Robert Celt
New Member
Brian Gorham lifted a piece of steel the wrong way one day at his job at a steel mill in Nevada. He said it changed the course of his life for the next 12 years.
In overwhelming pain, he sought out medical treatment and was initially diagnosed with having the lowest discs in his back bulging and fused. He had the first of many discectomy surgeries.
During his initial recovery after surgery he said he was given a prescription of Percocet. While this has become a common pain reliever in the United States, it's also a narcotic - from the opioid family. Gorham said he wasn't feeling any pain, but he also wasn't able to do much of anything for an entire year. Then his doctors started him on Oxycotin, a very popular and powerful Opiate.
Opioid or opiate medications are derived from opium. Opium is a highly addictive and very strong drug; so strong and so compelling, wars were fought over them. According to Opium.org, "When it comes to pain relief, opiate-based remedies head the pack as the fastest, most effective drugs on the market." They are frequently prescribed for pain relief after a surgery.
"Opiates work by slowing down central nervous system processes, and essentially interfering with normal signal transmissions between nerve cells throughout the body," according to Opium.org.
What becomes problematic for patients is when they are in chronic, long-term pain and continually prescribed narcotics such as opiates to manage continual pain.
"It's a money making profit-based industry. They get you hooked on the prescription, continual doctors visits to make money for them," Gorham said.
"I was devastated at not being able to work. I worked all my life," Gorham said. He said the pain from his back often shoots down his legs making it difficult to walk and making pain medication necessary.
For Gorham, the one incident in the steel mill set off a spiral of back issues. The first surgery in 2000 was to get rid of bulging tissue on a compressed disc in his lower back. But he said the one surgery didn't solve the problem. Between 2000 and 2007 Gorham said he suffered through continual back pain, bulges on discs in his spine and more surgeries to correct the issue or at least buy him time.
He said none of the back surgeries were going to be effective for a lifetime - which also meant the opiate-based medication was just masking pain and making it difficult to function normally.
"I woke up one day and realized I weighed 292 pounds. My blood pressure was so high. All I could do anymore was eat, take painkillers and sleep. I had absolutely no quality of life," Gorham said.
He said he had a dream one night that he lived in the mountains and had a dog.
He was determined to change his life around. Gorham said he weaned himself off of doctor prescribed and sanctioned opiate pain killers and reached out for a simpler and more quality of life inducing pain management system. He wanted to try medical marijuana for pain management.
At the time, Nevada's marijuana laws were much stricter than California's and California had voted for Proposition 215 to make medical marijuana legal in California. He thought he should give it a try and take back his life.
He said his original move to California from Nevada had everything to do with a convergence of legal medical marijuana access, acquiring a dog and moving to Indian Valley - the mountains of his dreams.
Gorham isn't alone in his desire to break the medical establishment recommendation of heavy pharmaceuticals in favor of more moderate non-addictive methods of pain management.
According to a September 2015 study published in the Drug and Alcohol Review, "87 percent of respondents gave up prescription medications and alcohol or other drugs in favor of cannabis" for pain relief in a survey of 478 patients prescribed narcotics.
"Using marijuana medicinally is much different than recreationally. For managing pain I use a small dose every four hours," Gorham said.
The switch has paid off for Gorham. He said he had been very athletic in college and had coached high school basketball, baseball and swimming prior to the back pain and the surgeries. He has been coaching basketball off and on at Greenville High School since 2012.
In 2007, as he began the switch, he said he was able to take up jogging again after seven years of surgery and opiate painkillers. He said his doctors had told him he'd never be able to run again.
On medical marijuana, he dropped the added pounds and began running marathons and triathlons at Lake Tahoe. He also was able to take up coaching again.
"It felt good to be a productive member of society again," Gorham said, "and now I want to help other people see that they don't have to live a life of big pharma, medical establishment-sanctioned pain relief."
