Prescription meds vs medical marijuana

[ShinyUmbreon189]

We all know people have life issues, pain, or whatever it may be making them use prescription meds. The question is, is why do prescription meds if medical marijuana is offered in your state/country? Prescription meds have a nasty history of abuse, dependency, and even sickness or death from an overdose. A majority if not all prescription meds are man made with chemicals either in a capsule or pressed together as a bar. To keep it simple, they're dangerous or can turn dangerous really fast.

Most marijuana strains have been proven to help chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, appetite loss, depression, just about anything you can think of, as well as prescription meds; but it's safer. So why not just give patients a green card if there's actually something wrong with them? I understand people make **** up to get it, but I'm talking about the ones that NEED it. Imo, it makes more sense to give somebody a marijuana prescription than a dangerous over the counter prescription. If the patient doesn't want to inhale smoke in their lungs, it's not an issue since marijuana will have the same effect as an edible making it non harmful. Hell they even made marijuana prescriptions for children but without the THC which gets you high.

With that being said, what's your guy's thoughts on prescription meds over marijuana or vise versa? Would you rather doctors continue to prescribe prescription meds or medical marijuana after it's legal for medical purposes? not that it should be illegal anyways

 

[Kanzler]

Marijuana can't just replace prescription meds. It certainly isn't a cure-all. You have to be aware of whether the substance does anything for the illness experienced by the patient. Also, most marijuana strains have not "been proven" to help with those symptoms because the evidence isn't conclusive: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/marijuana/evidence/hrb-20059701.

Anyways, it's up to the doctor. It's not whether you choose one over the other all the time, it's whether you choose the best in a certain situation.

 

[Alex]

^ The question isn't about marijuana being a cure-all. No drug is a cure-all. Big Pharma specifically caters different drugs to target different symptoms and makes a hell of a killing off of it.

But anyways... I think certain people in certain conditions can absolutely get the relief they so desperately need, with none of the side effects, thanks to MJ. And I think no person or government has the right to deny somebody else the right to treat their illness in any way they see fit. Medical marijuana doesn't mean mandatory prescriptions, it just acts as another option. One that is quite attractive to certain people, seeing that it is naturally grown with safe ingestion methods available.

Link me all you want. All I know is, when I got a terrible cold, the type that constricts your whole face so bad you can't even think, I smoke a bit of weed and my muscles are relaxed. That gives me the peace of mind I need to fall into a floaty slumber, where my antibodies get to work and flip my symptoms almost from one day to the next. Also, forget greasy food for your hangover cure. Smoke a bowl and go back to bed!

 

[Kanzler]

^ The question isn't about marijuana being a cure-all. No drug is a cure-all. Big Pharma specifically caters different drugs to target different symptoms and makes a hell of a killing off of it.

But anyways... I think certain people in certain conditions can absolutely get the relief they so desperately need, with none of the side effects, thanks to MJ. And I think no person or government has the right to deny somebody else the right to treat their illness in any way they see fit. Medical marijuana doesn't mean mandatory prescriptions, it just acts as another option. One that is quite attractive to certain people, seeing that it is naturally grown with safe ingestion methods available.

Link me all you want. All I know is, when I got a terrible cold, the type that constricts your whole face so bad you can't even think, I smoke a bit of weed and my muscles are relaxed. That gives me the peace of mind I need to fall into a floaty slumber, where my antibodies get to work and flip my symptoms almost from one day to the next. Also, forget greasy food for your hangover cure. Smoke a bowl and go back to bed!

In that case you don't need to be prescribed marijuana the same way you don't need to be prescribed chicken noodle soup.

 

[Alex]

In that case you don't need to be prescribed marijuana the same way you don't need to be prescribed chicken noodle soup.

Chicken noodle soup has never had a direct impact on any illness of mine, certainly not without the help of other drugs such as tylenol or advil. I'm a little confused by what you're trying to state, but if you're somehow advocating that medical MJ doesn't need to be prescribed and should be treated as an over-the-counter drug to combat illness, I got no problems either.

 

[Oryx]

^ The question isn't about marijuana being a cure-all. No drug is a cure-all. Big Pharma specifically caters different drugs to target different symptoms and makes a hell of a killing off of it.

why do prescription meds if medical marijuana is offered in your state/country?

Umbreon was pretty clear about marijuana curing "just about anything you can think of" and that he thinks prescriptions are pointless. So, the question is actually about marijuana being a cure-all.

