
Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids - M_Grey
https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2017/02/27/given-the-choice-patients-will-reach-for-cannabis-over-prescribed-opioids/
======
jessep
I get kidney stones pretty often (6 times in the last 8 years). I vomit from
the pain, convulse on the floor, lose all sense of self as I just struggle to
survive the sensation. It is intense. Usually I have to go to the emergency
room for IV opioids. Then they give you some to take home after you pass the
peak of the pain.

Last time it happened to me, I went home at around 6pm after going into the
hospital that morning. At 3am, the pain was again intolerable. I had already
taken the maximum dosage of the opioids. I knew taking more was dangerous, and
was keenly afraid of getting addicted. But the pain was too much, so I went to
get the bottle of pills.

As I stood up to go get the pills, it occurred to me that people say weed is
good for pain and that I should try it before taking more opioids. I had weed
(in cali, have a "medical" card) so I took some out and smoked.

I cannot describe to you how much more effective it was than the opioids. The
pain wasn't gone, but it was just an interesting sensation now. Genuinely
didn't bother me. I did yoga. I read. I enjoyed the night. And I was
flabbergasted that no one I touched in the medical establishment had ever
recommended it.

It feels like a genuinely corrupt world where something so clearly damaging to
people and society is recommended before something relatively harmless and
widely available.

I am still in awe of how effectively it handled my pain.

~~~
Joakal
Have you tried riding rollercoasters with kidney stones?

Apparently some people did a study and found that it can be effective at
passing kidney stones. Was in news last year [https://www.ems1.com/medical-
clinical/articles/129734048-Stu...](https://www.ems1.com/medical-
clinical/articles/129734048-Study-Riding-roller-coasters-can-dislodge-kidney-
stones/)

They also said it's good as preventative measure (dislodging before they get
too big).

~~~
MrFantastic
I would think a trampoline would work even better.

~~~
jnwatson
Roller coasters have vibrations that trampolines don't.

------
sergers
My mom has benefited from cannabis to help treat chrohns. While nothing has
cured, it's been the most effective with no known side effects. Plus it's
cheaper than the meds she has been buying for years (spending out of pocket
upwards $10k a year with $500 a pill just for flare ups even with medicare in
Canada).

She has been in hell for 30 years. They wanted to remove her small intestine
~20 years ago and she didn't want to make that sacrifice and lived with the
pain.

Nothing honestly helped long term till I convinced her to try cannabis 3 years
ago that so far has been more effective.

She is now on low daily dose with no flare-ups in atleast a year.

From personal experience as a 15 year recreational user and 10 years actual
therapy/medicinal use:For chronic pain and intestinal issues it works wonders,
but it's not any immediate relief with severe pain.

That may change with higher concentrations and improvements in delivery
methods.

~~~
developer2
Crohn's Disease is one of those things where, if you do not suffer from it
personally, you have absolutely no business telling someone who does what they
may or may not do to treat it - or rather its symptoms. I have a friend with
Crohn's, and based on his _reserved description (not far past PG-13)_ as to
what he goes through on a daily basis, I would not _DARE_ tell him that he
cannot use marijuana, opioids, or anything else. I don't care what he needs to
help him get through his day; he deserves quite literally anything that
chemistry has to offer that he is willing to take. Nobody - absolutely nobody
- has the right tell him differently.

People are ignorant and frankly downright... disgusting/pathetic/opinionated
(I can't find the words to describe how far beyond unacceptable some people's
positions are)... with their attempts to regulate others, when it comes to
issues that do not affect them personally. If you don't have a clue, shut your
mouth and let those who have to deal with the situation dictate for themselves
how they will manage or cope.

~~~
Y_Y
> Nobody - absolutely nobody - has the right tell him differently. > People
> are ignorant and frankly downright... disgusting/pathetic/opinionated

Those are some very strong claims. You can be sympathetic without being
hyperbolic, or assuming that the reason that other don't share your views is
that they're bad people who don't share your perfect reasoning.

~~~
vidarh
They are strong claims because current drug laws cost people their lives in
large numbers. If there wasn't plenty of evidence to support that, I could
accept that it might be excusable, but the evidence is there to the point that
I have taken to at the very least consider politicians that oppose drug reform
(who we should be able to expect to inform themselves) to be morally no better
than murderers.

