Many of us Floridians may be feeling quite disappointed by
the recent midterm election. A crook has another 4 years leading our state and
the medical marijuana Amendment 2 fell short of passing by a mere 2%. Many of
us shake our heads in disbelief over both of these results.
On the Amendment 2 issue, many Floridians sadly have
rejected this amendment. What a shame. A non-toxic, natural medicinal option
for pain relief (and other ailments) was voted against, so patients are forced
to the option of synthetic drugs. One of
the primary options for pain relief in the United States are opioid pain pills.
This class of synthetic drugs are derived
from the opium poppy and includes hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin,
Percocet), fentanyl (Duragesic, Fentora), methadone, and codeine. Basically,
opioid narcotics are pharmaceutical-grade heroin. Here is the chemical structure
of oxycodone and heroin. Quite similar.
Opioid drugs have led to an epidemic of prescription
painkiller abuse. Millions of prescriptions for opioids have been written. Many people obtain prescriptions when the medication really isn't needed or they obtain the medication on the street (or in their parent's medicine cabinet). The
abuse of these drugs leads to hundreds of thousands of emergency department
visits each year. The abuse doesn't end with those who obtain a
prescription when it is not needed. More than 12 million people reported using
these drugs for nonmedical purposes or just to obtain the ‘high’ or euphoric
feeling from the drugs. Opioids cause a physical
dependence and can lead to addiction.
After taking these drugs one may need to take a higher and higher dose until
that euphoric feeling is achieved. This
can lead to a depressed function of the respiratory system, or slowed
breathing, which can lead to death (overdose). Interestingly, opioids have not even been
proven to be effective for long-term, non-cancer pain management, yet are still
so widely prescribed for this issue.
The death rates from prescription pain medication overdose
are astounding. The CDC reports that
nearly 40 Americans die per day from
overdose of painkillers, such as
Vicodin and OxyContin. This equates to about 15,000 Americans each
year. So where does Florida rank in these rates? Yep, you guessed it, Florida
has one of the highest rates of pain
medication prescriptions written and one of the highest death rates related to pain medication overdose.
So we’ve established that prescription drugs cause death by
overdose in about 15,000 Americans each year, but how do recreational drugs
measure up? The most common recreational drug, alcohol, kills around 50,000 people each year through alcohol poisoning.
The second most common recreational drug, tobacco, is attributed to over
400,000 deaths annually. Comparatively, marijuana, the third most common
recreational drug, is nontoxic and CANNOT cause death by overdose. In at least
10,000 years of marijuana use in humans, there have been ZERO documented deaths
related to marijuana overdose.
Medical marijuana provides patients with a natural medicine
that is much safer than the toxic, synthetic drugs discussed above. Yet, ending
the prohibition against marijuana seems impossible in states such as Florida.
So what states have legalized the use of medical marijuana? Well,
I researched this & found that it happens to be many more than I had initially realized! The following states all
have laws allowing the use of marijuana for varying ailments. The year after
the state name is when the law was passed. Alaska (1998), Arizona (2011), California
(1996), Colorado (2001), Connecticut (2012), District of Columbia (2010),
Hawaii (2000), Maine (1999), Michigan (2008), Montana (2004), Nevada
(2001), New Jersey (2010), New Mexico
(2007), Oregon (1998), Rhode Island (2006), Vermont (2004), Washington (1998). Some
states had this passed into law in the late 1990’s and here in Florida we can’t
get it passed in 2014? Wow. Florida is pretty far behind the curve.
These states had medical marijuana signed into law, but have
not yet become operational: Delaware (2011), Illinois (2013), Maryland (2014),
Massachusetts (2013), Minnesota (2014), New Hampshire (2013), New York (2014).
Cannabinoid (CBD) is the second major cannabinoid in
marijuana, after tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD specific medical marijuana has
been found to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, without the
psychoactive effects. However, it has limited use and limited effectiveness has
been reported with this type of therapy. Incidentally, CBD has shown great
promise in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells in animals.
States with CBD specific marijuana laws are: Florida, Iowa,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Utah, and Wisconsin.
So what types of ailments has marijuana been found, through
research, to benefit? Marijuana is widely popular because of the effect of pain
relief. In particular, neuropathic (nerve damage) pain is well controlled with
marijuana use. Other ailments include nausea, glaucoma, movement disorders,
seizures, Chron’s disease, and muscle spasms related to Multiple Sclerosis,
paralysis, and other degenerative disorders. It is a powerful appetite
stimulant (this is why people using it get the ‘munchies’) and patients with
HIV, AIDS wasting syndrome, and dementia can all benefit from use of this drug.
Can’t envision your dementia-suffering granny sitting around toking on a joint?
Well, this is where edibles come in and where the trend in consumption has shifted
over the years.
So while the obvious choice for safer medical treatment of
chronic pain is medical marijuana, Floridians must continue to use synthetic
heroin instead. Or they can suffer. I guess that’s another option. Those with other medical ailments that would
benefit from marijuana treatment must continue on with less effective, less
safe alternative synthetic drugs. We can only hope that Floridians will get it
someday and join the ranks of other states providing safer alternatives of
drugs to treat chronic illness.
Dr. Donna Poma Fife DNP, ARNP
Disclaimer: This blog
is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical
advice. If you or someone you know may be suffering with a chronic illness,
your best bet to receive safe, natural treatment of your ailment may be to seek
care outside of Florida. For those in Florida
who understand the benefit of medical marijuana, keep fighting. We’ll get there someday.
