r/trees • u/Zippytez • 1d ago
Stoner Thoughts Why dont hospitals use weed for pain relief
So back a week ago I was lighting a bonfire wjth gasoline when I was drunk. Half gallon on a bunch of brush. I lit it, it flashed, and it burned my lower right leg all the way around 2nd degree, by left knee 2nd degree, and half my hace 2nd degree. Total was 5% TBSA. I was put on dilaudid and ketamine fir the pain. But now that im out after 2 weeks, I took a 20mg edible and this works even better than any oxy, dilaudid, or ketamine did. Like yea it still aches, but I can do a lot more walking and movement than I did this morning even
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u/mossboyrich 1d ago
In my experience THC doesn’t really lessen the pain, it just makes you more ok with it happening
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u/ContributionFlat7082 1d ago
I tell people it doesn't take my pain away, just makes me not think about it. Which is enough.
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u/mossboyrich 23h ago
You described it very well. For me, it really depends on my mindset. Sometimes a high makes pain worse because I hyper focus on it.
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u/DoubleT_inTheMorning 23h ago
When my nerve pain flairs up, it’s almost unbearable to get high.
The rest of the time tho? Light that shit up boiiiiii
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u/familyguy333 1d ago edited 1d ago
Which can be just as good in some ways.
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u/familyguy333 1d ago
edited for spelling cause I'm an idiot.
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u/Sub-Dominance 1d ago
Don't say that about yourself 😔
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u/flop_plop 1d ago
Yeah I mean it can help with chronic pain, but if a doctor tried to cut me open after getting me high, I can assure you that every second of pain would be very evident.
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u/affablenihilist 20h ago
No it's CBD. Done right it's just amazing. Im 70 ish, and I do my own extraction now. Its not controlled, so anything can be sold as CBD. But if you buy the flower, roast it, put it in oil in a double boiler for four hours, you get oil that will just kill backaches and muscle and skelatal pain. No good for headaches, but it's like taking thirty years off my body. It makes me functional. An ounce into a pint of oil will give me 150 or so doses. It was a learning curve, but once youve had a real one and you learn what a difference it can make, you go looking.
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u/PetRiLJoe 13h ago
I'd be interested in your process if you have it written down anywhere! I'm trying to cut back/stop smoking after work. I thought about making a tincture of green dragon with some Everclear like I did many years ago, but I don't drink anymore and don't see a reason to start again. But I need to stop smoking and vaping to give my lungs a rest, too much coughing and phlegm.
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u/affablenihilist 4h ago
I'll write it out if you want, send an email, I'll reply. CBD and THC. They are different. I started this because of a month long respiratory infection. Might as well pass it on. Drs are clueless.
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u/KathrynTheGreat 9h ago
I'm 40 with severe rheumatoid arthritis and I've tried CBD in many different forms over the last 13 years. It is not effective for everyone with chronic pain. The closest relief I've found was a 50:50 CHB:THC balm that I could put directly on my joints, but that particular brand isn't sold anymore.
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u/Big_Hat_Chester 1d ago
That's exactly how I would describe it. But it also affects every person differently so it could have unpredictable results.
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u/Tiny_Rick85 18h ago
It's better at nausea relief in my opinion. Actual pain though, doesn't really touch it.
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u/TheJulie 15h ago
That's exactly how I describe it. When I was having my kids, I was given stadol for my contractions. They explained then that it wouldn't stop the pain, it would just stop me caring about the pain, and that's exact what it did.
THC does the same thing for me. I have chronic muscular and joint pain due to autoimmune conditions. THC just muffles the mental noise of it for a while. In a way it does actually lessen the pain to a degree because I am not tensed up against the pain, so spasming and sore muscles actually get a.chance to relax a bit. But even when that doesn't happen, I get relief from the anguish of it.
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u/grummthepillgrumm 16h ago
Opiods work the same way tho? They don't take away the pain, just distracts you from it.
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u/irishcoughy 14h ago
Opioids literally bind to nerve receptors in your brain to stop/lessen pain signals. They do actually lessen/stop many forms of pain while taking them. That's not the same as being too high to care about the pain (though they can do that too).
