A recent study found that antidepressants aren’t as effective at improving patients’ quality of life in the long run.
Antidepressants are the principal way of treating moderate to severe depression. Their use makes people feel better, equipping them more readily to deal with daily life. But a new study shows that, in the long run, antidepressants aren’t related to a better quality of life.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, used data from a 10-year longitudinal study tracking the health services that Americans use, including people diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Through the study, over 17 million Americans were diagnosed with the condition, with 57% of them receiving antidepressant medicines.
The study analyzed the impact of antidepressants on the mental and physical aspects of patients. The former analyzed social functioning and psychological wellbeing, while the latter referred to pain, energy levels, and the like.
Results show that the use of antidepressants was linked with an improvement in the mental part of the survey. Still, when researchers compared these results to people with depression who were not taking anti-depressants, the differences were negligible, especially after measuring these stats again following a two-year period.
Researchers make it clear that more study is necessary, and that there were some caveats in this recent study, for example, being unable to separate the varying degrees of depression and how these change from person to person. They don’t advise for people to stop taking their antidepressants, more so for researchers to look into the topic further.
“Although we still need our patients with depression to continue using their antidepressant medications, long-term studies evaluating the actual impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on these patients’ quality of life are needed,” explain the authors. “With that being said, the role of cognitive and behavioral interventions in the long-term management of depression needs to be further evaluated in an effort to improve the ultimate goal of care for these patients; improving their overall quality of life.”
While it’s clear that anti-depressants play a key role in the lives of people dealing with depression, there’s still a lot that’s not understood in them, especially when discussing people’s quality of life in the long term.
As per a recent memo from acting New Jersey AG Matthew Platkin to police chiefs, New Jersey cops can consume cannabis without penalty while off the job. A weed-tainted urine test would not serve as cause for firing, reported Police1.com.
Platkin also emphasized that “there should be zero tolerance for cannabis use, possession or intoxication while performing the duties of a law enforcement officer.”
Two Mayors Are Not Happy With Platkin’s Decision
While police advocates have concurred that cannabis use by law enforcement is a legal gray area, two New Jersey mayors are adamantly against it.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop tweeted last Wednesday on 4/20 that Jersey City police officers will be fired if they consume marijuana, even while off-duty, reported Hudson. He added that a directive will be issued to the city’s nearly 1,000 police officers that marijuana use “will not be permitted” and threatened that the city “will pursue termination.”
“The fact is that all of the officers/recruits attest to the federal government via (Department of Justice) + (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) paperwork when they receive their firearms that they will not use any federally prohibited drugs including marijuana,” Fulop said in the tweet. “New Jersey’s policies allowing law enforcement to smoke is an outlier nationally and one that will put our officers + community at risk with impaired judgment.”
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis followed suit. “As a retired police officer myself, I know that sworn law enforcement officers must be held to a higher standard, and I believe that allowing marijuana use by off-duty personnel would lead to lawsuits that would endanger both taxpayers and public safety by making it harder to win criminal convictions.”
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The police union advises members that it’s best not to chance it, while Governor Phil Murphy is open to considering a bill barring off-duty cops from partaking if and when it ends up on his desk.
“No one knows what constitutes still under the influence,” said Pat Colligan, president of the New Jersey’s Policemen’s Benevolent Association, which has 33,000 members. “If I smoke a joint on a Saturday, I’m still going to have it in my system on Monday morning and for 30 days.”
GOP Senators Deeply Concerned
In the meantime, a group of Republican senators was eager to let Platkin know their concerns.
In their letter, the senators warned of several potential problems, conflicts, and liabilities that could arise as a result of Platkin’s memo reported Insider NJ.
They stressed that “marijuana users are federally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, an omission that may put officers unknowingly at risk of criminal prosecution, or that the legitimacy of DRE evidence is currently being questioned by the New Jersey Supreme Court.”
Senators further explained that the inevitable consequences of this policy for municipal and county governments include the potential loss of federal contracts or funding due to deferral prohibition of marijuana – viewing it as a Schedule I drug.
Biden remains unwavering in his opposition to adult-use marijuana legalization although active discussions among top lawmakers and officials about its legal status are ongoing.
President Joe Biden has finally granted clemency to dozens of individuals with non-violent federal drug convictions and commuted the sentences of 75 people who were serving time at home because of the pandemic. He also issued three pardons.
