Never used MJ before. Information Needed

[Nurse Nancy]

I am awaiting my Medical Marijuana Card in Michigan and need factual information on how to use marijuana for pain.  I cannot smoke due to Asthma/COPD. I want pain relief and do not care to have a "high" feeling.  I have purchased 2 books but they focus on getting "high".  Please share information on how to find actual Marijuana products (ours in Jackson has been closed over a month, now).  

Thank You!

[Wild Bill]

This site gives you a pretty good run down on methods of ingestion.

https://unitedpatientsgroup.com/resources/methods-of-consumption

I'm in a similar situation to yours I have pulmonary fibrosis. Edibles would be my first choice although there is sometimes a long time before you feel the effects. You may be able to vaporize. I've heard from people with COPD that it actually helps after the initial coughing spell.

Try growing your own. It isn't that difficult and you always know that your meds are pesticide and chemical free. The cost is much more attractive also.

Take a look at my blog. It hasn't been updated for a while but you may get some ideas. Everything is based either on traditional recipes or old pharmaceutical methods. http://oldtimemeds.blogspot.com/

 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Wild Bill

[bax]

what kind of pain?

eating marijuana can help with pain, but there are the usual side effects of getting high.

topical marijuana like a balm or salve will also help with some pains and does not have the side effects.

after one to two weeks of marijuana use, you may find you adjust to the high feeling and can operate mostly normal again. because your body has absorbed and compensated for the thc and builds a tolerance to the feelings of it.

as to finding locations in which to buy products, you can ask to meet caregivers here on the forum.

or check out the jackson compassion club , http://jacksoncompassionclub.com/

or check out weedmaps for list of other dispensaries.

[Nurse Nancy]

To WildBill & Bax;

thanks for the information — very helpful.  I’ve had chronic pain from Fibromyalgia, as well as cervical and lumbo-sacral spinal stenosis and osteoporosis & Rheumatic Arthritis of my hands, knees, back, etc.  I also have some anxiety & Insomnia.

i have stopped by the Jackson Compassion Club & it was still closed ... I’ll check their site again… 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Nurse Nancy
Sent before finishing response

[blackhorse]

Take a trip to AA and visit some dispensaries. Ask about a high CBD and low THC strain.

Buy a quarter at a time until you find a strain that works for you. Take the quarter and decarb it, then make butter out of it. 

Go to YouTube for video's.

This way you can make edibles. Start slow, cut a cookie into 4 pieces and take a quarter. After 4 hours you will know if it is working.

Adjust dosage as needed.

[Wild Bill]

After a while you will be able to find a dosage that relieves your pain but doesn't get you high. Some of this is strain dependent and some I think is just your body getting used to it.

[swamper]

Nurse Nancy, I too have RA, fibro,  and osteo.  I have got to tell you what I've just found out. I don't care for the side affect of getting stoned when I need my head for other things so generally reserved use for night time.  I also have skin cancer on my face and noticed a new one on my nose, so before I get hacked on and disfigured even more, I decided to try oil on my face. The only problem was were do I get oil? I have a large bottle of Everclear tincture made from ABV, and other odds and ends of leftovers that has been getting built up over the last year , so I figured why not evaporate the alcohol and see what happens. What happened is I now have a nice bit of oil, and let me tell you...it does not get me high in the sense that the other ways of ingestion/use do. It kills the pain very well, leaves me alert and coherent enough to read, write, and understand research papers while here in school, and actually gives me an energy boost, so may not be good for insomnia. I am sooo happy I finally found a method that works for me, because I got little pain relief, and too much brain fog the other ways. I guess the moral of this story is to try different methods/strains until you find one that works. Now to see if I can kill this cancer!! Best of luck and welcome to the community.

[mishigami bear]

A few things you should consider. When cannabis is smoked, the THC-9 directly enters the bloodstream and its effects are immediately felt. When cannabis is eaten (after cooking or decarboxylation), it gets processed through the liver and the THC-9 gets converted to THC-11. The effects take much longer to be felt (sometimes over 90 minutes), but they are often much more powerful and long-lasting.

I've never heard of anyone having overly-negative psychoactive effects from smoking. However, I've heard of many people who have had such negative effects from eating edibles. Smoking is easier to dose and re-dose as needed. Eating has such a lag time between consumption and cognition, that it can be difficult for newbies.

