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Medical Marijuana May Not Be Necessary
I am not a doctor, and I cannot advise you on what to take for any medical condition. However, if you have found relief from your disease or condition with medical marijuana products, you might consider substituting similar products made from hemp.
Hemp products are legal under federal law and usually a bit less pricey than the similar marijuana products. They contain CDB (cannabidoil), as does marijuana, but only trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is what gets you high. If you need to pass an employer’s drug test, the trace amounts of THC in hemp may not show up unless you take a lot.
As a 5-year blood cancer survivor (I have multiple myeloma, which is treatable but not curable), I have occasionally been approached by well-meaning friends who suggested I might want to try medical marijuana. Only recently did I find that suggestion useful when I experienced bone pain for the first time since my initial treatment in 2012. My millennial son joined the chorus of marijuana proponents.
So I tried medical marijuana, after getting a prescription for it, and I got substantial relief from the pain when I obtained Cannabis Soft Gels and a tincture with a CBD:THC ratio of 18:1 from a local delivery service. The physician who prescribed it recommended a ratio of 20:1, but 18:1 was what was available.The small amount of THC made me a little dizzy, and I was wary of driving while taking it.
While marijuana products may help relieve chronic pain, the Mayo Clinic advises against it, especially for adolescents.
Once the marijuana was here, my food scientist/materials scientist husband, trained in chemistry, suspected that the marijuana products could have been made from hemp. That sent us researching a link.The marijuana products are not made from hemp, but products containing CBD are.
I ordered hemp CBD oil capsules online from a company in Colorado, and they provided similar relief without the high, at a lower price. I can drive without feeling impaired at all.
I hope my need for CBD is only temporary while my hematologist adjusts my treatment, as he has done several times when treatments stop working. Also, CBD can increase eye pressure, as do steroids, and I consult a glaucoma specialist to keep tabs on and treat my eye pressure while taking these drugs.
For me, hemp products are preferable to medical marijuana. Whatever you decide to do about your medical condition, best wishes in making the choice that is right for you.