Migraine Patients Need Medical Marijuana
One thing is for certain regarding the medicinal use of marijuana, and that is the plant is both effective and 100% safe and natural. Migraine patients need safe access to cannabis for use as medicine…
The federal government is waging war on some of our most vulnerable citizens, who Washington voters have acted to protect. Soon, our congressional representatives will have the chance to stand up for those people — seriously ill patients who need medical marijuana.
This is an issue we both know personally. One of us is a physician and researcher specializing in rehabilitation medicine and neuromuscular diseases such as ALS (”Lou Gehrig’s disease”). The other is a cancer survivor who got through the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy with the help of marijuana, and who has again found relief with marijuana from the chronic pain caused by injuries in a car accident.
We have seen that medical marijuana safely helps some patients who get no relief from conventional medications. Washington voters did the right thing when we passed our medical marijuana law a decade ago. A dozen states now have similar laws, and none have been repealed.
Meanwhile, medical community support continues to solidify. New studies have documented marijuana’s ability to relieve nerve pain caused by HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. In February, the American College of Physicians — representing 124,000 oncologists, neurologists and other doctors of internal medicine — released a position paper declaring that the scientific evidence “supports the use of medical marijuana in certain conditions.”
The ACP specifically called on the federal government to reclassify marijuana to permit medical use, but our government simply refuses. Federal officials have arrested patients and caregivers who were following state medical marijuana laws, and could make more such arrests any time.
Migraine is a neurological disorder and causes nerve pain (the inflammation of blood vessels in the head) and I can’t help but point out that we need more info out there in the public regarding migraines or even “tension headaches” and the use of medicinal marijuana to help live a better life. While we have compassion for HIV/AIDS patients and those affected by chemotherapy - migraine sufferers experience a similar daily (chronic) nausea and pain brought on by their condition.
This is why we need more education and info passed on regarding the safe and effective ways to use marijuana as medicine. Those who can grow and process the cannabis should be able to do so without interference from law enforcement, and patients who cannot grow for themselves will obtain their medicine through safe & regulated dispensaries.
In its 2005 case, Gonzales v. Raich, the U.S. Supreme Court punted the issue to Congress. The court declined to change the status quo, under which patients protected by state law can still face federal prosecution. But Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority, went out of his way to note that patients Angel Raich and Diane Monson had made “strong arguments that they will suffer irreparable harm, because, despite a congressional finding to the contrary, marijuana does have valid therapeutic purposes.” He pointedly expressing hope that Raich, Monson and their supporters “may one day be heard in the halls of Congress.”
That chance will come this month.
When the appropriations bill that funds the Justice Department reaches the House floor, an amendment will be offered that seeks to bar the department from using any of its money to attack medical marijuana patients in states where medical use is legal. Called the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment after sponsors Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., the amendment has been proposed in each of the past several sessions and has steadily gained support.
Washington’s representatives have been oddly inconsistent. Reps. Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott have been supporters every year, while Dave Reichert has voted no since he joined Congress in 2005. Reps. Rick Larsen, Norm Dicks and Adam Smith have all voted yes at least twice, but Larsen switched to no in 2005 and Smith voted no last year.
Perhaps they remember how well “I voted for it before I voted against it” worked for Sen. John Kerry in 2004.
But the tide is turning. The medical community is increasingly united, and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama says it’s time to end the federal war on state medical marijuana laws.
That’s encouraging, but we don’t need to wait for a new president. Washington’s congressional representatives should stand up for Washington patients and support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment.
There needs to be more info put out regarding medical marijuana use for patients who need it. Support medical marijuana in your area.
The nausea alone from migraine headaches is enough to warrant the use of cannabis as medicine. One thing I notice that is absent in these articles is the mention of migraine as a covered illness. It affects so many Americans, it is one of the most misunderstood of illnesses, and the public should know more about migraine and how marijuana can help you manage your attacks, nausea, and live a more productive life instead of spending two or three days of any week laying in the dark trying to not to vomit from photophobia (light sensitivity) and the throbbing pain of a migraine.
Migraine afflicts 28 million Americans, with females suffering more frequently (17%) than males (6%). Missed work and lost productivity from migraine create a significant public burden. Nevertheless, migraine still remains largely undertreated and underdiagnosed. Less than half the sufferers are diagnosed by their doctors.
Understanding medical marijuana is the key, to anyone out there suffering with migraine’s - ask your doctor about medical marijuana! If they avoid the topic, do your own research - you will find that info is out there regarding medical marijuana and migraine’s. Your doctor may have a negative opinion of medical cannabis, that does not mean you cannot educate yourself and see what medicine works the best for you.
Cannabis was a standard treatment for migraines from the mid-19th century until it was outlawed in the early 20th century in the USA. It has been reported to help people through an attack by relieving the nausea and dulling the head pain, as well as possibly preventing the headache completely when used as soon as possible after the onset of pre-migraine symptoms, such as aura. There is some indication that semi-regular use may reduce the frequency of attacks. Further studies are being conducted. Some migraine sufferers report that cannabis decreases throbbing and pain, especially if smoked.
While I promote the use of vaporizers over “smoking” marijuana in any way - if you choose to smoke it, then so be it. By using a vaporizer, a patient can administer the perfect amount of THC (the active chemical in cannabis) for his/her preference in amount, without the negative side effects of “smoking.” A vaporizer heats the plant matter up just before the point of combustion, so you don’t actually “burn” the marijuana, you heat it up and inhale the pleasant vapor - in comparison to smoke that makes many cough.
When I have a migraine the last thing I want to do is “smoke” (I don’t smoke cigarettes) so by using a vaporizer it is a much more pleasant and fast way to obtain the natural and medicinal THC.
One of the most recommended and reliable is the Vapor Brothers Vaporizer.