How Medical Marijuana Can Help America’s Seniors

Did you know that senior citizens are the fastest growing population of new medical marijuana patients? Now that the stigma of medical marijuana is lifting, it’s no surprise that seniors are taking more control of their health and the medication they are putting into their bodies with this shift. If medication is just medication, what makes medical marijuana better for senior citizens than traditional medications?

Cut Down (Or Eliminate) Prescription Medication

One of the main complaints both senior citizens and their caregivers discuss is their daily medications. Often, both parties feel they take one medication to offset the side effect of another. This can lead to an endless cycle of medication. Studies have been shown that medical marijuana targets conditions that affect many senior citizens like chronic pain, high blood pressure, digestive issues, and inflammation. Not to mention helping treat the symptoms of such diseases as cancer and cancer treatment, Alzheimer’s, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Many strains of medical marijuana have also been shown to work for a variety of pain-related symptoms. This leads to a reduction in the use of pharmaceutical pain medications, including opioids.

Treating Depression and Mood Disorders

Studies have shown that senior citizens who consume medical marijuana are less likely to be diagnosed with depression. Symptoms of depression in senior citizens can manifest in seclusion, lack of motivation, and rapid decline in health. Mood-boosting medications, such as medical marijuana, play a large role in declining depressive moods and increased sociability. This is largely caused by two factors:

• Cannabis Community: Unlike some prescription drugs or alcohol abuse, cannabis is largely used as a social or communal activity. Being a part of an active community leads to lower isolation rates.
• Happy Together: The mood-boosting properties of THC and CBD do more than just promote happiness. The therapeutic benefits of laughter include relaxed muscles, a decrease in pain, increased immune function, and a decrease in stress levels.

The Manageable Side Effects of Medical Marijuana

Just like with any medication, medical marijuana does have its side effects. These side effects tend to be harmless, and easier to control than many prescription drugs. Side effects tend to include:

• Dry mouth, or excessive thirst
• Excessive appetite (helpful for those suffering from disease-induced appetite loss)
• Sleep issues like fatigue or insomnia
• Dizziness
• Short-term memory loss

Many patients often deal with these side effects by finding an alternative strain or adjusting their dosage to fit their lifestyle.

How To Become A Medical Marijuana Patient

It may be a bit overwhelming to be a new medical marijuana patient, but you can start by following a few simple steps.

1. Research your state’s medical marijuana laws. Medical marijuana is not protected on a federal level and is not available in all states.
2. Look into different strains and what treatment options they can offer. What works for one person might not work for you, but if you have an idea of what you’re looking for, dispensary owners will be able to help or find an alternative.
3. Speak with a medical doctor to see if medical marijuana is right for you. Like any medicine, it may interact with your current medications.

Are you a senior citizen new to medical marijuana? How have you seen a change in your overall health?

This article was originally published on www.medicalmarijuana.com on February 28, 2018.

How Medical Marijuana Can Help Curb The Opioid Epidemic

In the beginning of February, the Food and Drug Administration requested Endo International PLC to take its Opana ER painkiller off the market, saying the drug’s benefits no longer outweigh the risks. This marked the first time the agency called for a removal of an opioid painkiller for public health reasons. Opioid addiction and death by overdose are at an all-time high in the United States, causing patients, doctors, and even lawmakers to search for alternative pain relief options — mainly medical marijuana.

In the most-detailed examination to date, the RAND Corporation found that states with legalized medical marijuana were associated with lower levels of opioid deaths. It was also concluded that opioid deaths began to rise once again in 2010, around the same time states began tightening requirements on sales by dispensaries.

With regards to the findings, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, the study’s co-author and co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center stated, “Our findings are consistent with previous studies showing an association between the legalization of medical marijuana and lower deaths from overdoses of opioids.”

She also stated that the mechanism for the finding was due to loosely regulated medical marijuana dispensaries. ‘This is a sign that medical marijuana, by itself, will not be the solution to the nation’s opioid crisis today.”

Working Towards FDA Approval

Experts say an FDA-approved marijuana-based painkiller would ensure consistent dosing, potency, and availability. As we all know, marijuana is considered a schedule 1 substance — a dangerous drug with no medicinal value — meaning there are no FDA-approved painkillers with marijuana derivatives. But, that’s not stopping companies like Intec Pharma Ltd, Nemus Bioscience, and Axim Biotechnologies Inc from developing new drugs for testing.

“Doctors like to be able to write a prescription and know that whatever they wrote is pure and from a blinded, placebo-controlled trial,” Nemus’s CEO Brian Murphy said in an interview with Reuters.

Rival Axim, based in New York, is conducting preclinical studies on a chewing gum containing synthetic CBD and THC. The company is hopeful they can submit an FDA application to start a trial on opioid-dependent patients this year. Israel-based Intec announced the start of study testing its painkiller made from naturally-derived CBD and THC extracts.

Alternatives and Legislation

Pfizer Inc and Biogen Inc are current drugmakers that are developing a non-opioid painkiller, and are in the advanced clinical studies. While that’s great news, opioids are still widely prescribed, especially for post-surgical patients.

Other independent scientists are looking to find non-pharmaceutical alternatives to opioids, but have extreme difficulty accessing the government-approved marijuana to even conduct the research.

“It’s taken me seven years to get the DEA license,” said Dr Sue Sisley, who is planning to conduct an FDA-regulated study evaluating whether marijuana can help opioid-dependent patients.

And while both big corporations and independent researchers work to find alternatives, a recently unveiled, Republican-led healthcare bill proposed large cuts to the Medicaid budget, cutting what is essential coverage for drug addiction treatment, which advocates say will hamper the fight against opioid abuse.

At medicalmarijuana.com, we support the fight to find safe, alternative ways to treat pain relief. How has medical marijuana, or alternative pain relievers helped you in your quest for a pain-free life. We’d love to hear from you.

Originally published at www.medicalmarijuana.com on February 20, 2018.