Since you cannot smoke because of your COPD, you should try to find other ways of consuming THC-9 and getting it immediately into your bloodstream. This could include a few drops of tincture or coconut oil infusion that you keep in your mouth (under your tongue) until it gets absorbed. It can taste awful to newbies, but try to keep the medicine in your mouth for a minute or so before swallowing. This method allows the THC-9 to be absorbed through the mucous membrane and minimizes the time it takes to feel an effect. The less that you swallow, the less THC-9 that gets converted to THC-11 in your liver.

My advice.... get a tincture or oil infusion and an eye dropper. Start with 1 drop and work your way up to a proper dose. Experiment with regular varieties and high CBD varieties. Many people like 1:1 - THC:CBD. 

And for what it's worth, I know more than a handful of people with breathing and lung issues who find relief with smoking cannabis. It's generally regarded as a vasodilator that helps open breathing passages when congested.

[standard disclaimer: I am not a doctor and am not offering medical advice]

Edited November 1, 2017 by mishigami bear

[swamper]

11 minutes ago, mishigami bear said:

My advice.... get a tincture or oil infusion and an eye dropper. Start with 1 drop and work your way up to a proper dose. Experiment with regular varieties and high CBD varieties. Many people like 1:1 - THC:CBD. 

I forgot to add that I use the oil subliminally and get effects in about 30 min. The tincture itself works good but I have been avoiding it because of the pain it causes to do a sublingual 190 proof grain alcohol. I, also,  am not a doctor but I play one in my dreams, so be forewarned.

[mishigami bear]

Yes. Grain alcohol will "burn" under the tongue. Coconut oil is much easier to tolerate.

[Nurse Nancy]

I’m confused by “grain alcohol”. Is it not poisonous?  I’m thinking of getting a MAGIC. BUTTER. Machine to make butters. I try to be 100% organic in my gardening & ingesting. I do not want to use benzine or similar poisons in the refining process. I’m planning to grow my own once I’ve found which strains work best for me

[swamper]

5 hours ago, Nurse Nancy said:

I’m confused by “grain alcohol”. Is it not poisonous?  I’m thinking of getting a MAGIC. BUTTER. Machine to make butters. I try to be 100% organic in my gardening & ingesting. I do not want to use benzine or similar poisons in the refining process. I’m planning to grow my own once I’ve found which strains work best for me

Grain alcohol is ethanol, the same that is in all booze except you want 190 proof, 95% ABV if you can get it otherwise 151,  or 100 proof. This is what people use when they want a natural product instead of synthesized chemicals.

[Nurse Nancy]

OK.  so, would Vodka or Rum work as the alcohol?  I'm ignorant about the use, processinng and storing of Marijuana and its many medicinal forms.

 

[swamper]

30 minutes ago, Nurse Nancy said:

OK.  so, would Vodka or Rum work as the alcohol?  I'm ignorant about the use, processinng and storing of Marijuana and its many medicinal forms.

 

Any alcohol will work but the quality of the end product is dependent on the quality/strength of the solvent. One of the members here, GrowGoddess, has an excellent blog that covers RSO, Qwiso, and alcohol extraction, i.e.,  Qwet found here: 

 

[GregS]

Hi sweet thing. For a variety of options, try the Genesee County Compassion Club at the corner of Center and Richfield roads in Flint/Burton.

http://www.genesee3c.com/

[t-pain]

vodka or rum would be 80 proof (40% alcohol) , you want something that is 90% alcohol.

everclear has two edible alcohol products that are useful for this, as they are 80-99% alcohol. sold in some alcohol stores. i think they work well with the magic butter device and you would be able to reuse the alcohol... good luck.

[kevypoo]

I thought smoking cannabis could help Asthma/COPD? 

[AmishRnot4ganja]

13 hours ago, kevypoo said:

I thought smoking cannabis could help Asthma/COPD? 

Yeah, I think it does. I would recommend using a vaporizer or a "bubbler" pipe in order to get a very mild hit though.

[t-pain]

marijuana is a bronchodialator , which means it opens up airways.

medical research on the subject puts it at about the same efficacy as an albuterol inhaler.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1429361/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC470501/

Maximal bronchodilatation was achieved more rapidly with salbutamol, but at 1 hour both drugs were equally effective. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1099949

After exercise-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline were followed by gradual recovery during 30 to 60 min, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol caused an immediate reversal of exercise-induced asthma and hyperinflation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466201/

Conclusions: In a large cross-section of U.S. adults, cumulative lifetime marijuana use, up to 20 joint-years, is not associated with adverse changes in spirometric measures of lung health.

 

there is a lot more research in the asthma petition , if that ever gets submitted to the state...