The president’s move marks his first clemency action after over a year in the Oval Office. However, according to an official White House press release, only nine of the clemencies mentioned cannabis. A mass pardon for people serving time over the plant has yet to happen, much to the disappointment of advocates and families of those incarcerated.
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“America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation,” Biden said in a statement. “Elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and should reflect these core values that enable safer and stronger communities.”
Biden’s move builds on Trump’s decision to sign the bipartisan First Step Act into law. Many of the people who were granted relief “would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today,” Biden acknowledged.
Biden Opposes Recreational Marijuana
In the meantime, Biden remains unwavering in his opposition to adult-use marijuana legalization although active discussions among top lawmakers and officials about its legal status are ongoing.
What Are Lawmakers Doing To Push The Envelope?
The House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, H.R. 3617 on April 1, sending it to Senate. The MORE Act removes cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to legalize cannabis, its production and sale free from federal interference.
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and fellow Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, introduced the outline of the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (CAOA) in July 2021. They are seeking to file the comprehensive proposal before the August recess, after a recent delay.
With lawmakers urging President Biden to consider cannabis legalization, many speculate on whether he will succumb to the wishes of supporters from his own party as well as many in the GOP, or if he’ll use his veto power to nix the cannabis legalization bill once it’s on his desk.
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Lawmakers Continue To Push For Cannabis Legalization
In December, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) urged the president to take unilateral action on cannabis policy.
“Biden needs to lean on his executive authority now. He has been delaying and underutilizing it so far,” AOC tweeted. “There is an enormous amount he can do on climate, student debt, immigration, cannabis, health care and more. Time is running out — we need to move and use alternative paths.”
Paul Quirk, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia in Canada, recently said that Biden “would be hard-pressed to veto” legislation that supports cannabis use because he can’t allow losing the younger generation of voters, reported Newsweek.
“Legalization is favored by two-thirds of all Americans, an even higher percentage of Democrats, and the vast majority of younger people. The 18-39-year-old age group is exactly where Biden has lost the most support since his inauguration,” Quirk said.
“Vetoing marijuana legalization would make Biden public-official enemy No. 1 to many of the young voters whose support he badly needs to win back.”
Marsha Cohen, a law professor at UC Hastings partially agrees with Quirk, even though chances are slim that the bill will be approved in the Senate.
“Young people may also be those least likely to be responsive to pollsters right now because they might not care. This [bill] might ‘talk’ to them,” Cohen told Newsweek.
As the legal status of cannabis grows, company policymakers should begin to embrace change to ensure the most talented pool of workers aren’t kicked out or locked out of the best institutions.
Quest Diagnostics recently revealed that the number of positive drug tests in American workplaces from January to December 2021 is more than the total amounts turned in from the early 2000s to 2019. This statistic shows that Americans are using drugs more than ever. On the brighter side, marijuana accounts for a substantial percentage of these test results. According to the report by Quest Diagnostics, published in the Wall Street Journal, about six million samples were tested, and 3.9% were positive for cannabis use.
Since this report is an annual report, it was easy to compare past and present figures. A careful look at Quest’s 2020 indexes reveals that the current statistics for positive cannabis tests are at a two-decade all-time high. There’s at least a 7% increase from the pandemic year 2020. Comparing the latest statistics to the numbers recorded in 2017 or earlier would show an even wider gap. The figures for 2021 are at least 50% higher than the figures for positive drug tests in 2015.
The most obvious takeaway from this data is that Americans are reorienting their attitudes toward cannabis use. The public’s perception of the drug continuously evolves in favor of marijuana. The new cannabis legislation in different states has played, and is still playing, a huge role in public cannabis acceptance.
Drug Test Policies in the Workplace
Workplace drug tests are an everyday occurrence in most developed countries. Companies in both the private and public sectors in the United States consider it an essential factor in ensuring their workers are fit to work or serve in their various units. Some companies carry out this test exercise before employing the workers and continue to test irregularly to ensure the workers keep to the company’s rules.
Federal government agencies are some of the many companies and workplaces where drug tests are incredibly crucial. A history of drug use and a positive drug test is enough to eliminate an applicant or terminate a worker’s contract. To them, it’s a matter of security.
Quest Diagnostics pointed out that with each piece of cannabis legislation added, fewer companies are testing for THC. Some cannabis legal states have cleared off cannabis from their drug test requirements. In addition to this, a few states with recreational and medical cannabis laws have approved legislation to prevent companies from testing existing and prospective employees for marijuana.