Gorham said his back pain and chronic fusing of discs in his back remain. He has just learned that another back surgery is probably in his near future. "I probably will be doing marathons by fast walking in the future, but I'm still going to be out there and not just sitting in the house on painkillers," Gorham said.
Gorham said he is hopeful for more acceptance of medical marijuana despite the scarcity of vocal advocates in Plumas County. When he talks to other "215" card carriers, they are hesitant to go public and advocate for medical marijuana. He said he is speaking out to the board of supervisors and to the sheriff's office to let his views be known.
"If we grow responsibly and spread the word, the opiate deaths will decline noticeably. Colorado has already proved that," Gorham said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2010, nearly 60 percent of the drug overdose deaths (22,134) involved pharmaceutical drugs. Opioid analgesics were involved in about three of every four pharmaceutical overdose deaths (16,651), confirming the predominant role opioid analgesics play in drug overdose deaths.
This trend plays out in Plumas County as well.
"Sheriff Hagwood told me there are more opiate-related deaths than all other deaths combined in this county," Gorham said. Gorham also learned about "Pharm Parties" where high school kids in the county bring their relatives' prescriptions, set them in a big bowl, and then take them like candy. "There needs to be more education about why this is so bad for them," Gorham said.
Gorham's advocacy comes at a time when counties around California are revisiting ordinances on how to deal with medical marijuana (the original proposition was passed on a statewide ballot in 1996). In Plumas County, a committee is being formed to look at local growing ordinances.
"The county would prefer a moratorium on growing and no dispensaries. But we need at least one local grower on that committee to give his perspective," said Gorham.
The county board of supervisors will hold a meeting at the Mineral Building at the Fairgrounds in Quincy on Jan. 26, at 10 a.m., to discuss the issue.
The Portola City Council held a public meeting on this issue on Jan. 13. Another public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m., at Veteran's Memorial Hall in Portola.
"I really just want to tell all local patients with permanent or chronic pain, if I can do it, you can do it. They don't have to live a life on opiates" Gorham said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Nevada: Local Medical Marijuana Advocate Shares His Story
Author: Maggie Wells
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Plumas County News
In overwhelming pain, he sought out medical treatment and was initially diagnosed with having the lowest discs in his back bulging and fused. He had the first of many discectomy surgeries.
During his initial recovery after surgery he said he was given a prescription of Percocet. While this has become a common pain reliever in the United States, it's also a narcotic - from the opioid family. Gorham said he wasn't feeling any pain, but he also wasn't able to do much of anything for an entire year. Then his doctors started him on Oxycotin, a very popular and powerful Opiate.
Opioid or opiate medications are derived from opium. Opium is a highly addictive and very strong drug; so strong and so compelling, wars were fought over them. According to Opium.org, "When it comes to pain relief, opiate-based remedies head the pack as the fastest, most effective drugs on the market." They are frequently prescribed for pain relief after a surgery.
"Opiates work by slowing down central nervous system processes, and essentially interfering with normal signal transmissions between nerve cells throughout the body," according to Opium.org.
What becomes problematic for patients is when they are in chronic, long-term pain and continually prescribed narcotics such as opiates to manage continual pain.
"It's a money making profit-based industry. They get you hooked on the prescription, continual doctors visits to make money for them," Gorham said.
"I was devastated at not being able to work. I worked all my life," Gorham said. He said the pain from his back often shoots down his legs making it difficult to walk and making pain medication necessary.
For Gorham, the one incident in the steel mill set off a spiral of back issues. The first surgery in 2000 was to get rid of bulging tissue on a compressed disc in his lower back. But he said the one surgery didn't solve the problem. Between 2000 and 2007 Gorham said he suffered through continual back pain, bulges on discs in his spine and more surgeries to correct the issue or at least buy him time.
He said none of the back surgeries were going to be effective for a lifetime - which also meant the opiate-based medication was just masking pain and making it difficult to function normally.
"I woke up one day and realized I weighed 292 pounds. My blood pressure was so high. All I could do anymore was eat, take painkillers and sleep. I had absolutely no quality of life," Gorham said.