I do find it pretty amusing to hear "you shouldn't take prescription medication, you should just be prescribed this substance as a medication! No, that's not prescription medication, why do you ask?" I'm on a prescription medication. It keeps me from getting pregnant. Pot can't do that. While pot can lessen some pain, when my mom was on chemo and smoking it she still had to take prescription pain pills for her pain. Marijuana can be a tool, just like other medications, but it's not the only one and to treat it as the best solution for anything it has any effect on is just silly.

 

[Alex]

Umbreon was pretty clear about marijuana curing "just about anything you can think of" and that he thinks prescriptions are pointless. So, the question is actually about marijuana being a cure-all.

I do find it pretty amusing to hear "you shouldn't take prescription medication, you should just be prescribed this substance as a medication! No, that's not prescription medication, why do you ask?" I'm on a prescription medication. It keeps me from getting pregnant. Pot can't do that. While pot can lessen some pain, when my mom was on chemo and smoking it she still had to take prescription pain pills for her pain. Marijuana can be a tool, just like other medications, but it's not the only one and to treat it as the best solution for anything it has any effect on is just silly.

Ah, well the idea that marijuana is a cure-all is pretty delusional.... if we're gonna talk medicinal weed let's keep it real.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

Marijuana usually helps treat conditions, but it's not a cure for anything. For example, it is known to reduce eye pressure in patients with glaucoma. This doesn't work for all patients even, and other treatments are more desirable. But there are people I know who use it to their benefit. The same remarks could probably be said about other conditions medicinal marijuana is prescribed for. It should be noted that in most cases you have to go to a special doctor for it and to be honest the practice is pretty... er... "loose" so to speak. Heheheh.

I technically could get a license but I don't have the money right now - I have acute pain from scoliosis and that counts as "chronic pain". Lol. I think they should extend it to various mental conditions though. In moderate amounts it helps me manage anxiety and insomnia.

Fun fact - if you're blind it is ridiculously easy to get your hands on medicinal herbs. For some reason they just are willing to get you a card for pretty much any eye condition, even those that have no cure/no benefit from medication such as full retinal detachment.

 

[Kanzler]

Marijuana usually helps treat conditions, but it's not a cure for anything. For example, it is known to reduce eye pressure in patients with glaucoma. This doesn't work for all patients even, and other treatments are more desirable. But there are people I know who use it to their benefit. The same remarks could probably be said about other conditions medicinal marijuana is prescribed for. It should be noted that in most cases you have to go to a special doctor for it and to be honest the practice is pretty... er... "loose" so to speak. Heheheh.

I technically could get a license but I don't have the money right now - I have acute pain from scoliosis and that counts as "chronic pain". Lol. I think they should extend it to various mental conditions though. In moderate amounts it helps me manage anxiety and insomnia.

Fun fact - if you're blind it is ridiculously easy to get your hands on medicinal herbs. For some reason they just are willing to get you a card for pretty much any eye condition, even those that have no cure/no benefit from medication such as full retinal detachment.

On the topic of anxiety, different strains of marijuana have different ratio of cannabinoid compounds that affect the nervous system differently. This is why some strains will get you stoned and some strains will make you crazy anxious. However, if marijuana is to be prescribed it's best that you have quality controls that make sure the plant you are injesting will do what it's "supposed" to do. This all requires further research that currently does not exist.

In a plant form it is difficult to regulate those active chemicals that will result in whatever outcome you are looking for. This is why pharmaceutical companies try to isolate and purify compounds - that way you know what you are getting. Currently there is no avenue for this for marijuana, and I think that explains why the research is unclear about whether marijuana actually helps for many of its purported uses.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

Marijuana is not meant to be used to smoke, It is a medicinal herb that is meant to be used for making Tea and easing the pain of joints like Arthritis. Smoking the herb will bring a secondary effect such as Paranoia, Anxiety & Depression.

Er... that's not true. Like I'm not going to be one of those "potheads" but like I stated with glaucoma you pretty much have the same positive effect of eye pressure reduction regardless of how you ingest it. It doesn't work for everyone but this is because glaucoma has several possible vectors, and MJ doesn't really address them. Honestly, MJ should be a supplement to treatment, not a replacement for one, and most people who use it medicinally consider it more of a stress reliever than just an actual medical treatment. Which is fine in my opinion.

Smoking is honestly not preferable if you have access to vapes though, because the smoke is harsh and it can harm your lungs for pretty much the fact that it's smoke.

Eating food made with medicated butter such as infamous "pot brownies" tend to take people by surprise because the effect takes a while to actually hold. Nonetheless, they're relatively harmless, but people are idiots and eat like 20 of them when they should only be eating like 1.