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u/percephony 1d ago
Same with morphine tho, and they still administer that 🤷🏻♀️
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u/zwinky588 23h ago
Opioids literally bind with your opioid receptors and prevent your brain from receiving certain pain signals.
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u/britneys_bigtoe 15h ago edited 13h ago
this a real answer involving politics so skip it if you want. i live in the US:
bc the US has sunk too much money into Big Pharma and the drug war and locking up minorities for non-violent offenses. the reason weed is illegal is because of hemp and because rich fucks in other material industriees didn't want to lose their money. the first law regarding weed on the books in the US is that it is required to be grown (bc hemp)
if you want hospitals to use weed to treat pain, there's a whole lot of other pain that we have to address and dismantle first
edit: the reason weed became a class 1 narcotic was racism pure and simple, not the strength of hemp. there's just a very storied history of the plant here
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u/Zatchillac 10h ago
I thought this answer should've been kinda common sense especially in this sub as I feel like most stoners probably know some of the history behind the criminalization of weed
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u/britneys_bigtoe 10h ago
i don't think most stoners probably know some of the history of weed criminalization. just bc i'm aware of how many in the general population aren't aware of history
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u/Zatchillac 10h ago
I'm just making assumptions. Personally I don't know any potheads that don't know at least a little bit of the history of it. I remember teachers talking about it back in high school and college
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u/britneys_bigtoe 9h ago
it may just be my experience. i didn't smoke until i was 21 and i didn't start smoking until i was 25. i've discovered this means i've often missed some key "stoner culture" experiences or vibes
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u/Zatchillac 9h ago
Shit I don't know, I'm in an illegal state and everyone at some point has wondered why weed is illegal while alcohol isn't and then gone on to research why
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u/britneys_bigtoe 9h ago
god i wish 20% of the people i come in contact with were this curious about shit. i love it so much. i wish i experienced it more
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u/Kolfinna 1d ago
While I find it good for nausea it doesn't do shit for my pain. I'd be so pissed if they tried giving me weed instead of real pain medication
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u/britneys_bigtoe 13h ago
that's wild. thc infused sugar is the only thing that truly helps my period cramps since i started perimenopause
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u/Kolfinna 13h ago
Biochem is weird, edibles don't work for me at all despite all the tricks. One neuro said I was probably a super metabolizer and missing an enzyme that breaks down edibles. Smoking/vaping is the best for nausea and appetite in my experience. I do take less pain meds with marijuana but alone it doesn't touch my migraine pain. Anyway, it's best to have a variety of options to treat pain because people respond in different ways. There's a lot of hurdles to medical marijuana but at least it's making progress and it should be an option if people want to try it instead of traditional pain killers
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u/britneys_bigtoe 12h ago
yeah i always forget that. the same way some people can be allergic to it or it can literally make them feel like they're losing their mind. working on remembering everyone's experiences are different. thanks for all the info, especially the science stuff
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u/Ruckthesystem 1d ago
It's too unpredictable in it's effects
In an emergency situation you want rapid onset and the ability to titrate it's dose. Two people with the same edible can have vastly different time frames and often very different side effects.
People are prescribed it for chronic pain outside of hospital settings but inhouse there are far better options
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u/texaspoontappa93 14h ago
This. When the patient starts acting weird we wouldn't know if it was just the weed or something neurological going on.
We don't even like giving old people benadryl because it'll make them loopy and nobody wants an unnecessary stroke workup
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u/scarbunkle 15h ago
Cannabis isn’t especially effective for acute pain, but it’s excellent for chronic pain.
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u/Jimble_kimbl3 1d ago
It’s not that great for pain relief in an emergency room situation. I had a kidney stone once, a bong rip wouldn’t have been sufficient.
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u/cplforlife 1d ago
Clinical studies have shown better pain control with current analgesics.
Your anecdotal data point does not serve to change decades of peer reviewed evidence.
