Have you been prescribed Vicodin (hydrocodone) or Percocet (oxycodone) for pain? Do you know anyone who has taken opiates for long periods of time because of a chronic and debilitating pain condition? Most of you probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that these pain medications can have nasty side effects including nausea, fatigue, dizziness, itching, and disorientation. Most of you probably already know that there are warning labels about driving or operating heavy machinery under the influence of these drugs. And perhaps you already know that opiates are highly addictive and prescription painkillers are a frequently abused medication that most often comes about through legitimate use. Beyond the obvious points, opiates have been implicated in the deaths of numerous people including Heath Ledger, Elvis Presley, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
So why then, are opiates the next step after over the counter pain medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin? Is there no alternative for treating moderate to severe chronic pain? Are people who have suffered traumatic injuries doomed to spend the rest of their life in too much pain or too high from opiates to work or live their life beyond the point of mere survival?
Consumers of medical cannabis would tell you unabashedly no. Marijuana has been shown to help chronic pain sufferers manage their conditions. Multiple studies indicate that cannabis can help with a variety of pain-related ailments. And while the side effects of marijuana are noticeable to some, most users will tell you that over time they can learn to function under the influence including do normal jobs that would be impossible under the influence of opiates. Comparatively, the side effects of marijuana are minor; nausea is uncommon, dizziness and euphoria become manageable in short order, and marijuana is neither highly addictive nor is it particularly dangerous to take too much. It has not been shown to increase the risk of cancer as some opponents would argue and some studies even indicate it reduces risks of some cancers. Cannabis also has not been shown to demonstrate any ill effects on organ function where opiates are known to impact the liver over time.
So why are we seeing medical marijuana laws like the one passed in Minnesota in 2014 that leave out such a large portion of the population? It is great that several hundred children with severe epilepsy (Dravet’s Syndrome) and a few severe and advanced terminal patients will now be able to get medication to ease their pain. But why are we neglecting chronic pain sufferers including those who have survived severe automobile accidents or who suffer from advanced arthritis? Shouldn’t it be up to our doctors to decide which medication is appropriate based on research and their own experiences?
Is it that lobbyists for law enforcement, for-profit prisons, tobacco/alcohol industries, and the pharmaceutical industry are pressuring key politicians to try to stem the tide by limiting access and usage? Legitimizing marijuana as a pain medication spells a reduction in funding for the war on drugs, reduction in prison population, and future competition for other legal recreational and medicinal drugs. Chronic pain sufferers represent a large portion of our population and allowing them access to cannabis medication would make the cannabis-using population reach critical mass sooner. As we have seen from other populist issues such as marriage equality, as usage and legality increases, social acceptance spreads. Marijuana legalization is already supported by over 50% of the population and if your grandmother had a prescription for cannabis which helped her manage her arthritis and maintain her independence, would you still be opposing full legalization?
Let’s not continue to beat around the hemp bush, so to speak. Cannabis legalization represents the next social revolution in this country but in the meanwhile, can we please allow doctors to decide what is best for their patients and write common sense cannabis laws that make this medication readily available for any patient whose doctor believes would be helped by it rather than let policy be dictated by special interests and old prejudices? Let’s put the power to heal back in the hands of doctors and their patients and leave the science to the experts.
Tom Lofgren Candidate for Minnesota State House, District 20A
