Cannabis. An 'alternative' to traditional medication?

[burner1]

I've smoked 'normal' baccy for years and along the way, had the odd dooby and enjoyed it. Past few years though, I'm seeing more and more info about it being a positive alternative to certain ailments. I can't say the video's or articles I've read are set in stone evidence wise but none the less, interesting to read.

Do you think it should/ could be made more legal than currently? I understand taxation and control (including quality) are issues but still, would be nice to see it on the shelves of Boots

[Over Carl]

I have to admit I do like a smoke. I compare it to alcohol - I know neither are going to do me any good but both are fun.

For certain things like for example pain relief or to induce hunger I can believe it may be of medicinal value.

However there are a lot of claims being made if you read around the internet and I'm not convinced by a fair few.

[piggzy]

Back in the day the Mrs had a Chronic Pelvic Pain Disorder and was on the max dose of codeine you can be prescribed and sometimes was even given morphine.

At the worst of the pain a doob was the only relief she had. It was never abused, she had it maybe once/twice a week and as her condition improved she stopped using it and now the codeine is enough.

So YES I think it has it's place and should be looked into by the powers that be. Could it lead to abuse ... course it will, just like alcohol. Doesn't mean that the sensible few shouldn't be able to benefit from it in a responsible manner and it should be argued it also can be enjoyed recreationally responsibly.

That is my view as someone he does not smoke or take weed. (have in the past many moons ago)

[DavidF]

My brother takes 1 pill at night for crohn's disease - a very small dab of oil in a normal over the counter empty pill capsule. This has alleviated the associated pain with the condition to allow him to get a full nights sleep as well as controlling the pain. He is now back at work after a 6 month absence and he is off the painkillers that the doc gave him which left him like a zombie so still unable to work - You would be a brave man to ditch a traditional cancer treatment in favour of the cannabis method.

As an aside I made some oil out of some green a few years back.....2 drops heated in a droplet of olive oil and fired into a yogurt.....feck me what a mess...and im no stranger to the odd one or two so I can confirm oil made properly is indeed very pure and very strong....

So as for medical benefits then my own brother is living proof that taken in a controlled way he has indeed had a "medical benefit". As for the actual disease he has - it is diet control that is the key...so while they/he gets that sorted the oil is improving his quality of life by an enormous amount.

[DavidF]

Everything can be abused - plenty people abuse prescription drugs.....don't see any calls for them to be banned, controlled yes but very rarely banned.

[piggzy]

Everything can be abused - plenty people abuse prescription drugs.....don't see any calls for them to be banned, controlled yes but very rarely banned.

Absolutely. The Mrs has had to jump hoops sometimes to get her much needed codeine due to how badly it apparently is abused. Also very addictive. Luckily as her illness comes and goes she has managed to avoid the worrying addiction side of things.

In my mind weed is grown and is a natural substance (before processing). Surely this must have far less negatives than a lab manufactured pill.
As above the oil must surely be very natural and if used sparingly better than something Glaxo Smith Klein are profiting off.

[Mule]

In order to be used for pharmaceutical use it needs to have proven efficacy an safety. Anecdotal evidence just doesn't cut it and for the same reason the NHS should never be funding homoeopathy, acupuncture etc.

For recreational use I go along with the work of David Nutt and his colleagues. http://www.drugscience.org.uk/
That being that the whole drug grading system needs a rethink beyond public perception.

[piggzy]

In order to be used for pharmaceutical use it needs to have proven efficacy an safety. Anecdotal evidence just doesn't cut it and for the same reason the NHS should never be funding homoeopathy, acupuncture etc.

For recreational use I go along with the work of David Nutt and his colleagues. http://www.drugscience.org.uk/
That being that the whole drug grading system needs a rethink beyond public perception.

Yes but all that research is shouting "Hypocrisy" from the rooftops. Drugs are out to make a profit not to cure. Making someone better is not cost efficient.

It makes money to treat someone... NOT cure them.

For example

Cancer should not be "cured" imho The root causes of it should be addressed .
Cure the cause.. No need for the cure.