In fact, for the most part they are worse - most murderers do not cause
further harm after a single death (it is exceedingly rare for people to commit
more than one murder); most politicians who oppose drug law reforms continue
to cause harm.

Sometimes we reach inflection points where certain views become so outdated by
the availability of evidence that they become repugnant. Consider slavery
(yes, I am making that comparison).

Our eras drug laws will come to be remembered as the same kind of barbaric
oppression of - and violence against - weaker members of society.

------
chejazi
The timing of this is interesting. A few days ago, the White House press sec
claimed cannabis is a gateway to opioid use:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-
mix/wp/2017/02/2...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-
mix/wp/2017/02/24/sean-spicer-seemed-to-tie-marijuana-use-to-opioids-the-
evidence-isnt-on-his-side/)

~~~
verelo
Reminds me of when Stephen Harper claimed Marijuana was worse than tobacco and
the rather hilarious reaction by Canadians that followed his statement:

[http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-pot-
marijuana...](http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-pot-
marijuana-1.3255727)

From the comments "hey Steve...smoke a blunt or two and mellow out." is the
kind of sentiment that I heard a lot of in Toronto.

~~~
fencepost
From his standpoint pot is _much_ worse than tobacco - pot doesn't have well-
funded lobbyists, campaign contributors, etc.

~~~
pmoriarty
I'm kind of surprised that the alcohol and tobacco industries don't lobby for
legalization. They could potentially diversify in to marijuana manufacture and
sale, and leverage their brands and experience in selling other recreational
drugs. The pharmaceutical industry could similarly profit from manufacturing
and selling medical marijuana.

~~~
zensavona
The problem from the pharma companies point of view is that they have patents
on a lot of their drugs, granting exclusivity on production. Marijuana is a
plant which anyone can grow (and thus compete with them).

~~~
mikekchar
So is tobacco and while I've known the occasional person who grew it, it's
pretty uncommon. I've also been surprised that tobacco companies don't get in
on the legalise marijuana thing. Possibly they are suffering so much from bad
press they don't think they could withstand the backlash...

~~~
vidarh
It is also a new market for them. They can sit on their current market share
or help open up a new market and risk it cannibalising their existing market
while they potentially may fail to get sufficient market share in the new
market to offset the losses.

It seems like basically an industry on the defensive that see it as safer to
just hole up and try to maintain status quo as much as possible.

~~~
SturgeonsLaw
Ah yes, the Blockbuster business model. Let's see how it goes for them.

~~~
vinceguidry
I don't know why people attack Blockbuster's business model.

Blockbuster had a _phenomenal_ business model, and effective leadership, that
lasted 25 years and went through several re-conceptualizations. What happened
to it wasn't a human failing.

The market simply got disrupted by Netflix. Businesses aren't people, they
can't just turn the ship around at a moment's notice. What would you have had
them do? Not have ever been in the video rental business in the first place
and leave all that money on the table? Have the foresight to see Netflix
coming?

I can understand why non-techies would use Blockbuster as a symbol for all
things tech-disruption-related, but we can do a little better than that I
hope.

------
benevol
There are also other substances (such as psilocybin and LSD) which have the
potential to massively reduce the cashflow of big pharma (specifically: in the
case of anti-depressants).

And now you understand the importance of the _War on Drugs_ for billionaires
in our society.

It seems people are slowly beginning to understand to what degree our society
and its systems are corrupted by "economic forces" and not built with the
interest of the citizens' wellbeing at heart.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
I see people say this, and I disagree. And just for clarity, I'm definitely
pro-drug legalisation - even of drugs I never want to be in the same room
with.

I think drug companies are _precisely_ the sort of place to produce medical-
grade LSD (and other therapudic "recreational" drugs) that has predictable
dosages. Same goes for cannabinoids in pill form - especially the sorts meant
for folks that would rather skip the high. Someone will need to supply mental
health & addiction centers with this. And I think the sale of which will be
basically on-par with at least generic anti-depressants. It won't replace
anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds, however. While some folks find
improvements in such treatments, it can also make the symptoms worse. It isn't
a cure-all, but rather an important alternative and/or addition to current
drug treatments. Of course, this is all assuming folks have a clinical setting
and that "big pharma" enters this section of the market.