The latter effects do happen but like Kanzler said different strains have different amounts. It really depends on what you're smoking and what situation you're in. In most cases paranoia can be avoided if you are comfortable with your surroundings, which is why I pretty much hate any ******* who tries to push marijuana on their friends. Just use it in moderation and don't use it somewhere stupid like downtown and you'll be fine.

Marijuana does not cure cancer or anything else like these so called ''potheads'' say. the reason they want it legalized and why a lot of people take it is because they like the high and that is it, yes there are people that take it to ease their pain by smoking it but as I said before that is the wrong way to take it because smoking Marijuana is very bad for your Mental Health.

Again, that depends a lot on the person who's using it. I would say personally that it improves my mental health by allowing me to have a full night sleep and calming down my almost unmanageable anxiety. It also helps me ease into more social enviorments which is something I have tremendous difficulty with. If I said that there was a downfall it would be that if I use it too much its helpfulness wanes but it's decent for getting across spurts of anxiety. In addition, for me at least, it's pretty easy to stop doing it, even after pretty heavy use. I was smoking medical grade several times a day a few months back but when I ran out, even though I wanted to have more, I had no access to it and was forced to stop. Outside of a craving similar to craving chocolate or candy I really had no withdrawal symptoms.

Again, these things change from person to person. People with addictive personalities are more likely to fall into pitfalls than others.

If you also buy Marijuana from Drug Dealers then it will more than likely be infused with something else than if you would of got the herb from a natural source from mother nature herself.

Hey, this isn't actually true. Like, at all. It's completely unprofitable for any drug dealer to do this - many drugs like acid completely lose their effect if burned, and others like cocaine, heroin or DDT are just too expensive for this to actually be a profitable choice. I've heard of a very few scant cases where marijuana is infused with cocaine to try to hook people onto a dealer, but again this is too expensive to really rear a profit, and it won't really hook people as quickly as one would want. To put in comparison, these drugs can literally be 2-3 times more expensive than MJ for a dose with a similarly powerful effect.

I've heard of people mixing drugs in their own time and that's dangerous since MJ can reduce your ability to judge how much you've taken and I would never ever recommend it - even though I've popped a beer while high once or twice - because it does impair your judgement. But it's simply not a good business decision on the dealer's part to mix drugs with such different price values.

And no, before you say anything, I'm not one of those "stupid potheads", I just manage a ton of **** in my life as an adult. Believe me, those idiots who say it cures everything from cancer to ebola are just as annoying as they sound. The reality is that pot should be legal because it is not measurably significantly more harmful than cigarettes or alcohol, and the stigma against it is mainly cultural and not based in any significant evidence, unlike drugs like heroin or cocaine. It's our responsibility to choose what to do with our lives - even if it is harmful in some way, we are given the choice to harm our bodies in other ways with cigarettes and alcohol, the latter of which can easily kill you with an overdose - so why is it that something else comparable is illegal?

 

[CoffeeDrink]

We all know people have life issues, pain, or whatever it may be making them use prescription meds. The question is, is why do prescription meds if medical marijuana is offered in your state/country? Prescription meds have a nasty history of abuse, dependency, and even sickness or death from an overdose. A majority if not all prescription meds are man made with chemicals either in a capsule or pressed together as a bar. To keep it simple, they're dangerous or can turn dangerous really fast.

Most marijuana strains have been proven to help chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, appetite loss, depression, just about anything you can think of, as well as prescription meds; but it's safer. So why not just give patients a green card if there's actually something wrong with them? I understand people make **** up to get it, but I'm talking about the ones that NEED it. Imo, it makes more sense to give somebody a marijuana prescription than a dangerous over the counter prescription. If the patient doesn't want to inhale smoke in their lungs, it's not an issue since marijuana will have the same effect as an edible making it non harmful. Hell they even made marijuana prescriptions for children but without the THC which gets you high.

With that being said, what's your guy's thoughts on prescription meds over marijuana or vise versa? Would you rather doctors continue to prescribe prescription meds or medical marijuana after it's legal for medical purposes? not that it should be illegal anyways

Probably because marijuana never cured anyone's asthma.

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

Probably because marijuana never cured anyone's asthma.

