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This is the moment that we all knew was coming and it is also the moment that big pharma was attempting to stave off for as long as they could. People are realizing for themselves that medicinal marijuana is just as an effective of a painkiller as their prescription drugs.
A new study from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research found that marijuana users are ditching their prescription drugs in favor of weed. The study examined 392 adults on the University of Michigan campus who used cannabis starting in 2008, when the state made medical cannabis legal. The study found that 78 percent of the respondents used cannabis to treat a health or medical condition.
“Given the state of the science of medicinal cannabis, even basic information about users’ attitudes and behaviors would be helpful,” the authors of the study said. “The purpose of the current study was to investigate issues related to the use of cannabis to treat health and/or medical conditions, the perceptions of cannabis in comparison to mainstream healthcare and pharmaceutical drugs, and the impact of medical cannabis use on the use of pharmaceutical drugs.”
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Nearly half of the respondents said they have dumped their prescription drugs in favor or weed. The survey found that 42 percent of medicinal marijuana users completely stopped utilizing prescription drugs because they preferred cannabis. The study also found that 38 percent cut down on their use of pharmaceutical painkillers because they were using weed.
The study stated that the most common ailments they used marijuana for was chronic pain, back problems, anxiety or panic attacks, and depression or bipolar disorder. But used medicinal marijuana for everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to menstrual cramps to narcotic addiction to counter the adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy.
The survey found that 35 percent started using weed and stopped taking pharmaceutical drugs such as narcotics/opioids, non-opioid analgesics, anxiolytics/benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. Compared to prescription drugs, marijuana is cheaper, more available, comes with less side effects, and is natural. The users also said that they used weed over because it was more effective. This could be the reason why big pharma fought so hard against the legalization of marijuana because they understood that it could cost them billions.
One person who believes in the healing powers of cannabis is Rylie Maedler. The 13-year-old from Delaware takes cannabis oil once in the morning, at lunch, dinner and before going to sleep. She takes the cannabis to counter an aggressive giant cell granuloma, a rare type of tumor. Rylie has helped pass three laws in Delaware to make it easier for sick kids to gain access to medicinal marijuana.
[Maxim]