Medical Marijuana Doctors THCF Medical Clinics

By Dr. Phillip Leveque, Salem-News.com

I was not surprised when my first Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patient showed up. I knew it was extremely painful from my regular medical practice.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Thousands of readers of my articles on dozens of websites know that I am a strong advocate for medical marijuana and that it is effective medicine for dozens if not hundreds of medical conditions. I must say as a physician/pharmacologist that the mechanisms of effectiveness are not always clear.

I was not surprised when my first Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patient showed up. I knew it was extremely painful from my regular medical practice.

I also knew of the gazillion different “standard” treatments which nobody, patients or physicians, found were effective and satisfactory. Most of them were in fact very dangerous and required close monitoring at the least.

Only about 3 percent of the population has RA but this are 9 million miserable patients. Much aspirin is a frequent first choice medicine.

Marijuana is very good for pain. Aspirin eats holes in the stomach and has caused many deaths. MJ never has killed anybody and any dangers or hazards are miniscule compared to the severe dangers of the standard drugs.

One of the main actions of MJ is euphoria or a hightened state of well being. All severe pain patients need this and appreciate this. Some strong morphine-like pain pills cause euphoria but they also cause addiction and death even with a small overdose.

Oxycontin is the best/worst example for that. It is rightfully compared to Heroin and is called “Hillbilly Heroin” because it first came to attention in West Virginia and Kentucky (no insult intended). A newspaper article in the Toronto, Canada newspaper called Oxycontin more dangerous and lethal than Heroin.

Fourteen American states now have legalized medical marijuana and I’ll bet many RA patients have sought marijuana’s relief. At the same time 34 states still have draconian MJ laws which will throw very sick people in jail or shoot them if they show any resistance. The latter is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!

Source: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march122009/arthritis_pl_3-12-09.php