Currently, the cannabis testing requirements of workplaces are slightly different from state to state, depending on the state’s legislation and the company’s stance on cannabis use. The perception of cannabis in all nooks and crannies of the United States is still evolving, and the final straw would be a change in federal cannabis laws.
Failed Drug Tests
For now, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. Yet, more employees in legal and non-legal states are failing their drug tests, including federal workers.
Most fingers point at the pandemic as the leading cause of the rise in these statistics. Experts explained that the lockdown period that caused a shortage of employees during the pandemic caused some employers to be more lenient. For example, if a worker fails a cannabis test today, they are let off with a warning or minimal punishment, whereas in the past, the worker had a high risk of being let off for the same offense.
It is important to note that cannabis drug tests are the only tests being handled this way. Other prohibited drugs, like cocaine and heroin, are still forbidden and thoughtfully frowned upon in all establishments. Employers are only lenient toward failed “cannabis” tests, nothing else.
Additionally, industries where workers have to handle heavy machinery, have made no move to change their drug testing policies. This is understandable because workers need to be on alert at all times. A change in policies in these establishments could result in dozens of accidents.
There are varying perceptions of cannabis in the labor market. Younger employees are the chief consumers of these products, but they are mostly cut off from employment opportunities because of drug test limits. It is also one of the reasons why the freelance sector is growing by the day—prospective and talented employees are not mandated to take any drug tests.
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Moving Forward
In the next few years, private and public companies will either choose to amend or maintain their drug test policies. This discussion of drug tests in the workplace cannot be concluded until a standard drug policy is implemented across all 50 states. Conversations will continue to shift each day.
Less than five weeks ago, the Department of Transportation proposed a new policy that would allow employees to decide which options they want for their drug tests. With this new rule, employers would have to provide at least two options for drug-testing workers. It could be urine, saliva, or even blood tests. The employee would decide.
Most companies prefer to test urine samples. This is the norm because urinalysis can detect THC use within four weeks. On the other hand, saliva tests only detect THC if used within the last 24 hours. Blood samples can spot THC use for up to six weeks. You can already guess which test workers would opt for if this new rule is passed.
The importance of drug tests cannot be overemphasized in some workplaces. In these places, workers who fail drug tests are either placed on probation or let off. These organizations have safety as their watchword. Even government organizations disclosed some weeks back that workers and contractors who are in the federal government’s employ would have their passes rescinded if they fail their drug tests. However, most companies can afford to make their drug policies less restrictive.
The reality of the country’s existence portrays cannabis as a widely accepted drug for medical and recreational reasons, hence, laws across workplaces must reflect this. As the legal status of cannabis gets stronger each day, company policymakers should begin to embrace change to ensure the most talented pool of workers aren’t kicked out or locked out of the best work institutions.
The number of states taking steps toward drug decriminalization is on the rise, including Vermont, Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington State, to name a few.
Since Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs nearly 51 years ago, arrests, convictions and mass incarceration have been the centerpiece of the U.S.’s drug policy approach.
The first significant breakthrough in the field of drug decriminalization came in the form of the Drug Policy Alliance’s 2020 legislative proposal “Dismantling the Federal Drug War: A Comprehensive Drug Decriminalization Framework,” which seeks to remove criminal penalties for all possession or personal-use quantities of controlled substances, shifting resources towards a public health approach.
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Later that year, Oregonians approved a measure that marked an unprecedented change in the history of U.S. drug policy. Measure 110, which passed with 58.8% of the vote on the November ballot, decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of all illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, methamphetamine and LSD, among others. It also creates a support program for drug abuse and addiction.
In June 2021, U.S. House Reps Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO), in collaboration with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), introduced the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA) — a bill seeking to end criminal penalties for drugs possession at the federal level. At the time, a poll by Data for Progress and The Appeal, which analyze public opinion around drug prohibition and decriminalization, revealed that seven in ten Americans say they believe federal drug policies are not working and need to be reformed.
GOP Support For Drug Decriminalization Grows
The new survey from Data For Progress and the People’s Action Institute found that a vast majority of Americans, including most Republicans, support drug decriminalization.
While there are still 25% of those who oppose the reform, support for the proposal has increased by 10 percentage points overall since voters were asked about it last year.
The recent survey, which involved 1,260 likely voters and a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points, revealed that a majority of Republican voters (54%) agree with drug decriminalization as compared to 42% last year.
Democrats and independents back the policy change at 82% and 75%, respectively.