This isn't saying that the war on drugs isn't something about money, but I
highly doubt it is big pharma. In fact, considering some of the horror stories
about medical treatment in prisons, it might actually be a positive for them
even if they don't enter the market as those folks would theoretically get
"normal" medical treatment. In contrast, private and public prisons have a
huge network of suppliers. Companies and the government hire inmates to do
work at very low labor costs. These folks have much more to lose from the end
of the drug war.

~~~
awestroke
LSD cannot be patented, so Big Pharma cannot make money on it - they'd have to
compete on price, which would lead to really slim margins. If LSD is kept
illegal, they can sell patented "alternatives" at huge margins.

~~~
nol13
As much as I believe that psychedelic experiences should be available to those
who seek them, and pro rec mj, LSD can't be legalized. Enough dumbasses out
there will drink a vial and then try to drive their car to the moon. Penalties
should be much less extreme though.

Maybe designated psychedelic theme parks where it's legal and quality
controlled with no access to motor vehicles? (with music too?)

~~~
M_Grey
How is that different from drinking a fifth of vodka and doing the same? The
difference is that in the years of people drinking, and the years of people
dropping LSD, we have good stats on which is deadlier.

~~~
nol13
Do not disagree necessarily..

Like I said I think it should be readily available to those who seek it out,
without the threat of substantial punishment, it would just be a shit show if
Johny H.S. Senior is able to pick up a sheet at 7-11.

How many "Johny turned the school cafeteria into an acid test" news stories is
this LSD legalization experiment gonna last for? It pains me to have to say
that because I'd love to be able to pick some up at 7-11, just not sure if
it's the best idea.

------
randomdrake
For folks looking for more information regarding published studies on the
topic, we supply an index of over 800 cannabis studies organized by almost 170
conditions, and summarized with a weighted average by our contributing PhD:

[https://www.cannabisreports.com/cannabis-
studies](https://www.cannabisreports.com/cannabis-studies)

This includes a section for studies on cannabis and opioid addictions.

~~~
criddell
Maybe you can shed some light: there are lots of different kinds of pain,
right? Is cannabis most effective for any particular type? Is it probably the
wrong choice for any particular type?

~~~
randomdrake
_> there are lots of different kinds of pain, right?_

Yes, we have 7 or 8 different types of categorical pains listed for this
reason.

 _> Is cannabis most effective for any particular type?_

To my knowledge, there is not a specific type of pain that cannabis has been
shown to be "most effective" for. Cannabis acts on important receptors as an
agonist or antagonist throughout our bodies.

 _> Is it probably the wrong choice for any particular type?_

There is no evidence, that I'm aware of, that would indicate cannabis would
exacerbate or otherwise extend pain for any type of treatment. On the
contrary, we discovered our endocannabinoid system[1], which is a strong
regulator of pain and discomfort signals, through research and treatment with
cannabis.

[1] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system)

------
Grexar
The original article and this post have a very poor headline. The study
covered pain relievers, anti-depressants, and sedatives. The people were not
just suffering from pain. Some had mental health issues. Some has
gastrointestinal issues. I suspect the reason why cannabis was so popular is
because it helps with a lot of conditions instead of just one.

Also, cannabis has a much milder effect than prescription drugs and fewer
negative side effects. It's not much of a stretch to imagine someone using it
in place of a prescription drug when their symptoms are not as strong.

A "friend of mine" who suffers in excruciating pain for days from the
occasional kidney stone smokes weed and takes ibuprofen rather than go through
bottles of prescription pain killers. They have tremendously negative side
effects if taken over a long period of time that he would rather not
experience on top of the pain. After seeing his sister get addicted to them
after having surgery, he doesn't want to risk them destroying his life.

------
meowface
In many cases, though, cannabis and CBD oil aren't nearly as effective as
opioids for relief from severe pain, right? How often is this a viable
alternative for patients?

This study only looked at 250 people who already have medical cannabis
prescriptions for pain, so this shouldn't be extrapolated too heavily.

~~~
WalterSear
I was diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome, and when given the opportunity,
had my doctor switch my prescription from opioids to cannabis.

I don't think that one can appreciate how effective it is for chronic pain,
until you've had to use it for that.