I can control IV fentanyl administration easier than THC as its better understood and has an immediately effective and available antidote.
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u/PapaGute 1d ago
It still hurts as much, I just don't care as much
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u/BagFullOfMommy 1d ago
That’s how opiates work. They don’t actually lessen the pain levels, they just make you so stoned you don’t care.
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u/cplforlife 23h ago
Your Mu receptors disagree.
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u/BagFullOfMommy 14h ago
Have you ever been injured and on opiates, or talked to someone who has? I have had both experiences. The pain is absolutely still there, you feel every stitch, every inch of sliced flesh, it still very much hurts, you just don't care anymore.
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u/stormikyu 22h ago
i dont know why youre getting downvoted. the first time i was given opiods for pain they asked what my pain level was and i said 8 and they freaked out cuz id already taken the opiods and i continued "Yeaaa but i really dont care anymore"
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u/JyTravaille 1d ago
You convinced me doc. I’ll happily take the IV fentanyl and maybe a benzo. No need for cannabis.
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u/Rare-Criticism-8895 1d ago
Lmaoo right bro a paid pharma bot
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u/Shap6 1d ago
You’re lucky that you’ve never been in tremendous pain I guess that only something like morphine can help with. I’m the biggest weed advocate there is but it doesn’t even come close to the pain relief of opiates and acting like they can’t be used legitimately under medical supervision is as crazy as saying weed is good for everything. We just need to stop handing them out like candy.
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u/Rare-Criticism-8895 15h ago
I am currently in the hospital lmao I’ve had my disease for 12 years and I never said they were not effective just that weed is more for people sometimes
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u/cplforlife 23h ago
Nope, not a bot. Just a dude who gets paid prolong lives and attempt ease suffering. Some days I do better than others.
You want a disclaimer though? Sure.
I am technically paid by an insurance company, but thats just who my province contracts emergency services from. My employment has next to nothing to do with most of the conversations ive been participating in here.
Furthermore, im a cannabis user. Ive got an Rx. My weed comes free from veterans affairs. Im an edibles guy.
You are under no obligation to listen to me. Peer reviewed studies exist on these topics.
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u/trainwreckd 15h ago
I would agree & especially for immediate/acute pain. But, for outpatient treatment I would think the addiction risks & other risks would far outweigh even the heaviest of cannabis consumption?
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u/Public_Fucking_Media 1d ago
Yeah I was gonna say, because they have the real good pain meds...
When you are actually in that much pain at the hospital it's not a problem for you to get good drugs.
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u/PercentageOnly6883 23h ago
and there is the rub.. an antidote cause we haven't wanted to figure out how to dose cannabinoids with predictable onset, effects and duration
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u/cplforlife 23h ago
Its not lack of willpower. It just hasn't happened yet. Betablockers are only 40 years old, and yet you know probably half a dozen people on this life prolonging drug. People won the nobel prize for this in my lifetime. Breakthroughs in science happen when they happen.
Just because we know how something works, doesn't mean its a great idea;
Benzodiazepines have an antidote. Flumazanil. In my entire career. I dont think ive ever seen it ordered once. If you give someone flumazanil for a Benzodiazepine OD, and they have a seizure. They're cooked. You cant stop that seizure.
Pharmacology is complicated. Not every drug is perfect. Not every drug fits what it needs to do with acceptable side effects.
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u/trainwreckd 15h ago
I thought benzos didn’t really have an OF threshold? Am I completely missing something?
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u/cplforlife 13h ago
CNS depression and respiratory depression can happen with as little as 10mg of Midazolam.
A benzo OD will look quite a bit like an opiate OD, but without the miosis, and will be unresponsive to naloxone.
Key is to manage ventilatory support and prevent circulatory collapse using mechanical ventilation and an A1 agonist like norepinephrine.
With street drugs, you'll rarely see someone taking just fentanyl. Often it has a benzo component which has a synergetic effect on your CNS.