“Last year, the state of Oregon decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs. Instead of being prosecuted, a person possessing small amounts of drugs will receive a fine (like a parking ticket). A person can get the fine waived if they participate in screenings from services like treatment, housing, mental health care, and employment. Would you support or oppose a similar measure nationwide,” a new decriminalization question asked, thereby providing more specifics about the policy.
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Overdose Prevention Centers Gain Popularity
A national poll released Friday showed that support for overdose prevention centers (OPCs) is also growing. Nearly two-thirds of those asked support safe consumption sites.
New York City became the first in the nation to open OPCs in November, where people can use illicit drugs and receive medical care and services. Three weeks after opening the OPCs, the NYC Health Department reported that the sites had saved dozens of lives by having averted at least 59 overdoses and that the sites were utilized more than 2,000 times.
With nearly two in five Americans either knowing someone who has or is struggling with addiction or overdose, OPCs are becoming a necessity.
To tackle the record number of overdoses, President Joe Biden unveiled a new strategy on Thursday for dealing with drug addiction as well as overdoses. In his plan, Biden seeks to expand access to medication for opioid overdoses, increase funding for law enforcement and expand sanctions against traffickers, reported Reuters.
In the meantime, the number of states taking steps toward drug decriminalization is on the rise, including Vermont, Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington State, to name a few.
The Empire State may soon allow eateries to spike their food with cannabis. But there’s a drawback to that plan, at least for those who want to keep their liquor license.
This would certainly give “pizza joint” a whole new meaning. New York state appears to be considering the sale of edibles in pizzerias and other eateries. But there’s a big downside for these restaurants if they decide to partake.
According to a spokesman for the city’s Office of Cannabis Management, there have been discussions of possible cannabis licenses, which could be awarded to restaurants.
The New York Post reports that Aaron Ghitelman, the spokesperson for the Office of Cannabis Management, has confirmed there have been discussions about awarding such licenses to food preparers. However, “the regulations regarding infused food products have not been released yet,” he stressed.
The NY Post reports that pizza makers and shops in the state have already started to think of ways of getting involved with the cannabis industry, including infused oils and sauces.
Lawmakers claim that in reality, selling edibles at these establishments is complex and something that will have to be heavily monitored since children aren’t allowed within businesses that sell cannabis. Products will also have to be packaged correctly, indicating the amount of cannabis per serving, something that can prove troublesome when talking about a slice of pizza.
But perhaps the biggest buzzkill for restaurants: They can’t sell liquor and cannabis; it has to be one or the other.
Cannabis pizza joints join dozens of businesses in the city that have started selling weed despite the fact that no recreational cannabis program is in place (the first licenses are expected to be handed out in the fall). These businesses operate under murky legal ground, taking advantage of a loophole that looks the other way when it comes to this kind of behavior. Bright green trucks, pop-up stores, and more have appeared throughout the city, taking advantage of the current relaxed regulations.
An article in The Guardian claims that New York state isn’t happy with these types of businesses. Still, cracking down on them seems like a worse outcome, with authorities believing that there isn’t much that can be done until cannabis is legalized and the appropriate rules and legislations are put in place.
For the time being, cannabis sellers and those interested in getting involved with the industry have a bit more leeway, and the opportunity to get away with things they normally wouldn’t — something that will likely change very soon.
The Democratic Party in Alabama launched a new site with the idea of gathering more support for its marijuana legalization efforts. The site, launched on 4/20, is dubbed “Free Weed,” according to AP via USNews.
The site points out that prosecutions for small amounts of marijuana are wasting the state’s criminal justice resources. It also underscores that weed prohibition indiscriminately and unequally affects people of color. The group behind the website argues that legal cannabis can be economically beneficial to Alabama.
“Alabama’s Republican politicians seem hellbent on wasting money criminalizing ordinary people, ruining lives in the process,” said state Rep. Chris England, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party in a statement, adding that “criminalizing cannabis doesn’t make us safer.”
Real Marijuana Legalization Efforts Or Just A Political Stunt?
In addition to advocating for adult-use marijuana legalization, the website is also promoting the state Democratic Party and its candidates and includes links for donations, voter registration and volunteer opportunities. It also offers “Free Weed” t-shirts and other merchandise for sale.
What About Republicans?
As expected, Alabama Republican Party chairman John Wahl called the site a stunt.
“The Alabama Republican Party supports traditional family values. It’s important to us that our society and our families stay safe, strong, and healthy. The recreational use of marijuana does not encourage these principles,” Wahl stated.