He said he had a dream one night that he lived in the mountains and had a dog.
He was determined to change his life around. Gorham said he weaned himself off of doctor prescribed and sanctioned opiate pain killers and reached out for a simpler and more quality of life inducing pain management system. He wanted to try medical marijuana for pain management.
At the time, Nevada's marijuana laws were much stricter than California's and California had voted for Proposition 215 to make medical marijuana legal in California. He thought he should give it a try and take back his life.
He said his original move to California from Nevada had everything to do with a convergence of legal medical marijuana access, acquiring a dog and moving to Indian Valley - the mountains of his dreams.
Gorham isn't alone in his desire to break the medical establishment recommendation of heavy pharmaceuticals in favor of more moderate non-addictive methods of pain management.
According to a September 2015 study published in the Drug and Alcohol Review, "87 percent of respondents gave up prescription medications and alcohol or other drugs in favor of cannabis" for pain relief in a survey of 478 patients prescribed narcotics.
"Using marijuana medicinally is much different than recreationally. For managing pain I use a small dose every four hours," Gorham said.
The switch has paid off for Gorham. He said he had been very athletic in college and had coached high school basketball, baseball and swimming prior to the back pain and the surgeries. He has been coaching basketball off and on at Greenville High School since 2012.
In 2007, as he began the switch, he said he was able to take up jogging again after seven years of surgery and opiate painkillers. He said his doctors had told him he'd never be able to run again.
On medical marijuana, he dropped the added pounds and began running marathons and triathlons at Lake Tahoe. He also was able to take up coaching again.
"It felt good to be a productive member of society again," Gorham said, "and now I want to help other people see that they don't have to live a life of big pharma, medical establishment-sanctioned pain relief."
Gorham said his back pain and chronic fusing of discs in his back remain. He has just learned that another back surgery is probably in his near future. "I probably will be doing marathons by fast walking in the future, but I'm still going to be out there and not just sitting in the house on painkillers," Gorham said.
Gorham said he is hopeful for more acceptance of medical marijuana despite the scarcity of vocal advocates in Plumas County. When he talks to other "215" card carriers, they are hesitant to go public and advocate for medical marijuana. He said he is speaking out to the board of supervisors and to the sheriff's office to let his views be known.
"If we grow responsibly and spread the word, the opiate deaths will decline noticeably. Colorado has already proved that," Gorham said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2010, nearly 60 percent of the drug overdose deaths (22,134) involved pharmaceutical drugs. Opioid analgesics were involved in about three of every four pharmaceutical overdose deaths (16,651), confirming the predominant role opioid analgesics play in drug overdose deaths.
This trend plays out in Plumas County as well.
"Sheriff Hagwood told me there are more opiate-related deaths than all other deaths combined in this county," Gorham said. Gorham also learned about "Pharm Parties" where high school kids in the county bring their relatives' prescriptions, set them in a big bowl, and then take them like candy. "There needs to be more education about why this is so bad for them," Gorham said.
Gorham's advocacy comes at a time when counties around California are revisiting ordinances on how to deal with medical marijuana (the original proposition was passed on a statewide ballot in 1996). In Plumas County, a committee is being formed to look at local growing ordinances.
"The county would prefer a moratorium on growing and no dispensaries. But we need at least one local grower on that committee to give his perspective," said Gorham.
The county board of supervisors will hold a meeting at the Mineral Building at the Fairgrounds in Quincy on Jan. 26, at 10 a.m., to discuss the issue.
The Portola City Council held a public meeting on this issue on Jan. 13. Another public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m., at Veteran's Memorial Hall in Portola.
"I really just want to tell all local patients with permanent or chronic pain, if I can do it, you can do it. They don't have to live a life on opiates" Gorham said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Nevada: Local Medical Marijuana Advocate Shares His Story
Author: Maggie Wells
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Plumas County News