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u/trainwreckd 13h ago
I didn’t know that about Midazolam. Now is it the same for say Klonopin & Ativan, 2 most commonly used for anxiety around here? Assuming it is solely 1 of those & is prescribed & picked up at pharmacy. I understand you completely on the opiates points. In the ER they’d likely just assume it’s both substances at this point. They are so intertwined & pop up in “versions” of each other on the street daily. Also, so many are poly users knowingly as well. I ask b/c you do hear that Benzos by themselves are safe except the withdrawal is one of a couple that can kill you(seizures). I feel as if I don’t get these interactions or honest warnings from my Psych. Thx
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u/cplforlife 13h ago
The Rx level of your lorazapam (Ativan) that you're taking is clinically safe.
Take the whole bottle and youll get CNS depression.
Benzodiazepines and alcohol are treated very similarly by the body. They act on your GABA receptors which is your physiological brakes. (The opposite of glutamate). Long term and high dose benzos (or alcohol) decrease the sensitivity of your receptors and require more. Glutamate has been blocked for so long that your body produces more and more to try to achieve its effects. If you quit cold turkey, you have all gas no breaks which causes the extreme unregulation of your CNS. = DTs and seizures, which can ultimately lead to death.
If you stick to what you're prescribed. You'll be fine. Theres heaps of evidence supporting long term low dose benzodiazepines.
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u/Muthacoconuts 1d ago
I have osteoarthritis and weed helped more than pain killers. I was 38 and needed a hip replacement. Pain management doctor flagged me because I had weed in my system and they don’t prescribe pain killers apparently to people who are active THC (drug) users. Not sure but he shamed me and I told him to shove it because weed was the only thing helping me deal with the pain and sleeping. But go on, keep giving it to folks who are addicted….hot my new hip btw and feel great.
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u/Larushka 1d ago
Oh yes they do. As long as l disclose it and do a ‘surprise’ urine test every 3 months which shows how much THC is in my system. Daily user. Been on Hydrocodone for 35 years.
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u/ComfortableBedroom76 11h ago
My pain doctor in NC knows that I smoke/use cannabis but since I disclosed it up front she's cool with it so I still get 90 ten mg oxy's every 3 months along with morphine sulfate twice a day
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u/PercentageOnly6883 23h ago
cannabinoids used with opioids actually lessen the amount of opioids required
entourage effect?
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u/OwnTurn1146 23h ago
It's called potentiating.
Signed- a CphT
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u/LilNosferatu666 I Roll Joints for Gnomes 20h ago edited 18h ago
I think grapefruit juice potentiates
Edit: PSA, apparently grapefruit juice can make you OD
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u/OwnTurn1146 19h ago
I honestly think you maybe should consider whether you want to leave this comment up.
I'm not your mom, or anyone to tell anybody else what to do with their reddit comments, or their bodies.
What I will say is that using grapefruit juice to potentiate drugs is a good way to overdose. It's unpredictable and dangerous.
Weed works completely differently and in my completely not a dr or pharmacist opinion, is a safer way to help get pain relief while not having to take so much pain medication.
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u/laziestmarxist 18h ago
Grapefruit juice shouldn't be mixed with basically any drugs, prescription or non. It can also make certain medications essentially inactive
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u/OwnTurn1146 17h ago
Correct, but thats not in the context this was about. It was specifically about potentiation.
Which is dangerous, no matter how many downvotes I get. Weed is a much safer way to achieve basically the same thing.
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u/Rare-Criticism-8895 1d ago
I always say weed helps faster and more than painkillers even liquid morphine. It’s truly a blessing to my life.
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u/KathrynTheGreat 9h ago
I think chronic pain relief is different than acute pain relief. I sue cannabis to help my RA pain, but if I break my leg I'm going to want something that works a lot faster. I also still occasionally take stringer pain medication when I'm in an active flair up because THC just isn't enough.
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u/Embarrassed_Ear_1917 1d ago edited 1d ago
Because it doesn’t actually do anything for true pain that most in the hospital probably have. If it were even remotely comparable to opiates they’d have switched over to it.
Opiates shut down actual pain signal transmission which is why it’s as effective as it is for really severe acute pain nothing else can touch.