Regarding marijuana, Alabama made headlines earlier this month when its Senate approved a controversial bill that requires women between the ages of 13 and 50 to prove that they are not pregnant and not breastfeeding before being allowed to buy medical cannabis.
Something tells us this is just the beginning and that we will soon, and often, be hearing intriguing news about cannabis developments in Alabama.
“Medical cannabis is life-saving for so many people, and it’s not acceptable for 62% of California cities to ban people from actually purchasing it,” said Sen. Scott Wiener.
California Senate Committee gave the green light to a bill that restores voter-created access to medicinal cannabis by requiring cities to provide patients access to purchase medicinal cannabis via delivery.
According to a press release, Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 1186 passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee by a vote of 4-1 last week.
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Sponsored by the California Cannabis Industry Association and supported by California NORML, the measure is now heading to the Senate Appropriations Committee for review.
“Medical cannabis is life-saving for so many people, and it’s not acceptable for 62% of California cities to ban people from actually purchasing it,” Sen. Wiener said. “Everyone needs and deserves access as guaranteed by California voters who passed Prop 215 almost 30 years ago. When cities ban purchasing medical cannabis, it denies access and fuels the illegal market. SB 1186 restores medical cannabis access for those who need it.”
What’s In The Bill?
The bill restores access to medical cannabis for those who have cancer, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders, and numerous other illnesses. It requires cities to allow medical cannabis access. Cities also must authorize medical cannabis delivery as a minimum.
In addition, SB 1186 does not in any way change cities’ ability to limit or ban sales of adult use of cannabis. It only prevents jurisdictions from prohibiting medicinal cannabis delivery.
There are both great rewards and potential stressors involved with homegrown marijuana. Here’s what you need to know before you plant.
Many Americans discovered their green thumbs during the pandemic. Whether it was a modest attempt at an herb garden, or a full-scale vegetable greenhouse, everyone was getting their hands dirty and loving it.
Just as more adults have honed their gardening skills, marijuana has become legal in more areas throughout the country. It is now legal to grow marijuana in19 states and Washington D.C.
While each state has its own requirements and regulations, this is definitely something to ponder, especially since droves of “crazy plant people” have come out of the woodwork in the last few years. Yet as of 2021, only about6% of cannabis users grew their own weed.
The idea of going out to your backyard and grabbing your favorite strain may sound serene, but growing your own weed is not always that romantic, and certainly not that simple. Before you run out to your favorite home and garden store or start building a greenhouse in your backyard, consider these top pros and cons to growing your own marijuana.
Top Reasons To Grow Your Own Weed
Quality Control
Just like produce, it is good to know where your weed came from. There are a variety of marijuana growing techniques. Some are pure and organic, while others are heavier on pesticides and use questionable growing methods.
When you grow your own weed you are able to achieve exactly the type of product you are looking for. You can use your own methods to grow buds to be as plentiful or potent as you desire. Furthermore, just like eating a salad made with vegetables from your garden, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment attached to the weed you grow yourself. And that is something money can’t buy.
Good Long Term Investment
Growing weed might be more involved than growing green beans, but the rewards can make your wallet very happy. If an outdoor plant is grown correctly with ideal conditions it can yield up to 17.5 ounces of bud.
Depending on the quality of weed, one ounce of quality weed retails anywhere from just over $200 per ounce to much higher. According toStatista, “The District of Columbia holds the record for the highest price per ounce of high quality marijuana in the United States, as of October 2020, with an average price of some 591 U.S. dollars per ounce.” So while the initial setup may be costly, the long term savings can be highly beneficial.
Freedom To Choose The Strain
Depending on where you live, variety may be a luxury you simply do not have access to. If you are growing marijuana for medical purposes, you likely have a very specific desired effect you are trying to cultivate and harness. When you grow your own weed you are ensuring you have access to the exact type of marijuana you want, or possibly even need.
Photo by Lealnard Riengkaew / EyeEm/Getty Images
Reasons To Reconsider Growing Your Own Weed
Security Concerns
The most notable concern involved with growing your own weed is safety and security. Some people are lucky enough to live in an area where everyone trusts each other, but most Americans lock their doors and even have security systems installed.
Growing weed, however legal it may be, may just put a bullseye on your house for those looking for a quick score. “For law-abiding growers it could invite burglaries, since their stash is worth $1,000 a pound and easy to resell,” The Guardian explained . This issue is even more concerning if you are growing your marijuana outdoors. Constant worry is definitely one way to take the fun out of what was meant to be a fun project.
