Its not just hippies – it might even be used by your brother, mother, grandmother, or great-uncle!
In 2017: 55 million Americans admitted using cannabis in the last year. With the increasing number of adult-use states, we are sure to see this amount increase as accessibility improves and stigma reduces.
2/3 of users are seeking pain relief. Working in the dispensary, its easy to see that we all experience pain differently. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, a paper cut can be 10/10 for one (me), while 4/10 for another. Pain is subjective and unique to the patient, so it can never be experienced or truly understood by healthcare professionals.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t treat subjective symptoms!
The other top uses of Cannabis include anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Conditions which can accompany any chronic disease – especially chronic pain. Chronic pain, or pain that no longer existing for survival, is the alarm you can’t turn off – you can only snooze. Compassionate care requires healthcare professionals to be aware of patient’s subjective reports and seek to alleviate suffering. Sometimes we can use other healing modalities to promote relief, like acupuncture, massage or using medicines including NSAIDs like ibuprofen, opiates like oxycodone, or cannabis.
Every BODY responds to medicine differently. Some people can take 1 ibuprofen and their arthritis is relieved, while others require a carefully curated mix of steroids, opiates, and cannabis to find a brief moment in life without pain. Especially with plant-based medicines like Cannabis, varying chemical composition based on soil or light conditions can increase frustrations for patients and healthcare professionals alike.
Just as THC alters perception of pain, Prepcann seeks to alter the perception of Cannabis as a medicine.