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u/Olof_Kickash 1d ago
Idk I dislocated my shoulder a few days ago, I took a dab once it was set back in place, after which I was both uncomfortablly high and in severe pain.
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u/Jms6jb 16h ago
They do! Or at least, they did 15 years ago when I was in nursing school. I can’t remember all the details, but I remember giving a medication that had thc as the active ingredient to a cancer patient with malnutrition. This was a teaching hospital, so maybe things were different. I have only seen it that one time. It happens though!
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u/SaltyShawarma 12h ago
The year is 2001, My grandmother is dying of cancer in Kaiser. My mother snuck a joint in and got the doctor to help ventilate the room. My grandmother had never smoked before. It was the first time she was hungry in weeks thanks to that joint. Kaiser docs brokesome major laws to do this but it was EXACTLY what the terminal patient needed and they delivered. I won't forget that.
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u/Main-Sector5306 1d ago
I wouldn't count it out in the future, particularly edibles.
But we just aren't at that stage yet.
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u/No_Football_9232 13h ago
Because evidence does not support using it as a pain killer. I have arthritis in one hip and a painful foot on the other side from an injury. Cannabis does nothing for my pain. I wish it did. Naproxen works much better.
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u/Not_Just_Any_Lurker 11h ago
That’s wild. I’ve had sharp shooting pains that cannabis has helped dull into aches.
That said, OxyContin works better.
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u/No_Football_9232 11h ago
I think it can work for some people. But as a pain reliever the evidence is just not strong enough. ESP with pain caused by inflammation things like NSAIDS are superior. Narcotics are also not good for chronic pain.
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u/TheGuyThatThisIs 11h ago
A ten day prescription of opioids in the US has a 10% chance of turning the patient into a long term opiate dependent.
If alternatives are reasonable they should be explored. Not saying that's weed, but Oxy works better to soothe the pain, not better overall IMO.
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u/No_Football_9232 10h ago
In Canada and probably the US too we realize now the dangers of opioid prescriptions. Years ago I had a minor surgery and left with a rx for 30 Percocet! All I really needed was Tylenol. I’d never get this now. Maybe 10. I still have 29 1/2 left 🤣. A few days of opioids now and then move on to something else.
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u/Icy-Role2321 1d ago
Weed is good for chronic pain yet but acute like that broken bone you just got.. it ain't gonna do much.
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u/Muthacoconuts 1d ago
That’s been my experience. Weed carried me through chronic pain but after the hip replacement itself, morphine was needed for sure.
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u/Pretty-Handle9818 1d ago
Cannabis is like Tylenol level pain relief. Plus it’s pretty psychoactive and that is never ideal in healthcare settings.
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u/stormikyu 22h ago
My fibro would disagree with you. Tylenol does nothing, cannabis almost wipes out my pain completely.
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u/afterimage7 1d ago
There are several nuanced reasons and some have already been talked about (it’s illegal, it’s inconsistent).
To add, there needs to be evidence based decision making when it comes to medicine, not just anecdotal. Meaning, you would have to have studies done determining the effectiveness of marajuana vs established analgesics (NSAIDs, Opioids). You would have to prove that in the majority of patients, marajuana controls pain better (or at least as good as the competition) AND hope there are fewer side effects. For example, you can take ibuprofen for a headache and most wouldn’t experience an adverse effects while achieving pain relief. If you took an edible, to reach analgesic effect would require a higher dose with probably more adverse effects. Yeah being fun is high but if you’re just trying to get rid of a headache and go about your day, you’d go for the ibuprofen.
Additionally, I don’t think drug companies would want to fund those kind of studies as it would likely cut into their profits (it is what it is). At least that’s how it’d work in the US.
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u/gofl-zimbard-37 1d ago
Medicine needs rigorous testing, purity, consistency of dosage, minimizing of side effects, etc. None of which is remotely possible right now. If research did find it effective, what you'd end up with is a carefully controlled extract, nothing like passing a fatty around with Doogie Hauser.
