Marijuana Abuse: Desire For Pain Relief Unites Young And Old

Bryan’s parents were pretty strict about his use of illegal drugs when he was growing up. About 5 years ago, Bryan, a writer in Illinois started getting his aging parents medical marijuana to help them cope with their health problems. His father has a heart ailment while his mother suffers from nausea and dizzy spells. They were also afraid of their risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. After a little homework, Bryan’s parents decided to try medical marijuana. Their main form of ingestion was through the ginger snaps and hash browns that Bryan made them. While sixteen states in the US and the District of Columbia permit medical marijuana use, it is not legal in the state of Illinois.

Doctors say that there has been an increased use of medical marijuana, both legally and illegally (depending on the jurisdiction) by elderly patients. Considering the age factor, there is no possibility of this group resorting to the use of harder drugs because their primary use of MMJ is only to help them cope with the symptoms of their problems and health complications.

Bryan’s mother reported that her dizzy spells and nausea had receded after trying out this option. Statistics from a 2009 survey conducted by the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicate that less than 1% of people 65 and above smoked marijuana last year and 4% of people between the ages of 50 to 65 smoked marijuana and the rate of marijuana abuse in both age groups was just about 1 in 800.

A professor of geriatric psychology at Duke University, Dan G. Blazer who has studied the use and abuse of drugs in the older generation says, “I think in the future, older people will use medical marijuana a lot more.” The president of the American Pain Society and a pain specialist Dr. Seddon R. Savage says that the active agents in marijuana called cannabinoids relieve the pain arising from nerve damage. Currently, there are only two prescription drugs that are approved for treating nausea or appetite loss in the United States. She says, “Unsupervised use and the secrecy around a pretty potent drug like MMJ in older patients puts them at risk of impaired cognition, loss of memory and motor control. However, there are other effective alternatives.”

There are several different opinions doing the rounds, and most pain specialists favor MMJ. Dr. William Dale who heads the palliative medicine and geriatrics section at the University of Chicago Medical Center said he would not oppose a law allowing the medical use of marijuana in Illinois. Preliminary research indicates the active ingredients in MMJ have cancer fighting properties and results in patients afflicted with multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease are mixed.

Marijuana – A Gateway Drug – Impairs Cognition & Judgement / Anti-Marijuana Video – Marijuana (1968) is a short film that is hosted by Sonny Bono. Director: Max Miller. Producer: Max Miller. Production Company: Avanti Films. Contact Information: www.k-otic.com. Creative Commons license: Public Domain How Does it Affect You? A mild hallucinogen, marijuana has some of alcohols depressant and disinhibiting properties. User reaction, however, is heavily influenced by expectations and past experience, and many first-time users feel nothing at all. Effects of smoking are generally felt within a few minutes and peak in 10 to 30 minutes. They include dry mouth and throat, increased heart rate, impaired coordination and balance, delayed reaction time, and diminished short-term memory. Moderate doses tend to induce a sense of well-being and a dreamy state of relaxation that encourages fantasies, renders some users highly suggestible, and distorts perception (making it dangerous to operate machinery, drive a car or boat, or ride a bicycle). Stronger doses prompt more intense and often disturbing reactions including paranoia and hallucinations. Most of marijuanas short-term effects wear off within two or three hours. The drug itself, however, tends to linger on. THC is a fat-soluble substance and will accumulate in fatty tissues in the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs. Two days after smoking marijuana, one-quarter of the THC content may still be retained. It will show up in urine tests three days after use, and traces may be picked up by sensitive blood tests …

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