~~~
poohbs
similarly, those who have only had opioids for acute pain (injuries, post-op,
and such) have a hard time appreciating just how much baggage comes with these
drugs when they are taken indefinitely.

~~~
WalterSear
Yes, the side effects of the opioids were as much of a reason for me to want
to switch, if not more so.

------
millstone
Naive questions about this:

1\. How many hours does MMJ control pain?

2\. Does taking MMJ for chronic pain make you high all the time?

3\. In California, most MMJ dispensaries are oriented towards recreational
users. How do you go about this from a legitimately medical path, i.e. finding
a doctor able and willing to provide sound medical advice, instead of just
collecting the fee for a green card?

~~~
sergers
With having alot of first hand and 2nd hand knowledge, I am very surprised by
questions like these that show how much of the knowledge about this wonder
drug have been suppressed and or generally just not known.

1)varies on so many factors to get into. -Tolerance,strength,variety,form, and
how it's taken. What you eat before consumption can affect.

2)no. Lookup THC vs CBD, for pain relief it's more CBD which doesn't make you
high at all. Some studies have shown full spectrum/mix of the 2 in
concentrates may provide better results.

3)find a naturopath, or just go in and ask the dispensaries. Many dispensary
workers are actually very knowledgeable.

Not sure about Cali, but alot of dispensaries here are very knowledgeable and
cater alot to medical use rather than recreational, even though their key
market is recreational.

Try finding a local compassion club, healing centers etc for support/seminars
or information.

Recent article on CBD: [http://hightimes.com/medicinal/cbd-the-cinderella-
molecule/](http://hightimes.com/medicinal/cbd-the-cinderella-molecule/)

~~~
driverdan
I downvoted you for two reasons.

Cannabis is not a wonder drug. It treats a few things effectively, like many
other drugs. Just because it has been suppressed doesn't mean you should use
hyperbole.

Second, naturopaths are quacks. They do not have proper medical training and
often recommend nonsense like homeopathy. They are the opposite of what the OP
was asking for.

~~~
sergers
maybe from your experience.

Cannabis has not been fully explored since its supression by pharma/govt.
there are many areas which they are discovering it treats effectively, more
than a few already known and more being discovered.

i have seen a naturopath who also has a doctorate in science based medicine,
and is not some hack pitching homeopathy.

not all are quacks and not all dont have medical training , i downvoted you
for this reason, doesnt mean you should use a hyperbole.. :)

who do you recommend to see? you provided no information relevant to what OP
was asking.

should they go see a medical doctor who in general (not all) dont believe the
effectiveness just due to the stigma of marijuana?

or would you recommend a naturopath who may (not all) who has hands on
experience advising and dealing with patients who have tried marijuana to help
with various ailments.

------
DaveSapien
I can second this. I suffer badly enough to use strong opioids daily. Up side
of them is I can code pretty well on it. I prefer weed for a better sense of
self, but find it hard to code(impossible).

~~~
3131s
As a few others have mentioned, try a CBD concentrate. CBD is another
cannabinoid in marijuana, but it doesn't make you high and it seems to be
primarily responsible for the pain-relieving effects of marijuana.

------
nthcolumn
They are making it 'more' illegal in the UK. You are drug tested if you are
pulled over by their pigs and their companies do urine tests on every single
employee regardless of role and fired. Unless you are an exec I bet and for
something you could have done legally over a month ago stateside.

My niece has Crohn's. From a lovely vibrant kid she has managed this pain with
a smile and nearly died once or twice. She is ill again now. How many of those
cunts snort coke before their big hypocritical speeches?

~~~
DanBC
>> their companies do urine tests on every single employee regardless of role
and fired.

[https://www.gov.uk/monitoring-work-workers-rights/drug-
testi...](https://www.gov.uk/monitoring-work-workers-rights/drug-testing)

> 2\. Drug testing

> Employers have to have consent if they want to test for drugs. Usually this
> is when they have a full contractual health and safety policy, which should
> be in the contract or staff handbook.

> Employers should:

> _limit testing to employees that need to be tested

> _ensure the tests are random

> *not single out particular employees for testing unless this is justified by
> the nature of their jobs

> Workers can’t be made to take a drugs test but if they refuse when the
> employer has good grounds for testing, they may face disciplinary action.

