Cannabis Cans, Can'ts, and Quandaries: Changing Perspectives

I live in California where cannabis is legal (at the State level) for both medicinal and recreational use. Before it was legal for recreational use, there was a medical dispensary down the street from my house that operated in a grey zone, causing problems for my neighborhood and attracting a lot of "after-market" buyers for illegal transactions. This was before my diagnosis and colored my overall opinion of dispensaries in a negative fashion. As the market (and corresponding regulations) have evolved over the past few years, however, I have slowly modified my feelings about dispensaries in general. And, having since been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, I have also taken a much more active interest in what medicinal cannabis offers. (Also of note, the dispensary on my street had been closed down and new dispensaries appear to operate in a much more professional manner.)

My first experience with medical cannabis

In early 2015, about a month or so after revealing my diagnosis to most of my associates, I was gifted with a small vial of cannabis "tar," a very sticky, thick oil distilled from a cannabis plant. This potent concoction was meant to be consumed in doses the size of a grain of rice, served off the tip of a toothpick. The friend who gave it to me suggested that it would be good for dealing with nausea, appetite stimulation, and helping me to sleep. She did caution about her own experience taking too large a dose, which left her feeling anxious and paranoid for hours; once she reduced her intake and slowly built up a tolerance, she indicated that it was the best sleep aid she had ever used, with none of the side effects of over-the-counter drugs.

Diving into the research

I was skeptical at the time, and a bit nervous, but I tried it and felt -- nothing. That vial managed to remain in my medicine cabinet for over two years, forgotten until I had reason to revisit the idea due to problems sleeping and a sudden pain from a tumor pressing on my sciatic nerve. I researched the best pain mitigation options available and received a prescription for opioids, which worked beautifully for my needs, but medical marijuana kept popping up in my Internet searches.

Joining a prominent Facebook group dedicated to the use of cannabis oil to treat cancer, I began reading hundreds of anecdotes posted by people who used cannabis and claimed various levels of success. There was a trend, however, toward giving cannabis all the credit and discounting any conventional medicine that may have been used. This particular group was passionate about claiming that cannabis outright cures any cancer, but every single story I read of such a cure included conventional treatments that would have been expected to work. And any time a patient suggested that chemo or radiation might be an option, more than one cannabis evangelizer would jump in with a few less-than-friendly comments. It seemed to me that the group was ruled by dogma rather than intelligence or science, but I did glean from the multitude of comments that cannabis was quite effective in mitigating a wide range of side-effects.

Visiting a medical dispensary

My next step was to visit a medical dispensary, for which my oncologist needed to sign off on a form indicating my diagnosis and the reasons I would need access. (Even though recreational use is now legal here, legitimate medical cannabis does not have the same high tax.) Inside the showroom, I queried the lady behind the counter about any curative benefits cannabis products might offer. They sold the same oil product that the Facebook group promoted, so I thought there might be some "professional" insight available there. I was met with a little disbelief from the sales personnel, however; yes, the products were very good at helping with nausea and sleep and appetite stimulation, but no one had any information regarding "curative" properties. That said, I stocked up on a few products to test at home. Because I have lung cancer, I was steered toward edibles and tinctures, which I soon put into use as sleep aids.

Editor’s Note: We are extremely saddened to say that on October 21, 2018, Jeffrey Poehlmann passed away. Jeffrey’s advocacy efforts and writing continue to reach many. He will be deeply missed.