A little ignorant don't you think, maybe you're just strongly anti-drug so you felt the need to say something like this right? People with asthma can't smoke since it can close their throat up so they get inhalers instead which doesn't have dangerous drugs in it.
And to anyone confused about me claiming it's a 'cure' then I suggest you read it again. I said it's been proven to 'help' not cure, there's a difference.
Also some seem to misunderstand the point of the discussion. We aren't discussing whether or not marijuana should be legal. We are discussing the pro's and con's compared to over the counter drugs.

@Oryx I never said it was used to replace birth control, I'm sure I made it clear I was talking about conditions that require treatment. Besides, that's not a problem you need medications for like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, etc. Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Ritalin, etc which are prescription meds to tread different conditions have many studies showing it's dangerous (addicting and people have overdosed and died) but as well isn't a cure for anything just like marijuana. For some people these medications don't even work.
When I got my wisdom teeth removed they gave me Vicodin and I didn't even take it, why? It didn't do anything but make my body itch like I was rolling in the grass all day nor did it treat the pain. I instead smoked a bowl and went to sleep, didn't have any problems with my wisdom teeth other than the air hurting like crazy during the inhaling process.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

People with lung problems should not smoke marijuana, it's quite harsh on the lungs and can make it difficult to breathe. I have healthy lungs for the most part but marijuana smoke is very harsh and it burns. It could easily cause someone with asthma to flare up. There are other ingestion methods but I don't know if that would really help their problem.

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

People with lung problems should not smoke marijuana, it's quite harsh on the lungs and can make it difficult to breathe. I have healthy lungs for the most part but marijuana smoke is very harsh and it burns. There are other ingestion methods but I don't know if that would really help their problem.

People with lung problems shouldn't smoke anything, I feel the same way with heart problems as well. I'm not sure marijuana would be the best plant to smoke if you have heart problems but then again I've heard of people having good experiences smoking weed with heart problems so idk. I'm not a doctor nor have heart problems so don't take my word for it. But if taken as an edible someone with asthma should be able to take it since it shouldn't interfere with their lung problems.

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

I don't get this dichotomy of prescription meds vs. medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is a prescription medication. Also, weed helps with a wide variety of things, but it doesn't help with everything. For instance, I have bipolar disorder, and while marijuana helps with my depressive cycles, it does absolutely nothing for my manic cycles so I very clearly need an additional medication. Which I take - antipsychotics really gave me my life back. I also find actual antidepressants to be more effective than weed for depression anyway. Certain medications are good for certain things and not others, medical marijuana is no different. Some people respond well to SSRI's for depression and anxiety, some people respond better to weed. Everyone is different.

@Weed for heart problems chat: Weed can mess with your blood pressure and certainly wouldn't play well with certain heart problems (I have POTS and NCS and it puts me in danger of fainting at times due to the BP drop), though it wouldn't kill you.

@Oryx I never said it was used to replace birth control, I'm sure I made it clear I was talking about conditions that require treatment. Besides, that's not a problem you need medications for like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, etc. Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Ritalin, etc which are prescription meds to tread different conditions have many studies showing it's dangerous (addicting and people have overdosed and died) but as well isn't a cure for anything just like marijuana. For some people these medications don't even work.

Ritalin is not dangerous unless you have a heart defect. It has a very low risk of addiction and abuse for people that actually have ADHD. It's actually associated with a decrease in self-medication when prescribed to ADHD populations. It is absolutely an effective and safe medication for things like ADHD and chronic fatigue/narcolepsy.

Benzos and traditional pain killers are pretty bs for anything other than acute use however, and are associated with very real substance abuse issues. They need less terrible meds for severe pain control and anxiety.

 

[Oryx]

Yes you do use it to make tea, my grandmother grew up in jamaica where it grows naturally, the police over there will finds fields of it and they will always burn it because they know that people are just going to take it and smoke it to get high and Alcohol is bad for you if you take too much but I don't really like to drink alcohol because it taste bitter to me.

I never read the other comments, I am just stating my opinion.

I don't care if it becomes legal or not and I don't care what other people do to themselves or what they do in their lives, I am not hating anyone and I am not spreading any hate but that's all I am going to say about it :-)

Daigonite was not saying that marijuana can't be used in tea, but that your assertion that that's the way it's supposed to be ingested is false. What proof do you have that other ways of ingesting it are the "wrong" ways as opposed to tea?

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

Daigonite was not saying that marijuana can't be used in tea, but that your assertion that that's the way it's supposed to be ingested is false. What proof do you have that other ways of ingesting it are the "wrong" ways as opposed to tea?