[https://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-issues/health-and-
safety/dr...](https://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-issues/health-and-safety/drugs-
and-alcohol/guides-and-reports-reps/drug-testing-workplace)

> Despite claims from drugs-testing companies, there is no real evidence that
> drug-testing is becoming common-place in British workplaces. It is mainly
> used, often with union agreement, in safety critical areas such as transport
> and energy generation or after an incident. There is also increased usage in
> the construction industry. However generally where wide-scale drug testing
> has been considered it has been rejected either because of cost, union
> objections, or doubts over the effectiveness.

~~~
nthcolumn
Everyone (allegedly) got tested. My buddy got fired. He worked on an IT
helpdesk. It is in the small print of his contract. Yes it is construction. UK
gov is a ministry of information thing. It says a lot of things that companies
here just ignore because they can. Wrongful dismissal laws here were neutered
by the tories. More friends tell me it is happening in their companies too. I
would show the contract /say more but I do not want to identify myself. But
thanks for the downvotes I hope the view is nice from that gilded tower.

~~~
DanBC
The TUC is not a government mouthpiece.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trades_Union_Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trades_Union_Congress)

~~~
nthcolumn
LOL Try phoning them. Haven't you noticed that they say if it is in the
contract you either put up or shut up. Do you think we want to be tested like
some animal because I sit at their desk? They tested EVERYBODY. Not random,
not as a result of some clue. It was a blanket company wide purge of anyone
they didn't like or desperately need who had smoked pot in the last hundred
days. They are legally allowed to do so and even if they weren't legally
allowed to do so they would do it anyway because what are you going to do?
Fight a huge corporation's legal? Even if you win your award is capped at
whatever crappy salary they deigned you were worth and you still have no job
because they will just blacklist you. Methinks YOU have some vested interest
you are not declaring because most people think this is disgusting fascist
behaviour. My buddy worked on fucking helpdesk. They just don't like it and
here we have the state saying you can regulate your pain with the drugs of
their choice whilst making money off the back of stuff which kills millions.
Well screw them.

------
SomeHacker44
I was 8 hours from heading to the airport for a family trip to Amsterdam last
summer when I burned the heck out of the fingers of my right (dominant) hand.
It was probably the most pain I had ever been in, even including a compound
fracture of the clavicle that involved 8 screws and a metal bar to repair. The
latter caused me to get addicted (unknowningly) to opioids (hydrocodone) which
led to a miserable week of withdrawl symptoms. I didn't take any opioids a
year later after the surgery to remove all that hardware.

I told the doctors at the hospital I didn't want to get addicted again, so
they gave me Tramadol.

I made it to Amsterdam and, that night, I finally gave in and took one of the
Tramadols. It put me through a loop and wringer, but took away the pain and
let me sleep through the night mostly.

The next day, my wife came back to our place with a "space muffin", or pot-
laced chocolate brownie thing. I had never had any edibles before. That night,
I figured, what the heck, they're always talking about medical uses so I ate
it.

I have never been so surprised at something anecdotal in my life.

The pain was gone just as well as the night before with Tramadol. Furthermore,
although the edible definitely was psychoactive, I was much more functional
and less out of it than the single Tramadol I took, and felt much better the
next day - not hung over.

I became a strong medical marijuana advocate that night.

Damn shame we don't have this available in my home state in the USA. Damn
shame we have a moron of a President who loves states rights except when he
doesn't (most of the time?). Damn shame we have a war on drugs. <sigh>

------
jpha9
It certainly has had a huge benefit in managing symptoms of PTSD it would
seem. As an example, this site is from Veteran's Affairs Canada and shows how
they will pay for medical cannabis.
[http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/help/faq/cannabis-medical-
purp...](http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/help/faq/cannabis-medical-purposes)

------
Taylor_OD
I've got serious neck and shoulder pain from wrestling in high school and
college. Currently don't have the time to get proper treatment. Doctors have
tried to prescribe opioids and even tranquilizers for the pain to help me
sleep but I'm terrified, with good cause, of becoming addicted. I took a run
of percocet in high school for my wisdom teeth and enjoyed them too much to
ever have that be a regular part of my life. No mater what the pain is like I
don't think I'll be able to feel comfortable taking any opioids.

~~~
zephyrthenoble
I used to have chronic neck pain, and didn't think that it would ever get
better. I was eventually convinced to go to physical therapy at a location
near my job.

