Medical Cannabis Testimonies: William R. of North Carolina 2008

Back in the early 90’s, William was in a car accident. He sustained whiplash, a couple of herniated discs, and a few broken bones.

Complications from the back injury prompted his physicians to put him on a cascade of lethal pharmaceuticals.

A couple of drugs put him in the hospital, some caused hallucinations, others - uncontrolled body temperature, still others - violent fits. “The anti-depressants basically made me happy I was in pain,” remarked William.

Anti-depressants are routinely doled out to the chronically ill under the premise that, whether the cause or the effect, the patient must be depressed.

William suffered with a migraine that lasted for a year. He would have to lock himself in the bedroom, pull the shades and lay there in the darkness. Often he would cry from the intense pain.

William struggled with prescription narcotics

The drugs that his doctors had him on put him in another world. They robbed him of his short-term memory. The only thing that kept him grounded to reality while he was on prescription meds was the pain.
The only drug that he found that sufficiently relieved the pain was Percocet. But because of its toxicity, physicians will only prescribe it on a limited basis.

Percocet, a narcotic analgesic, is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. It contains two drugs - Acetaminophen and Oxycodone. Acetaminophen is used to reduce both pain and fever. Oxycodone, a narcotic analgesic, is used for its calming effect and for pain.

Percocet is known to cause dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, sedation, and vomiting, but most serious is its high tendency for dependence.

William had a friend who asked him if he had ever tried Cannabis. He admitted that he had used Cannabis on occasion recreationally. His friend asked him if he’d ever used it to treat his pain. William realized that when he used Cannabis, he felt better.

He and his friend went out and obtained some “black-market” Cannabis and William began dosing.

That day was the first time that he had control over his pain in 14 months. He cried that day, not because he was in pain, but because he was released from it.

He’ll always have the injuries that he sustained from that car accident long ago. But he’s able to manage his pain now, with Cannabis and physical fitness. He finds that he doesn’t have to dose on a daily basis anymore, but only on the days when the pain is too much. On those days, Cannabis “… does the job for me.” With it, he no longer takes any pharmaceutical meds for pain.