Kind of off topic (well not really). Some cultures smoke marijuana for medical and spiritual purposes, and an ancient culture even smoked marijuana as a religious ceremony. Some cultures use it as a herb in tea as well. While I do agree with you I should point out the proper way to use cannabis as medication is as a herb in tea. I've done this myself for experimental reasons, and I still got high as ****, but it's more healthy than smoking. There is no right or wrong way to ingest marijuana, but for medical purposes I'd stick with what it should be intended for. I'd still smoke it myself but that's just me.

 

[Oryx]

Kind of off topic (well not really). Some cultures smoke marijuana for medical and spiritual purposes, and an ancient culture even smoked marijuana as a religious ceremony. Some cultures use it as a herb in tea as well. While I do agree with you I should point out the proper way to use cannabis as medication is as a herb in tea. I've done this myself for experimental reasons, and I still got high as ****, but it's more healthy than smoking. There is no right or wrong way to ingest marijuana, but for medical purposes I'd stick with what it should be intended for. I'd still smoke it myself but that's just me.

What about ways that are both not tea and not smoking? Such as brownies and vaping?

 

[CoffeeDrink]

A little ignorant don't you think, maybe you're just strongly anti-drug so you felt the need to say something like this right? People with asthma can't smoke since it can close their throat up so they get inhalers instead which doesn't have dangerous drugs in it.
And to anyone confused about me claiming it's a 'cure' then I suggest you read it again. I said it's been proven to 'help' not cure, there's a difference.
Also some seem to misunderstand the point of the discussion. We aren't discussing whether or not marijuana should be legal. We are discussing the pro's and con's compared to over the counter drugs.

@Oryx I never said it was used to replace birth control, I'm sure I made it clear I was talking about conditions that require treatment. Besides, that's not a problem you need medications for like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, etc. Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Ritalin, etc which are prescription meds to tread different conditions have many studies showing it's dangerous (addicting and people have overdosed and died) but as well isn't a cure for anything just like marijuana. For some people these medications don't even work.
When I got my wisdom teeth removed they gave me Vicodin and I didn't even take it, why? It didn't do anything but make my body itch like I was rolling in the grass all day nor did it treat the pain. I instead smoked a bowl and went to sleep, didn't have any problems with my wisdom teeth other than the air hurting like crazy during the inhaling process.

I am going to rip you to shreds. First, marijuana does not cure 'most anything'. There is a need for prescription drugs. Hence my 'asthma' remark; yes they have MDIs, but you probably didn't know that MDIs deliver medication into the body. yes I know asthmatics can't smoke, so you assume I don't know this? Satire is lost on you so you best stop smoking.

Second and probably the most popular, drugs like Cialis, Viagra, and other drugs to treat ED. Last I checked marijuana doesn't do anything of the sorts. And before you roll your eyes, it is a genuine problem that can prevent men from having kids, if the case is severe enough.

Third: it will be a prescription drug, not marijuana, that cures the HIV virus.

Drugs? Why, they use them to numb the pain in hospitals and dentist chairs! Why not just smoke weed er'yday? Because I'm sure the dentist won't be impaired at all when he's drilling into your bones. Let's hope he doesn't make a mistake because you didn't want the procaine.

They use them [drugs] to sterilize wounds and eliminate harmful microbes, fight diseases, battle colds, coughs, even parasites. And you're going to sit there and tell me I'm ignorant because you made the mistake of saying marijuana is basically a cure all? I'll believe it when I see it, so next time you get terribly sick with cholera try smoking some ganja and see how far you can get. The world of medicine is far from perfect, and yes in the United States it's more of a business, but trust me when I say no sane doctor anywhere in the world will ever agree with you.

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

I am going to rip you to shreds. First, marijuana does not cure 'most anything'. There is a need for prescription drugs. Hence my 'asthma' remark; yes they have MDIs, but you probably didn't know that MDIs deliver medication into the body. yes I know asthmatics can't smoke, so you assume I don't know this? Satire is lost on you so you best stop smoking.

First, I didn't say it was a 'cure for almost anything', I clearly said it's a 'help for almost anything'. Secondly, what does me smoking have to do with you? Nothing! It's my business and you don't have the right to control my life so don't judge me for it.

Third: it will be a prescription drug, not marijuana, that cures the HIV virus.

There will be no cure for HIV so your argument is invalid.

Drugs? Why, they use them to numb the pain in hospitals and dentist chairs! Why not just smoke weed er'yday? Because I'm sure the dentist won't be impaired at all when he's drilling into your bones. Let's hope he doesn't make a mistake because you didn't want the procaine.

You're blowing things way out of proportion here. Idk if you want attention or if you're just being ignorant.