How Medical Marijuana Helps Fight Arthritis

By now, most folk who have more than a passing interest in this subject are familiar with how to get medical marijuana in California. You might still be asking yourself questions though. Is it for you? Will it help? Here we take a look at how MMJ can help arthritis suffers – both rheumatoid and osteo – and we also tell you how you can apply for a medical marijuana card online.

Whilst it still remains for the research into the full benefits of medical marijuana to be absolutely conclusive, a broad scientific consensus is emerging as to its definite therapeutic value based on an increasing number of successful preclinical and clinical trials. These studies show that cannabis has anti-inflammatory effects that can help arthritis patients live happier, healthier lives. Consequently, medical marijuana is gaining a great deal of popularity as a treatment for arthritis and there is an ever-increasing number of people applying for and getting a medical card in California. Medical cannabis can ease suffering and reduce swelling without the additional ‘pain-in-the-ass’ side effects caused by the frequent use of NSAIDs or opiates.

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Many older people are discovering the healing benefits of medical marijuana.

According to some statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States one in ten of our population is currently living with some form of arthritis. This astounding stat puts arthritis on the undesirable pedestal of being the biggest cause of disability. Women make up 60% of the arthritis diagnoses. There is no cure for arthritis, just pain-relief options, complete with those nasty side-effects of course. Anyone living with arthritis is only too aware that it can be one of the most frustrating illnesses. Simple tasks like opening a jar, standing up after sitting, or doing your grocery shopping can become pretty damn unmanageable due to chronic pain. 

So is medical marijuana rather than prescription drugs the best way to deal with your persistent pain?

Opiate abuse has reached epidemic proportions, so many would say that it’s more than time for MMJ to stand up and take a bow. Medical marijuana treatment is seen as a far less harmful and also less addictive way to treat the chronic pain associated with arthritis. According to Mike Hart, MD, head physician of the Ontario Chapter at Marijuana for Trauma:

“Cannabis is a much more effective and safer long term solution than opioids. The science is clear and demonstrates that cannabis is far safer than opioids. In fact, it’s not even close. Opioids have killed more people than all illegal drugs combined, while cannabis has never killed a single person.”

Pain is one of the most debilitating aspects of rheumatoid arthritis in particular. Fortunately, there is strong evidence that medical marijuana is one of the best chronic pain management tools around. In a 2010 clinical trial, researchers found that just three puffs of cannabis a day can reduce arthritis pain.

So we know that many patients are turning to MMJ for some effective relief from their arthritis nightmare, without the disturbing side effects. But, does medical cannabis really treat arthritis inflammation and the associated pain? Research suggests that it can. 

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Arthritis sufferers can wave goodbye to pain with MMJ.

In 2015, Canadian Researcher, Dr Jason McDougall, undertook a three-year study to find out how effective medical marijuana can be in the treatment of arthritis. The study is supported by the Arthritis Society to investigate if medical cannabis can actually fight inflammation and even repair joint damage, rather than just acting as a numbing agent to the brain against the pain.

When asked to describe the nerves of an arthritis sufferer, McDougall said

“The nerves are like wires that have been stripped of their coating. They’re all bare; they’re all raw and responsible for feeling a lot of pain. What we hypothesize is that by locally administering these cannabis-like molecules to those nerves, we’d actually be able to repair them and reduce the pain of arthritis.”

So we have an increasing number of professionals within the industry recognizing the therapeutic value of medical marijuana and, alongside this, the public is also becoming much more receptive to medical marijuana treatment. In January 2014, CBS News conducted a national poll and found that 86 percent of Americans believe doctors should be permitted to prescribe cannabis to patients who suffer from serious illnesses such as arthritis. 

Even though recreational marijuana is now legal in California for adults over the age of 21, the details of the new law are complex. It is recommended therefore, certainly for the foreseeable future, that if you need marijuana for medical purposes it’s imperative that you apply for a California marijuana card. The card provides you with benefits that recreational users of the herb simply won’t have.

To see if you have the requirements for a medical marijuana card in California, simply apply for a medical marijuana card online. You only need a form of US identification and a condition for which MMJ is recommended. Be sure to discuss with a doctor which strain would be best for your particular condition, as there are like a thousand different strains of the stuff out there! Once you have your CA medical marijuana card, you are ready to kick that debilitating arthritis’ ass. So what are you waiting for?