How to Talk with Your Loved Ones about Medical Cannabis

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HOW DO YOU TALK WITH YOUR LOVED ONES ABOUT MEDICAL CANNABIS?

Many people would like to try medical cannabis for their illnesses, but often times they have difficulty overcoming the “pot and weed” stigma. And even when they are able to get past the stigma, they then have their loved ones to deal with. Anti-cannabis family and friends can be so hard to convince that would-be cannabis patients will often give in to pressure and give up, never giving cannabis medicine a try. This article is meant to help with that cause. -Cannagramma

Using your nose to smell cannabis flowers may be your best way to identify strains. It’s even better when your dispensary offers terpene profiles on their cannabis strains so you may see what terpenes are most prevalent in the strains that work best for you.

Mining Information

There is so much more information available today than ever before because more research and results are revealed every week. The internet is a pretty good source, however, you should really rely on information from reputable sources. This doesn’t mean it has to be a report from the National Health Institute or the Mayo Clinic, although those outlets may definitely be great sources for some. Look for articles that have been referenced to the actual studies.

The more specific the information you find and want to present is, the better your case with your skeptics. Start by looking up your illness with cannabis in the search term, ie: “Fibromyalgia and cannabis”, or “cannabis and Diabetes”. Then you can glean through the long list of search results to find what you need.

Refining Your Search, Enlisting Professional Experts

Refining Your Search, Enlisting Professional ExpertsThe information you find about how cannabis will help your specific condition may not be all you need. People have been brainwashed with an enormous amount of propaganda that has been issued and promoted to the general population for decades. I recommend a great book to explain what happened: The Pot Book, by Dr. Julia Holland is a fabulous resource for this info. It should definitely in your library. Dr. Holland is the person responsible for changing many people’s views on cannabis as medicine, including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who did a 180º turn on his 2010 stance that cannabis is not medicine, courtesy of Dr. Holland. Dr. Gupta was so influence by Dr. Holland that he created a CNN Special, called “Weed” that explains how and why he had been hasty in his initial decision. This 4 part documentary series is available On Demand on CNN as well as on YouTube.

Americans for Safe Access (safeaccessnow.org) is another great online resource, and they also offer free pamphlets on their website. You can find them under “Publications” on their site and they cover Condition based info, current and past reports, fact sheets and legal manuals. This is a great resource for Healthcare practitioners and patients alike.

The Endocannabinoid System is just as important as any other system in our body, but is fairly new in its discovery, (1992). Studying this plant has been nearly impossible in America for 40 or more years, and the Endocannabinoid System hasn’t been taught about in medical schools until recently, and in some institutions it is barely touched upon at all. But no worries, because the much needed research IS finally happening, and the more we learn about it the more we understand its role in our health and well being.

The (really) Good Book

Another current book that was published in 2017 and is full of facts and how-to information for patients is Cannabis Revealed, How the World’s Most Misunderstood Plant is Healing Everything from Chronic Pain to Epilepsy, by Bonni Goldstein, M.D. Dr. Goldstein has created this book from personal experience with her patients.

This book deals with all the facts you need to know about our body’s Endocannabioid System. She uses scientific fact, but is able to write in such a way that healthcare practitioners as well as the rest of us can easily understand and apply this knowledge.

This book also presents many case studies of people whom Dr. Goldstein has treated using cannabinoid therapy, for a wide variety of illnesses. Whether you are treating yourself or trying to convince a loved one that cannabis is not the devil’s lettuce, this book is a must read. You may even want to get a copy for your doctor if they are unsure about how marijuana can be medicine. I suggest purchasing a few copies if you can so you may pass one around and keep one for your own reference. There are some other books about the Endocannabinoid System available and I have read quite a few of them with much disappointment. They are either too vague, very poorly written and edited, or they just don’t present enough facts and are not cited properly. But this one is different and very special. If this will add to your decision, this book has been recommended for the 2017 Book of the Year by the American Botanical Council. Yup, it’s that good. This book is a game changer!