Actually Marijuana has been proven to help MS symptoms.


Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

* AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications.

* Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce interlobular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing -- and sometimes stopping -- the progress of the condition. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)

* Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

* Multiple Sclerosis
. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)

* Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.

* Chronic Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries.

Each of these applications has been deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature, and/or government agency in the United States.

Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.

Marijuana could be helpful for millions of patients in the United States. Nevertheless, other than for the seven people with special permission from the federal government, medical marijuana remains illegal!

People currently suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, for whom the legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options:

1. Continue to suffer from the ailment itself; or

2. Illegally obtain marijuana -- and risk suffering consequences such as:

* an insufficient supply due to the prohibition-inflated price or scarcity;

* impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana;

* arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.

Background

Prior to 1937, at least 27 medicines containing marijuana were legally available in the United States. Many were made by well-known pharmaceutical firms that still exist today, such as Squibb (now Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Eli Lilly. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 federally prohibited marijuana. Dr. William C. Woodward of the American Medical Association opposed the Act, testifying that prohibition would ultimately prevent the medicinal uses of marijuana.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 placed all illicit and prescription drugs into five "schedules" (categories). Marijuana was placed in Schedule I, defining it as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medicinal use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

This definition simply does not apply to marijuana. Of course, at the time of the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana had been prohibited for more than three decades. Its medicinal uses forgotten, marijuana was considered a dangerous and addictive narcotic.

A substantial increase in the number of recreational users in the 1970s contributed to the rediscovery of marijuana's medicinal uses:

1. Many scientists studied the health effects of marijuana and inadvertently discovered marijuana's astonishing medicinal history in the process.

2. Many who used marijuana recreationally also suffered from diseases for which marijuana is beneficial. By fluke, they discovered its therapeutic usefulness.

As the word spread, more and more patients started self-medicating with marijuana. However, marijuana's Schedule I status bars doctors from prescribing it and severely curtails research.

This information is courtesy of 2003 The Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper

I will not bore you with details about myself and what not, but I have has ms for over three years and while I never entertained the thought of using mj for pleasure I did recently start smoking mj for my ms symptoms. The first thing that I noticed was that my bladder became very relaxed. I went to the bathroom and all but completely voided. Usually I have to cath to achieve this. You may ask how do I know I almost completely voided, well because I immediately cathed after smoking and only got a small amount after inserting. The second thing was an overall feeling of "wellness". This is hard to explain, but I often find myself worried about my health. I guess it was the "High", but whatever it was it was way better feeling "High" than my usual feeling of "sick". If you have ms at least try marijuana to experiment the benefits of it! Without mj life would be one recurring nightmare after another. I limit the amount I smoke so as not to overdo the benefits with self indulgence. Good luck to all you ms'ers and give it a try. Good luck.


BTW, I am from Texas were mj is very illegal and work in a white collar industry were if my little secret was discovered the consequences would be devastating, but the benefit by far out weighs the risk cheers

I am a fellow Texan so I know exactly where you are coming from.I can relate.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I say RIGHT ON! and God bless. I pray that MJ continues to improve your quality of life as it has mine.
Oh,and the "high" is a side benefit as it is with many drugs.Vicodin,Xanax and Cold medicine...Soma,Hydrocodone,Oxicoton and most all pain relieving drugs make you feel high or relaxed so I think that is just another of Mother Natures sweet rewards.Good luck and good health to you.
Peace and Love,
Homer

anne ur great with givin advice i read some advice u give this lady whose hub was on meth witch he claimed helped hid adhd it was blunt n to the point n i hope she really did used ur advice i know she said she did anne if its alright with u id like to add u as a friend

sure...and thank you,that means a lot.