[Over Carl]

In order to be used for pharmaceutical use it needs to have proven efficacy an safety. Anecdotal evidence just doesn't cut it and for the same reason the NHS should never be funding homoeopathy, acupuncture etc.

For recreational use I go along with the work of David Nutt and his colleagues. http://www.drugscience.org.uk/
That being that the whole drug grading system needs a rethink beyond public perception.

When he was sacked, I initially thought it was outrageous that the government hired a person to head a team tasked with independently gathering scientific evidence, then sacked him for not providing the advise they hoped he would provide.

However when I read about his idea for a replacement for alcohol, I wondered if there was any conflict of interest and whether it was appropriate for him to have held his post.

Shame his actions allow his credibility to be questioned as I think there was a lot of truth in what he was saying.

Spolier for anyone who doesn't know about the Nutt issue

Spoiler:

To spell it out for anyone that hasn't followed the topic - he was working on a drug that would have a similar effect to alcohol, but the effect could be quickly reverted via an "antidote".

We haven't got the benefit of thousands of years worth of testing to compare the potential health risks, but it is often said that alcohol and tobacco wouldn't be allowed to market if they were found today and I suspect his invention would fall foul of that problem.

In addition it would also most definitely fall foul of the Psychotropic drugs Act 2016 which comes into action on 5th April 2016 that bans anything that can get you high that isn't covered by existing drugs legislation - it could be argued possession of Tippex or a can of lighter gas for example will become illegal due to this law.

Anyway, it's hard to refute that if David Nutt influenced policy to be more lenient on illegal drugs, that would have given him a better chance of his idea being allowed to be sold.

[Mule]

Yes but all that research is shouting "Hypocrisy" from the rooftops. drugs are out to make a profit not to cure. Making someone better is not cost efficient.

It makes money to treat someone... NOT cure them.

For example

Cancer should not be "cured" imho The root causes of it should be addressed .
Cure the cause.. No need for the cure.

It is being gone about it the wrong way, prevention is certainly better than cure in a lot of instances. However, I don't agree that it's some sort of conspiracy, plenty of pharmaceuticals have cured diseases and considering we have the NHS (at the moment anyway) they aren't interested in making a profit. Even GP's will give you the cheapest drug they think they can get away with.

[Over Carl]

It is being gone about it the wrong way, prevention is certainly better than cure in a lot of instances. However, I don't agree that it's some sort of conspiracy, plenty of pharmaceuticals have cured diseases and considering we have the NHS (at the moment anyway) they aren't interested in making a profit. Even GP's will give you the cheapest drug they think they can get away with.

The problem is it is hard to assign results to preventative measures. If for example a doctor could be allowed enough time to sit and explain things to a patient that avoids future health problems, and they were awarded say £50k for provably preventing a patient from suffering from a serious disease, then there might be enough incentive for services to be provided to give the little extra that would save a lot further down the line. Unfortunately say for example the GP who spends an extra 3 mins per patient on routine appointments to give extra advice and saves many lives and saves many more NHS procedures will see no reward except his wife moaning why he is home late.

I do hope that in years to come, people will laugh at this period as the era that the beancounters overtook the world. Sadly I think we have a one way ticket for this journey.

[Mule]

I do hope that in years to come, people will laugh at this period as the era that the beancounters overtook the world. Sadly I think we have a one way ticket for this journey.

One battle at a time, right now it's Jeremy Hunt that needs to be fought off.

[evilsatan]

I personally believe it's a matter of time until restrictions on cannabis are loosened around the world, America practically led the war on drugs and is now legalising so will act as a case study. IMO politicians in the UK will avoid rocking the boat with older generations who may have a black and white view on drugs, the next generation is less likely to view cannabis as such a problem and as time goes on the more liberal view will be taken.

[MajorFU]

I think you'll find "drugs" have been illegal a lot less time than they had been legal. I exclude a lot of chemical based modern designer drugs but I believe even the base elements of some amphetamine is still from over 500 years ago.

It could be argued as a species we've been smoking weed longer then we've been drinking booze?

