloud. However I wrote this piece, the fact remains that I'm walking around in a lot less pain.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis is the Least of Your Worries -
Author: Matthew Koehler
Contact: About Us - The Good Men Project
Photo Credit: Allan Ziolkowski
Website: The Good Men Project - The Conversation No One Else Is Having
In and of itself, this information isn't interesting or important, but it segue ways into the subject of chronic pain, surgery, recovery, and more chronic pain. Surely, you can assume the theme I'm going to discuss, right? It's pain management, if you didn't.
This is significant because I live in an urban area where mobility is necessary. Even though the mass transit system is pretty good, you walk a lot. It's also significant because I've been chasing around my daughter for the last 4 years.
You heard that correctly. I am a parent and use cannabis as pain management and, contrary to the opinion of our current Attorney General, I am not a bad person. Now that I've got that off my chest, I feel that we can move on.
Opioids are both useful for pain management and a doorway
For the long and uncomfortable recovery my doctor prescribed a healthy amount of painkillers; specifically, about a three month's supply of 5m of oxycodone and a lesser supply of 10m oxycontin. Given that this was only two years ago, the literature on the addictiveness of opiates was ubiquitous and I had no intention of becoming a statistic. Despite this knowledge, dependency came quick and subtle, but I continued to take the pills to quell the grinding pain in my hip.
After nearly two months of using opiates, a friend joked how I'd probably become chemically dependent. I was, but my opiate story ends with several days of heightened anxiety and mild discomfort, then never looking back.
Not long after I ran out, though, I was back at my doctor for a checkup and he asked me if I needed another refill. I did but considering how much I'd come to rely on them for pain management, I passed. I told him no refills were necessary because this was DC- there was a safer alternative. He smiled and simply said, "Okay."
In some cynical part of my brain, I thought my doctor was testing me. Surely getting a refill on opiates, given the looming epidemic, wouldn't be as easy as saying, "Yes, I need another refill." His question, though, was earnest and without subtext- he simply wanted to help manage my pain. (I should point out this wasn't a pill mill and my doctor wouldn't have blindly filled another script without a lengthy discussion on whether or not I actually needed them.)
So here's my confession: I liked having opiates. They noticeably dulled the pain and made me feel great, positive, and mentally charged. I don't know if this is a common response to the chemical, but it was mine. Every several days, however, I had to take more to achieve the same effect- including dulling the pain. Yet, my experience with opiates was terminal, and even though I had a valid reason to use them, I said "no" to more.
A strong support network, reasonably good health, work, and a family strengthened my default setting on opiates. Many addicts across the spectrum don't have the same support network, and relapse, or addiction to harder drugs, is their foregone conclusion once opioids are taken away.
It helps that this white drug epidemic is being treated differently than previous drug scares that disproportionately afflicted communities of color. Back during the crack scare, fact-based responses were severely lacking and the criminal justice system only perpetuated the problem by focusing on punishment.
Assuming the current DOJ head doesn't further escalate an ineffective drug war, and we continue on a more compassionate pathway to treatment, addicts from this epidemic may recover better than victims of previous drug epidemics.
For me, I had another ace up my pain management sleeve: cannabis.
Legalization can go a long way towards breaking myths and normalizing cannabis
It's important to give all the context first for two reasons:
- There's always a necessity to establish the argument for pain management because a lot of people, especially old school drug warriors, simply don't believe there's any value in cannabis
- Please refer back to point 1
I'd like to credit my resistance to both chronic pain, and the resulting depression, to superhuman willpower alone, but that's not entirely true. My quality of life was skipping down a hill long before I went in for surgery and, by then, my resolve had withered. Even walking a few blocks caused immense physical discomfort, which only exacerbated depression and drinking.
Being able to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and start a regimen of physical therapy and cortisone shots was a big step (many who suffer chronic pain don't have the resources to seek out treatment). The effectiveness of the shots unfortunately didn't last long, but during the interim I heeded the advice of long time cannabis-using friends. Using herb, I was able to manage the chronic pain in my hip.
Over the years, cannabis was more of a novelty for me- just for fun and recreation. As I've gotten older, I've noticed a different effect; it dulled my hip pain and made it easier to walk around. And by walk around, I mean chase my crawling, walking, and now running child.
Several years ago, this wouldn't have been an option for me, but a year before my surgery, DC overwhelmingly passed Initiative 71. On November 14th, 2014 nearly 65 percent of District residents approved legalizing small amounts of recreational cannabis for personal use.
While there are no recreational dispensaries in the District, yet, there are many creative ways to find what you're looking for. It's not an ideal situation for cannabis enthusiasts, but until a more liberal congress takes over, the gray cannabis economy will be the business model.
Of course, if you have a medical card this isn't a problem. Medical cannabis has been legal for a bit longer and getting a card is as easy as finding an approved doctor through a dispensary. You can even get subsidized medical cards. (Medical cannabis was technically legalized in 1998 but the first medical sale didn't happen until 2013.)
No matter how one obtains cannabis in the District, decriminalization and legalization has brought on an air of legitimacy. The social stigma attached to purchasing and consumption of the plant, here, has lost its power to shame people. Now, both the stereotypical hippy and suit-wearing professional can openly discuss their use of cannabis without much judgment.
Still, regardless of your stance on it, there's still a lot of misinformation about its drawbacks and even its efficacy as medicine. To advocates, its properties are many and the zeitgeist almost mythical, but in reality legitimate research is just catching up to decades of propaganda. Some of the old myths are still touted by anti-legalization advocates today: that it's a gateway drug, extremely dangerous, useless as medicine, and that only bad people use it.
Yet, unlike other controlled substances we use recreationally, for example alcohol, cannabis seems to have far more value than social lubrication and altered states of consciousness. There's a growing body of evidence, from researchers and doctors, that its legalization correlates highly with reduced opioid addiction.
Still, I won't sit here and tell you cannabis is literally a miracle panacea. No such substance exists, natural, manmade, or engineered by the gods. Not yet, anyway. I'll also be the first to point out that it can be abused like any other substance. Anything out of moderation can be abused to a body's physical and mental detriment. For example, you shouldn't operate heavy machinery or perform difficult tasks under the influence of Cannabis. Neither can you produce a coherent, well-edited essay when stoned, even if anecdotally people claim it makes you more creative.
Well, there is some evidence for that last one. This essay, for example, was written and edited while one hundred percent sober, but it started out as a stray thought conjured out of a cannabis cloud. However I wrote this piece, the fact remains that I'm walking around in a lot less pain.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis is the Least of Your Worries -
Author: Matthew Koehler
Contact: About Us - The Good Men Project
Photo Credit: Allan Ziolkowski
Website: The Good Men Project - The Conversation No One Else Is Having
