Rheumatoid Arthritis and Marijuana Benefits

I was not surprised when my first Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patient showed up. I knew it was extremely painful from my regular medical practice.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Thousands of readers of my articles on dozens of websites know that I am a strong advocate for medical marijuana and that it is effective medicine for dozens if not hundreds of medical conditions. I must say as a physician/pharmacologist that the mechanisms of effectiveness are not always clear.

I was not surprised when my first Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patient showed up. I knew it was extremely painful from my regular medical practice.

I also knew of the gazillion different “standard” treatments which nobody, patients or physicians, found were effective and satisfactory. Most of them were in fact very dangerous and required close monitoring at the least.

Only about 3 percent of the population has RA but this are 9 million miserable patients. Much aspirin is a frequent first choice medicine.

Marijuana is very good for pain. Aspirin eats holes in the stomach and has caused many deaths. MJ never has killed anybody and any dangers or hazards are miniscule compared to the severe dangers of the standard drugs.

One of the main actions of MJ is euphoria or a hightened state of well being. All severe pain patients need this and appreciate this. Some strong morphine-like pain pills cause euphoria but they also cause addiction and death even with a small overdose.

Oxycontin is the best/worst example for that. It is rightfully compared to Heroin and is called “Hillbilly Heroin” because it first came to attention in West Virginia and Kentucky (no insult intended). A newspaper article in the Toronto, Canada newspaper called Oxycontin more dangerous and lethal than Heroin.

Fourteen American states now have legalized medical marijuana and I’ll bet many RA patients have sought marijuana’s relief. At the same time 34 states still have draconian MJ laws which will throw very sick people in jail or shoot them if they show any resistance. The latter is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier

Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

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anonymos oct. 14 2010 October 14, 2010 6:07 pm (Pacific time)

I have active RA which has been at times so debilitating that I have a hard time pulling the covers up or holding a hairbrush or buttoning my pants let alone tending to my four children. I smoked pot in college and quit when I began having children. My symptoms became so unmanageable that I tried it as a last effort before beginning a treatment of methotrexate, I am amazed at the amount of relief it has provided I find that it is alot like 800 mg motrin in the sense that after 4 to 6 hours it wears off and i have to smoke a little more to continue feeling relief, the unfortuate side effect is being stoned and I am researching the actual effect on the immune respose which is unclear.

RA patient 16yrs old March 5, 2010 11:30 am (Pacific time)

I have RA and I am so confused with this medical marijuana issue i dont understand why it is so difficult for our state to legalize it. some say its due to the fact that people will be misusing it but how is that any different than say morphine or vikoden people misuse that all the time and it is much more harmefull to the human body than marijuana is. From personal experience i would much rather leagaly use marijuana than leagaly use morphene for my pain i hate narcotics with a passion and DR. keep giving them to me just leagalize marijuana.

arthritisreliefhelp.info/ March 14, 2009 1:59 am (Pacific time)

Is it legally advisable ? Will it addict the patient ?

thevoice@voicedup.com March 13, 2009 7:45 pm (Pacific time)

Can marijuana help the economy? http://voicedup.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html#6853630479585951082

Panama Joe March 13, 2009 12:26 am (Pacific time)

here is a link for another news story... http://blog.norml.org/2008/08/25/pot-versus-the-superbug/

Jason March 12, 2009 9:25 pm (Pacific time)

To Anon: Also the hundreds of uses of industrial hemp could replace many products such as paper, rope, automobile fuels to name a few as a cheaper and environmental friendly if it were to be legalized and taxed. A San Francisco council man has already proposed a plan that would legalize and tax marijuana and help California's already downed economy. It would relieve the prison systems over crowding if the non-violent offenders and users of marijuana were not sent to jail and waste tax payers dollars fighting a failed drug war. The slogan for the new era in America needs to be "Just Say Know".

Anonymous March 12, 2009 8:25 pm (Pacific time)

Sometimes I wonder with all the laws and making marijuana illegal that our government wants people to take aspirin and other forms of medication and eventually die from it. If everybody used medicinal marijuana for their symptoms and there were no negative side effects, everybody would live longer. Population control made easy. Legalize it, tax it, and increase punishment for misuse, i.e. DUII. Bet that would be good for the economy.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and Marijuana Benefits

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