[Geko]

My brother takes 1 pill at night for crohn's disease - a very small dab of oil in a normal over the counter empty pill capsule. This has alleviated the associated pain with the condition to allow him to get a full nights sleep as well as controlling the pain. He is now back at work after a 6 month absence and he is off the painkillers that the doc gave him which left him like a zombie so still unable to work - You would be a brave man to ditch a traditional cancer treatment in favour of the cannabis method.

As an aside I made some oil out of some green a few years back.....2 drops heated in a droplet of olive oil and fired into a yogurt.....feck me what a mess...and im no stranger to the odd one or two so I can confirm oil made properly is indeed very pure and very strong....

So as for medical benefits then my own brother is living proof that taken in a controlled way he has indeed had a "medical benefit". As for the actual disease he has - it is diet control that is the key...so while they/he gets that sorted the oil is improving his quality of life by an enormous amount.

I have crohn's. Interested to hear more about your brother's use of alternative drugs and diet. I am randomly tested for drugs at work, so I wouldn't be able to try marijuana as a treatment, as I could lose my job.

[Robbo]

I have crohn's. Interested to hear more about your brother's use of alternative drugs and diet. I am randomly tested for drugs at work, so I wouldn't be able to try marijuana as a treatment, as I could lose my job.

Get some CBD oil mate, I know a few people who swear by it

http://www.unitedpatientsgroup.com/b...-daniel-towns/

[plug1]

Get some CBD oil mate, I know a few people who swear by it

http://www.unitedpatientsgroup.com/b...-daniel-towns/

unfortunately you still need some thc or CBD won't be as affective .

[DavidF]

I have crohn's. Interested to hear more about your brother's use of alternative drugs and diet. I am randomly tested for drugs at work, so I wouldn't be able to try marijuana as a treatment, as I could lose my job.

Well his diet is just a standard "let's try this, that and the next" and by keeping a diary and with a process of elimination he is eventually going to end up knowing what fits for him. The alternative drugs are just simply using the cannabis instead of the painkillers they stick you on. I will speak to him tomorrow and get more info with regards to what drugs his doc had him on....but like I say they were just mad strong painkillers that made him like a zombie.
With cannabis as im sure you are aware it stays in your system on average for 28 days so if your workplace does DT's then you just cant go there. I will post or message more when i speak to him tomorrow evening/next day.

[ek247]

CBD oil helped me with colitis which I know is not as severe as chrons. Worth a try...they even sell it on Amazon!!

[DavidF]

So I spoke to my brother on the phone last night. His doc had him on Tramadol and hydrocodine (spelling probably way out) a steroid to reduce inflammation. Taking these when he had his flare up 1. Left him zonked and 2. Didn't really help apart from the steroid which had the desired effect.
As im sure your aware the Chron's pain can transfer itself....and it did to my brothers back where he would go into a sort of spasm -but due to the chron's he could only take the above for "pain". Most anti inflammatory type of painkiller have the fantastic side effect of making the actual Chron's worse ffs....Talk about a shit disease.
So onto the cannabis "treatment". He takes 1 pill with 1 droplet of oil in (think of a droplet as a drop from the end of one of them essential oil bottles just to give rough idea).
He was off the painkillers within 3-4 days of starting with the oil. Apparently the effects of the oil are two fold - It alleviates the pain to an extent that he can function, It also has an added bonus of removing the feeling of needing to go to toilet apparently the anti inflammatory properties of cannabis have a similar effect to the steroids.....good job because doctor wants him off the steroids - again they don't like prolonged use of the steroid he was on due to it's long term side effects.
So it's all good for him at the moment - he is far from pain free but as said taking his pill at night gets him a full nights kip and he feels no pain....literally. His flare up is over and his back is not a problem now.
Hi diet consists of soups, chicken, fish and low fiber stuff, he has to avoid dairy foods too. Another thing is he eats very small portions....often.
He has had this for 15 years so far and flare ups come and go so now with what he is taking now to really confirm that apart from pain relief we need to wait to see how long until the next flare up if at all to see weather this truly does actually long term alleviate the actual disease itself......But as said if it kills the pain then that's half the battle because you can move about more ect ect ect all of which helps people with these types of illness.
Hope that has helped mate.