Time And Money
You may eventually save money if you are able to successfully grow marijuana, but it will cost lots of time and money before you see your first bud. No matter how much attention and love you give the plant, it will still take months to grow, and even more weeks of drying, trimming and curing before it is ready for consumption.
Growing marijuana is also much more costly than your regular backyard garden. Ensuring a successful marijuana crop can be expensive, as “cultivation equipment and operational costs can be quite steep for the average person given the lighting, electricity, thermoregulation, humidity, and timers needed for a successful grow,” according to Greentank, a company that manufactures hardware for cannabis companies.
Space
Even if you have the security, time and money you have to consider the space concerns. You may think you can make use of a small path of grass on the side of your house, but unless the natural lighting and temperature are ideal, or you can build a greenhouse, you may have to move your operation inside at some point.
According to New Frontier data, more than half (56%) of home-growers claimed to cultivate cannabis indoors, which makes it easier to regulate temperature and light versus outdoors. Unless you have ideal weather conditions or ample space for a stable greenhouse setup, you may have to dedicate an entire well-insulated room to the growing cycle of these plants.
If you live in a state where it is legal to grow your own cannabis, you have a lot to consider. There are both great rewards and potential stressors involved with homegrown marijuana. If you do decide to plant, however, be sure to do your research so you can have a great crop on your first try. Regardless of the outcome, make sure you remember to enjoy yourself, because it is supposed to be fun after all.
Cannabis helps with many ailments. One of the conditions it is said to help is migraines. If you’ve never suffered from a migraine, it can be a living hell. I remember the first time I experienced a true migraine. It’s not like a headache. You feel nauseas, your eyes are sensitive to the light — stuff hurts!
Here’s the original post: Cannabis and Migraine: I’ve found that it helps a great deal. I’m actually starting a weed diary of which strain works the best for migraines. Had anyone else done this? It’s honestly the best thing for my migraines.
This post received a total of 252 upvotes and 157 comments, and many people added in their two cents. But before we read about what the community has to say, let’s quickly do a recap on migraines.
What Is a Migraine?
According to the Mayo Clinic: A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashes of light or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg and difficulty speaking.
Medications can help prevent some migraines and make them less painful. The right medicines, combined with self-help remedies and lifestyle changes, might help.
As you can see, it’s a headache that decided to Hulk out on you. In many cases, migraines can be caused by inflammation or be triggered by stress — both symptoms that can be treated with cannabis.
I’ve found that cannabis doesn’t help PER SE, but if I get high I can at least distract myself from the pain so I notice it less. So, specific strain doesn’t make a difference.
The closest I get to getting relief directly from it is when I use caviar/moonrocks. Something about the mix sometimes helps me!
I also found that moonrocks are quite effective in dealing with these kinds of pains. Perhaps it’s the potency of the product or the mix of terpenes and other essential cannabinoids that does the trick, but for me personally – I too found these higher potency products provide the best return.
I tried this, and I found it to be hit or miss. No one strain worked consistently. Even within the same batch, it was hard to predict what the effects would be. Sometimes one hit would be enough to ease the pain, but then sometimes it would help for only a short time and then I’d get a rebound headache worse than the original. I guess this can also happen with other migraine abortives, but given the other side effects, it just wasn’t worth it for me. I am not someone who can smoke weed and just continue functioning as normal. If you are, all power to you!
In my personal experience this was also the case. Cannabis didn’t always help me get rid of my migraines. I don’t really have migraines these days anymore, unless I’ve been glued to a screen and my eyes need some rest. Either that, or I started doing breathwork which keeps me very well oxygenated and non-inflamed.
Talvana, who has been suffering from migraines for a while now, also added to the conversation:
I wouldn’t survive this disease without cannabis. Jack herer is also one of my favorites. I tend to try a lot of new things constantly and randomly find products that help. Concentrates in particular help a lot with the pain.
I think a lot of it is actually the mood boost for me. I can ignore the pain more than usual if I’m high and it passes time. I get daily migraines and usually start with weed to see if I can ride out the migraine before I resort to pills. Some days just weed is enough which is great because I only get 10 pills/month and still have another 10-20 migraine days to deal with.
Here, cannabis acts as an accompanying drug to the pharmaceuticals she gets since the pills are only available for 10 days, probably due to the toxicity of the pharmaceuticals. Cannabis on the other hand has very low toxicity and is safe for most people.
In her case, the higher you get, the easier it is to not be focused on the pain.
