Can give us a 2-3 sentence bio?
Almost five years ago I was in serious auto rollover accident. I am diagnosed with a spinal cord injury at T-11 (incomplete) from that accident. The spinal cord injury has many related medical issues. I have issues with spasticity, muscle pain, nerve pain and issues with my nervous system that result in a range of many other symptoms.
How long have you been involved in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program?
I have been involved with the cannabis program for nearly two years.
What brought you to the program?
After my accident I was prescribed over twenty-five different medications for all the symptoms and pain from my accident. I was on very high doses of Oxycontin, OxyCodone as well as Gabapentin for the nerve pain. Over the first two years after the accident I tried to wean myself off of these medications. I was mostly successful but still suffering with pain. After my primary care physician agreed with my plan of no more pills in my body, he suggested I try the medical cannabis program. I didn’t sign up right away, but instead did research online and interviewed current cannabis program patients. After the research and interviews I found myself excited to try the program. After 3-4 months researching medical cannabis, I finally applied.
What have been the benefits of your involvement and how has medical cannabis specifically helped to aid your medical condition?
After a few months into the program, I noticed that not only was the cannabis benefiting me when I was in pain or spasms, it was actually making a difference in the frequency of painful nerve attacks. Another unfortunate side effect of the spinal cord injury is an irregular nervous system; this can at times cause me hot flashes and/or no desire to eat at all. Having the cannabis program available to me has saved me these discomforts as well. The medical cannabis has made an overall difference in my pain. I have pain so strong at times that I actually scream at the top of my lungs and cry tears of anguish. I have had lines on my face for hours from scrunching my eyes shut while in pain. The cannabis doesn’t necessarily block the pain signals like pain pills did, but I don’t notice the pain and/or spasms while I am medicated. They are either gone or extremely muted for the time the cannabis is in effect.
What methods of delivery do you prefer?
In the beginning I was not familiar with different forms of delivery. With the help of SWOP employees I have learned the different types of ingestion methods and have now found what I like and use. When I am in the comfort of my own home I like to smoke flower from a glass water pipe. When I am in extreme pain and have to medicate outside of my own home, I use a dab/wax/vape setup that looks like an electronic cigarette to the common public. I prefer to use the flower because I find that for me the results last a lot longer than the vape set up.
Are there any changes you would like to see in the program?
Unfortunately, yes, I do have some wishes for the system to improve. I’ve had issues with the recertifying process. For a time the state was backlogged with applications and had to push the turnaround time from 30 days to possibly three months. The lack of communication from the state to patients caused me to suffer pain and spasms for 54 days after my medical cannabis card was expired, waiting an extra 54 days for my renewal. The State did have a brief message about the delay on the program website, but should have sent out a notice months before patients’ renewal dates so that they were not spending weeks, or months, without medication. The program needs to develop better communication to patients and vendors as well as offer more information to the public to better educate them about the program and process.
What have been your experiences with the amount of education you receive from different dispensaries?
To be honest the education from some of the state dispensaries could use some improvement. The majority of dispensaries I have been to do not offer advice on their products. I have had success with the SWOP employees and the knowledge they shared with me. I started the program not knowing how to prepare the cannabis much less all the different methods of delivery that are available. I am grateful for SWOP and their knowledge over these years. I now have a regimen that works for me and I know what type of product works for my body chemistry.
Are there any experiences within the program that stand out in your mind?
The experience that stands out the most for me is being able to use reciprocity in other states. The ability to travel and enjoy the experience without pain or a spasm attack hindering my vacation makes my life not miss a beat.
Have your perceptions of cannabis changed while in the program?
For most of my life I was uneducated to the benefits of medical cannabis. I fell into the group of people who stereotype those who need and use medical cannabis as just “stoners looking for a get out of jail free card.” Only after my doctor recommended it for me, and I personally did the research, was I ready to give medical cannabis a try. This was a big step for me, because this meant that I had to give up the safety net of having pain pills available to me, because my doctor could not prescribe me opiates for pain while I participate in the medical cannabis program. Overall, the program has made a big difference in my life. I have fewer nerve pain and spasm episodes. I am able to not cringe while the pain is in my body, because of the distraction and relief that cannabis provides.
What would you say to someone unfamiliar with the medical aspects of cannabis?
Someone unfamiliar may have a stereotype of cannabis. I too was in their shoes until my primary care physician suggested that it might work for me. That is when I let my mind open and found out that there are many people who are benefiting and living better lives because of medical cannabis. I would tell them that I’m able to have a normal day-to-day life without worrying about my nerve pain and spasms interrupting and hindering me.
What’s your message to lawmakers and the general public in this time of rapid change within the industry?
With all the changes being proposed to health care I would suggest to lawmakers to not quickly write off the medical cannabis programs. I started feeling sick every day from pharmaceutical pills that where to “help my symptoms,” but instead caused more symptoms. I am now able to live a normal day-to-day life with few interruptions from nerve pain or spasms. I will always have muscle pain because of the accident but medical cannabis can mute the pain. Without access to medical cannabis I would have to go back on pills that caused me to be sick, bed ridden, and didn’t have a positive effect to the degree that medical cannabis has.
How will medical cannabis play a role your life going forward?
I plan to use medical cannabis as long as I need to. Unfortunately the spinal cord injury is for life. No matter how much my muscle control improves I will always have to struggle with nervous system issues including nerve pain, muscle pain, and spasms. I hope to always have access to the program. I’m worried that when I finish college I will not be able to find a decent job with an employer who will accept my need to use medical cannabis. I’m also worried that if I go off medical cannabis and have to go back to pills that my future is that of being bedridden and sick from the chemicals in the pills again. There is only so much pain I can take before I have no choice but to find relief, even if I know I will be sick in a few hours. For someone like me there is no choice of “just don’t take the pills.”