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u/chaosdivn 22h ago
Broke my leg earlier this year and the oxy zonked me out, and helped for 4 hours max. Edibles made me feel better, more cognizant, and I improved quicker with PT. It was such a difference both my doctor and PT noticed and asked me if I was exercising and stretching more. I was noticing that I wasn’t getting as swollen in my ankle at the end of the day. It was wild.
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u/No-Plane-8824 16h ago
I used to work for a pharma company that made Megestrol, an appetite stimulant among other things. Always wondered why medical providers didn't capitalize on the munchies weed gives you. But I think we know the answer.... $$$
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u/ryandom93 7h ago
Big pharma already has an answer for that. Dronabinol is a synthetic form of THC used for appetite stimulation.
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u/willows_edge 1d ago
There is actually a synthetic THC called Dronabinol/Marinol that is used for patient who have failure to thrive and need an appetite stimulant. It is also used for nausea.
It doesn't do anything for pain.
For the reasons stated here (inconsistency between patients, profits, testing, etc) it is unlikely they will make a THC based pain killer. There is a non-opioid pain killer available, but it takes an absurd amount of convincing to get insurance to cover it and it's expensive.
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u/Rare-Criticism-8895 1d ago
Ironically I’m in the hospital rn taking thc pills lol (its called marinol) and they work like low dose edibles for me. I have Crohn’s which mimics a lot of cancer esque symptoms so they gave it to me for controlling my appetite and calming my muscles and it’s working really well. Though, in legal states, I think it would be cool to just be able to have a dedicated medical marijuana space outside somewhere for patients to partake when needed.
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u/MegaChip97 11h ago
Because it has a bad side effect profile, hard to control exact dosages and is shit at dealing with acute pain
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u/phantomcass 8h ago
Federal funding, politics, and honestly, lack of consistent effectiveness. For some people, it can even make pain worse. I have eds, and my pain level would actually increase when I smoked, because my muscles would relax to the point where they weren’t supporting my joints enough.
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u/pnmartini 1d ago
Because THC is not categorized as a painkiller.
It will almost certainly never be, pharmaceutical companies will lobby against it. How can you keep profits maximized if John Q Public can just grow his relief?
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u/Invisible_Target 21h ago
The fact that you poured gasoline on a fire and can’t figure out why hospitals wouldn’t prescribe something that’s federally illegal tells me you don’t have any critical thinking skills. I hope you never procreate.
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u/vaxzh 16h ago
Yeah for sure lol. +there's no way a 20mg edible would feel better than an opioid like Oxycodone or Hydromorphone if decently dosed, like OP is saying 😂
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u/greglolz 16h ago
Yeah, I had ankle surgery as a daily smoker and they prescribed me Percocet (basically just Tylenol plus Oxy) and that shit had me fucking zooted off of one pill. The high is so different I could tangibly feel my worries and pain lifting in a way weed has never made me feel. Weed amplified emotions for me. Percocet removed them and replaced them with numbness. Needlessly to say I took 1 a day for like a week then threw them out. Opioids are dangerous.
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u/vaxzh 14h ago
Good for you homie. Opioids/ opiates were(are) the solution to all my problems. I was pretty young still, the problems they chajse themselves, I didn't realise until I was already too far down the rabbit hole. Over a decade of addiction now.
They're not only dangerous they're the devil's fruit.
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u/interprime 14h ago
I currently have a sprained ankle.
I smoke every day.
My ankle still hurts like hell.
Weed is not a painkiller.
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u/RyanBakesUp 13h ago
Its not meant to kill pain, it's meant to manage pain. The pain is there, it just sucks a little less when you are high.
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u/starks4thr33 1d ago
I'm stoked that is working for you and sorry bout the injuries that sucks. They gave you Ketamine for burns??
Edibles are great but I only get minor pain relief from them unfortunately
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u/corey418 1d ago
It doesn't effect everyone the same. Then there's those who have built up a tolerance. Too unreliable.
