I don't use Marijuana and haven't smoked for over 30 years. I was dead against the use of it watching my adult kids use it and the side effects it had on them. They swore it wasn't addictive. So It made me wonder why they get so grouchy when they can't get any . Not to different from caffeine really.
But just recently I stopped in to see a friend. We were discussing how the weather was affecting our aches and pains. He asked me where I was hurting. It was my upper arms and shoulders. So he brought out a small tin with some ointment in it. He told me to just put a little on my sore areas. So I did and rubbed it in. Then we had a cup of tea and continued on chatting. Soon I noticed the pain had significantly subsided. By the time I left it was gone. He told me it was made with cannibis oil. Some other things had been added to make it smell good and was more of a solid creamy like texture. A friend of his had made it . I didn't know what it was because whatever fragrant oil he added covered the Marijuana smell. Whatever ideas I had about using Marijuana for pain or medicine have changed. If used...not abused it can be a real blessing.

I didn't read the article because i have been using mmj since 2012 for my fibro symptoms. I stopped all my meds in 2012 due to permanent damage from Prilosec & Abilify. I started using medical marijuana (mmj) and the best result was the improvement in my sense of well being. I no longer feel like a prisoner of pain doomed to suffer until death frees me. That's huge! Mmj does reduce the pain by about half and if I eat an treat infused with cannaoil, I am guaranteed at least 6 hours of sleep. I make marijuana infused coconut oil to use in cooking and as a salve. Mmj helps with depression and anxiety.
There are different strains that treat specific symptoms, so research your symptoms to see which strains would be best for you. Indicas are best for full body and head relaxation, which helps you sleep uninterrupted. Sativas are great for daytime pain as you get a burst of energy along with pain relief so you can do some household chores.
Besides mmj, I am now using:
LDN 1 at bedtime
Flexaril/Cyclobenzaprine as needed for muscle spasms. (30 pills last me about 6+ months)
Imitrex 6, injections (only when my migraine makes me very nauseous)
I use supplements including Magnesium Glycinate which helps reduce my migraines.
I use essential oils for my severe clinical depression with suicide ideations and Rosemary eo for improved memory and frankincense and yerba mansa eo for cerebral & spinal cord inflammation.
Good luck

I have been using medical mariguana for some time now and recently started using the oil. The CBD does not get you high however I find that it does very little for me . The higher the THC the higher you feel. It doesn't take the pain away exactly but it really makes me feel very relaxed. I don't drive when I take it but I think you would know if you were able to or not just by the way you feel. It has no nasty side effects for me and no hung over feeling in the mornings. My goal is to try to come off all my meds and take the canibis oil only but will have to tweak the dose and maybe go to a higher THC. Since I've started on the oil I must say I have found myself singing 😊 some thing I haven't done in years, so I'm thinking it's helping with my depression. If your thinking about it then my advice is try it especially if you've tried everything else and nothing is working, what have you got to loose. Prescription drugs can be so much more toxic I'm sure . ( down side is it can be very expensive and is not yet covered by health insurance ) Oh and please talk to your Dr first I was lucky as my Dr prescribed it for me Hope this is helpful hugs to all from Karen 🍁

I have just started using medical mj here in Alberta Canada. It does work very well for the pain. I'm on 2 different brands (?) Sweet skunk for daytime and CBD for night. Both are available in flower form or oil. I tried smoking, but the skunk brand was gross and made me ill. I've never smoked anything. I had it made into a "butter" using organic coconut oil. I eat it by the teaspoonful. Not great, but not gross either. I do not get high, I can drive, honestly, I am not aware of it except that my pain is just gone. The CBD brand is for insomnia. My muscles feel really relaxed, my brain shuts down....that constant busyness in my brain is gone and I'm able to fall asleep. I am still on sleep meds, but I will be starting to wean off them April 1. I'm on Imovane/zopiclone, Tazadone and Cymbalta for sleep. Most nights that's not enough to knock me out. There is no hangover effect from mj. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. Ps it is expensive and not covered by any health plan.

I've never used marijuana for recreational use or for medicinal purposes. I'm not opposed to use it for medical use in pill form. The way I look at it is: we are prescribed different medications all the time and we don't question it....many of those medications can react as poisons to our bodies. This is natural comes from the earth yet it's not thought of as a way to medicate. Hummm......