It took several months of me going in for half an hour, twice a week, but my
pain started to subside. I now only occasionally get pain when I have very
poor posture. Give PT a try. It really doesn't take very long and is very
effective.

~~~
M_Grey
^This!!! So much this. I had a similar issue years ago, and beyond the help of
the therapy itself, she also pointed out all of things I was doing day in, day
out, that caused my problem in the first place. She taught me to moderate the
intensity of my typing, to take breaks, good posture, stretches, all of that.

It's valuable stuff to learn, plus the therapy itself.

------
recentdarkness
I can't help myself but wonder if some of those patients actually went to one
of those doctors because they can prescribe MMJ In that case the study would
be a bit biased towards MMJ, wouldn't it?

------
agumonkey
I skimmed the paper, I can't see what mode of intake they suggest. I suppose
users were smoking joints. Wouldn't vaporised THC inhalation be even more
effective and less damaging for health ?

~~~
dekhn
The negative health effects of smoking cannabis are relatively low. See the
recent NSF report; there is definitely a problem with chronic respiratory
issues for extremely heavy smokers, but no risk for cancer except for a type
of prostate cancer which is easily treated.

~~~
johnward
My assumption that burning and inhaling anything would be dangerous has been
proven wrong a few times on HN. Users have posted studies that show no real
negative effects of smoking cannabis.

~~~
antoniuschan99
I disagree with this though. I've been smoking and vaping for years and every
time my throat feels weird.

I've been making these oils that is just Hemp or Coconut Oil with the flower
infused in it. It lasts a lot longer, but takes much longer to start. Around 2
hours whereas smoking is right away.

~~~
dekhn
I'm not claiming there's no problem. however, in my experience, using a lower
vape temperature is key. high vape temps actually do burn the material, which
leads to much harsher smoke and coughing.

~~~
antoniuschan99
What temp do you set it

------
codr4life
I have a broken spine from a 10 yo climbing accident, with a smashed vertibrae
and splinters sticking into the spinal column. I was prescribed Oxy after
surgery, spent a month on them and then went through hell and back to get off
the shit. I swore to never, ever touch anything from Big Pharma again. Since
then, I've been happily puffing my pain away when needed. The whole
'illegalize to protect the people' is so obviously a scam. It's a sacred,
healing plant.

------
trub
I got hit by a car on a bicycle. Instead of taking pain mess, I used edibles
and marijuana for 2 weeks. It was just as effective, if not more because I was
functional.

------
okonomiyaki3000
Maybe these patients aren't aware of the risks. Maybe they don't know it can
KILL!!! [http://hightimes.com/news/chelsea-clinton-suggests-
marijuana...](http://hightimes.com/news/chelsea-clinton-suggests-marijuana-is-
killing-people/)

~~~
dutchbrit
This is hardly proof that it kills. And mixing particular drugs with
particular other drugs can always cause issues. This doesn't make marijuana a
'killer'.

~~~
tomjakubowski
GP linked to a story in High Times. I think they agree with you and the post
is sarcastic.

------
righteousmob
And fundamentalists Christians would rather let God heal their children than
consult medical professionals.

Let's not elevate the desires of the non-professional to equal the guidance of
medical professionals, no matter how wishful we are to do so.

~~~
prodmerc
And they should be free to do so. Fewer dumb people in the world.

You want to pop your heroin, you're free to listen to the pros.

Others think cannabis works better for them? Let them have it.

~~~
driverdan
> And they should be free to do so.

For themselves sure. For their children, no.

------
alpb
Related: a Last Week Tonight piece on Opioids:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o)

------
accountface
"want to smoke weed and feel good or do you want to take some pills and have a
hard time taking a shit"

gee i don't know, doc

------
beambot
Surprising that big pharma is an opponent to a readily-available natural
substance outside the purview of patent protections. Quick, better enforce the
federal ban. </s>

~~~
PastaMonster
Been asking myself why drugs that make you feel good is banned like cannabis,
mushrooms, LSD, etc. Government got anything against people feeling good?
Conspiracy?

~~~
prodmerc
Something about people not getting addicted and ruining their lives.

But then you see alcoholics, smokers with cancer, morbidly obese from food,
stabbings... basically, follow the money to see why anything is banned, ever.

~~~
TheCoelacanth
Because opiates are well known to have no addictive properties whatsoever.

------
notadoc
I suppose the more important question is, does it really matter? Use what
works for the individual patient, every patient is different.