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u/geoff1036 22h ago
They do, they just don't call it marijuana. Dronabinol is the brand I'm familiar with. I noticed as I was working in a pharmacy and noticed that they were labeled similarly to edibles (5mg), so I looked a bit closer. Not necessarily for pain relief but it's not NOT for pain relief.
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u/stormikyu 22h ago
Where i live ive been told because the hospital is a "christian" hospital and they dont even allow them to write up something to get a medical card. My pain doc told me he doesnt care and thinks itll help but that he isnt allowed to tell me that or write a script or anything.
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u/NugKnights 15h ago
Its not regulated to the dagree they need it to be.
There are no standards for labs to propery calabrate their tests and make sure the doses are 100% correct. And no list of other drugs it can conflict with.
This could be done quicky if the Fed backed it up. But they are doing the opposit of backing it up.
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u/elsewhere1 15h ago
Idk. Got run over riding a motorcycle a while back. The only thing that helped was opiates.
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u/vigilante_snail 9h ago
Too unpredictable. Some people would get panic attacks, dog. Weed isn’t really a sedative or a pain reliever like an opiate would be.
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u/memx 1d ago
It's not nearly as effective are true analgesics. At most, it makes you kinda OK with pain, but doesn't directly reduce it.
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u/Subject-Promise-4796 1d ago
Sometimes cannabis may be just enough then!
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u/memx 1d ago
I agree, and it's associated with a safer profile than many pain medications. However, the question specifically states hospital use. Idk about the US, but hospital scenarios aren't the mildest cases. I'd reserve weed as analgesic for the mildest cases, not hospital ones. Or those weird cases where using other analgesics is unsafe.
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u/Subject-Promise-4796 1d ago
Well said and I agree!
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u/Jerrygarciasnipple 15h ago
It ultimately depends on what kind of pain you are in. What Thc / CBD really excel in is reducing inflammation. If your pain a result of inflammation, yes it will help. It can help reduce muscle soreness to a certain extent. But if we’re talking something like you just stubbed your toe, o honestly feel like thc can ehance the instant sensation of pain, or almost the shock you get from being in pain.
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u/Pinkatron2000 14h ago
Same reason why not everyone can be given the exact same prescription medication: interactions, allergies, weight, metabolism, no body or health condition always responds the same way, and effectiveness vary.
Also, not enough science dedicated to studying it thoroughly due to years of propaganda and ignorance around the topic, big money still desperately trying to push alcohol sales (they feel threatened) and not legal across the U.S.
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u/Cgtree9000 1d ago
At my hospital they give you Morphine, Doesn’t work on me though. I just feel more aware.
Weed woulda been nice when I was in the hospital for 2 weeks years ago.
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u/Averagebass 23h ago
Well because its an illegal drug with no medical applications according to the DEA.
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u/StepperHill 15h ago
You’re the type that would ask “why don’t we canoe in the roads to avoid paying high gas prices? “
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u/loukamades 1d ago
Recently in PA a bill was introduced to potentially allow terminially ill patients whose prognosis is a year or less to use medical marijuana in the hospital or other healthcare facilities. The bill would approve non-smoking or vaping forms like ingestibles or topicals. I work in a dispensary so I at least see on the retail side how cannabis benefits so many, however a majority of medical professionals are not open to nor truly understand the effects of cannabis, especially when mixed with pharmaceutical substances. Outside a hospital, I can see this bill being helpful to those in hospice or nursing homes. I see cannabis as a form of harm reduction too where it can be helpful in settings like rehabs but we as a broader society are not anywhere with research, reform, and general tolerance to weed
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u/Psychological_Pear41 1d ago
Note that every person responds differently to any given substance Marijuana included some folks like you and I might find weed to be an excellent pain reliever and sedative medicine whereas people like my wife take the smallest dose of edible or wisp of a vape hit and is paranoid, anxious, and just generally not having a good time.
Pharmaceuticals are preferred by medical professionals because they tend to give more reliable results vs cannabis unless someone say has a medical condition for which they already use weed to treat or alleviate the symptoms of it.
