Tuesday 13 September 2011

Multiple Sclerosis & Medical Cannabis In Britain 2011: The Cannabis Pickle

I have Multiple Sclerosis - I estimate about 50,000 people with MS use cannabis medicinally, with no medical advice or legal protection. Other European countries have got civilised over cannabis. Sadly... not Britain... yet.

16 August 2011

The Cannabis Pickle

OK, yeah, it's been a while. So what? I'm up and walking again, with the aid of a walker with wheels. Bless my cannabis, it's been a hell of a ride. To deal with the damage, caused by relapse, I knew I needed high doses of cannabinoids. I did not want to feel the 'high' as I wanted to be active and so speed recovery even more. I knew that oral absorption of this amount of cannabis would leave me able to do nothing but drool and sleep. The same would apply to vaporising  large amounts too. Another solution was needed. I'd been turned down for Sativex 3 times so I had to find my own way back.

I needed cannabis oil and lots of it. A quick tour on YouTube, and a few cannabis forums, told me this. These forums informed me that, extracting the oil with Butane was the safest method for me. My hands are nearly useless, my eyes spasm constantly, although somewhat less than before, and I can hardly stand at times.  I needed a method that would take my health into account with minimal risk. This method provides a minimum risk of explosion and minor chemical contamination, I hope. So far so good.

The bad days are coming less and less, as I continue to bombard myself with as much cannabis oil as possible. I blend cannabis oil with hemp to fill 'size 2' capsules. Today, I'm taking all the cannabis oil I can get out of an ounce of ground cannabis flower bud. I will then blend this with 29.5ml of hemp oil, using a low heat, and fill as many capsules as I can. I buy my capsule casings from Amazon together with the hemp oil. I put a pinch of lecithin powder in because of it's medicinal and dietary benefits. 

Me and my oil.
I've been scientific about this as some discoveries will be included in the upcoming IACM presentation. Beginning with 0.25g cannabis oil capsules, I could see my health improve but only to a certain point. Feeling my health improve, I also felt maintained at that level. This was not the desired outcome but at least I wasn't getting any worse. Moving onto higher and higher doses seems to be the key to my recovery. The only obstacle is not having enough cannabis to move beyond the capsules described in the paragraph above. I'd like to see how an even stronger dose would benefit my health. Beggars can't be choosers in this drug war.

I wonder how Sativex would compare to my capsules. I find them as freeing as I would Sativex as I take them during pub lunches with my family or when I'm getting exercise with my walker. It's how medicine should be, making a patient feel normal and a 'part of society' as possible.

Early cannabis capsule.
I support the work of GW Pharma all the way. While they are desperately trying to appeal to government, investors and scientist so they can get licences etc, the recreational community relish in pointing out the hypocrisy. In my view, the cannabis GW Pharma grows is nothing like what can be purchased on the street or grown at home. I wish I had access to cannabis grown to exact, scientific, laboratory and organic standards. Show me a street dealer or a home grower that even comes close. Yes, it's the same plant but that's where my comparison stops. I've visited the Bedrocan facilities so I know what sort of professional, scientific standards should be achieved. 

I prefer to admire the hoops GW Pharma have had to jump through, to get as far as they have. Pointing out any hypocrisy will only slow the scientific progress they have made. I'm just glad that Britain, seeming so bored with the issue, pays little attention to what the recreational community has to say.