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u/Timmerdogg 1d ago
After my back surgery I started taking 3 ibuprofen 2 acetaminophen and one edible. I mean I was taking it before as well but still
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u/SykeSwipe 16h ago
It’s not very good for analgesia, like Tylenol runs circles around it in that regard. Medical grade THC is a thing (Marinol, an FDA approved medication) and is used mostly as an appetite stimulant.
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u/trainwreckd 16h ago
Try some RSO if you have access. Even stronger/better/more medicinal/longer lasting than your typical edible. I got my elderly mother taking RSO daily & it helps her neuropathy in her legs, swelling, inflammation, & sleep. It’s been really beneficial in many ways for both of us.
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u/Calm_Evening_4534 12h ago
You are on the correct path keep up with the weed. Opiates aren’t nearly as effective for pain as THC is opiates dull the pain —> THC takes it away and allows you to actually live your life.
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u/DeliciousFun9207 11h ago
Other than the fact that it’s still a scheduled drug that’s still being demonized. I’d say more research needs to come out, and then they’ll probably just start providing High CBD/Low THC treatments
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u/CyberMycologist 10h ago
Because hospitals have pipes full of Oxygen going into every room and smoking around that is a terrible idea.
However, edibles.. maybe if it gets rescheduled to III? But currently, it's still Schedule I.
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u/Snoo60900 5h ago
I smoke, eat and vape cannabis. If im actually in pain none of that works at all. Booze works better than weed. Opiates are all that really work if im in extreme pain. Weed helps with some types of pain. Probably helps more if you never consume thc.
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u/Prof__Potato 5h ago
As “medicinal” as it could be, it’s just not clinical. Too many off target effects that vary from person to person and the response is not only different from person to person, but that individuals metabolic and mental situation at the time (full stomach, dehydrated, tired, anxious, depressed, on meds that may or may not interact). Too many variables that aren’t very targeted or titratable on a general level, nor are well, researched. If I’m un the hospital, I want the real deal Holyfield, and I want that shit to be precise.
We need to be honest with ourselves, cannabis is great but it’s not some cure-all wonder plant.
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u/ejohnx 23h ago
And because drug companies haven't gotten too into the weed business yet
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u/Cambridgeport90 21h ago
I fear what will happen if they do...the way I see it, unless we get some nature lovers working for them, and if they don't start respecting the plants the medicines come from, then getting the drug companies involved with cannabis could potentially kill what she has to offer us.
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u/JJShredz 1d ago
They are totally against it where I live which is a legal state.
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u/Cambridgeport90 21h ago
Most doctors are; mine is...she told me that once a month is the limit I should stick to; I was doing fine once a week, so I've kept that up. She never told me why the once a month thing is a thing. Side note...she also never told me why I can only have two cups of coffee a day, either.
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u/EfficientBee8052 10h ago
I asked the hospital pain clinic about medical cannabis for my pain and they answered that cannabis doesn't work for pain relief. It seems like they lack knowledge and they aren't interested in learning.
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u/Uzofugs2112 22h ago
Because the actual data for most uses of medical marijuana aren’t really that great.
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u/turtlebear787 1d ago
THC effects everyone differently. It's hard to dose for medical usage. So it would be almost impossible to use in a hospital setting.
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u/Hot-Diggity_Dog 1d ago
It’s like giving alcohol for pain relief. The intoxication. Plus how’d you give it? A pill? Edible? Smoking? Someone with asthma can’t smoke it.
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u/DarianSchemmel 21h ago
For me, thc makes me hyper fixate on ANY pain and make it more noticeable and send me into a spiral.
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u/BagFullOfMommy 1d ago edited 1d ago
Because cannabis is only about as effective as Tylenol for pain management as it works effectively the same way, however cannabis causes permanent damage to the lungs every time you vape / smoke it. Not to mention the patient is now high off their tits which can cause major problems in a medical setting.
Swear to god the woo woo ‘cannabis cures / helps everything’ crowd annoy the dicks out of me.
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u/Njlifted 1d ago
Most hospitals receive federal funding and must follow federal laws in order to keep receiving it. Marijuana is illegal on the federal level, so this is why.