Does medical marijuana work for chronic pain?

(Sorry - long post!)

I'm a NYS resident, where recreational cannabis is legal - but I'm nervous, however, about registering for a mmj card from the same state that has locked-up people in the near past for life, for holding a joint... but that just may be me being paranoid. In the meantime, I'll adapt recreational cannabis for my needs, thank you.

While I'm needing to pause for a bit (L1-2 fusion next week), I've been reading & experimenting with cannabis for about 2 months now. Some things that may be relevant to your search for relief.

You should definitely take THC with your CBD. Perhaps it's my imagination, but I find more relief when I add THC to my CBD. I'm using CBD isolate mixed with some terpines, all mixed into MCT oil as a carrier... so I know exactly how much (in mg.) that I'm dosing.

THC for me is trickier. I vape flower. My vaporizer has dosing capsules, I loaded 10 capsules, weighed the total cannabis used to fill all 10, then devided by 10. (my dosing caps hold about .19gms. of flower, the way I pack) I found a calculator that computes mg. of THC derived from the weight of the flower & it's potency.

My best guess (& what I believe to be most pain relieving) is I'm using 50mg. CBD & 10-12mg. THC, every 6-8 hrs., so for me 4 or5:1 works best for me.

I discovered that (at least in my case) that I can overshoot the optimal dosing... more isn't necessarily better! You've probably heard that one should start dosing "low & slow" - this is sagely advice, you'll feel better, & in the end save a pile of money.

You shouldn't get (too) high if dosing properly. The CBD counters to goofiness you can feel from THC... if you're trying to relieve pain with pot, and if you're getting high, then your not doing it right.

Again, this it what seems to work best for me. I'd be very interested in finding-out what other persons optimal CBD:THC ratios, & total dosing regimens work for you.

I tried several strains of medical marijuana. Each time, I became hyper-aware of my pain. I felt tendons radiating. Back pain grew worse.
Perhaps I've learned to cover my pain normally and the marijuana highlighted it.
Sadly it's not a pleasant experience. I didn't care for mj as a young person. It kind of made me a bit paranoid.
Maybe I'm a mess.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, @artscaping !

There are MANY online cannabis calculators out there. I tried a pile of them, & they all seem to give the same (good consistency!) results...

Google "cannabis potency calculator" (no quotes) - you'll see what I mean.

MSCB (My-So-Called-Back) & I have been "having words with each other", since around the turn of the millennium. Seems like we teach each-other something new about each-other on a daily basis!

Believe me when I say that vaping isn't my first choice...

Before I bought my vaporizer, I tried to homebrew (decarb/infuse) some cannabis, with at-best "mehh" results. The problems seem to all stem from process variances, from batch to batch, with the gear I own. The process is long, it makes a mess of the kitchen... & finally:
- I have no idea if I over/under decarbed, and-so have a less potent oil/tincture than thought.
- Oven decarboxylation stinks to high heaven. I want to remain discreet.
- The results taste just terrible... and smells even worse!! I get around the taste by putting it in 00 capsules & tossing them: 'cause there ain't no way I'm swishing the resulting oils in my mouth!!! 🤢

I've been eyeballing decarboxylation/infusion machines on Amazon, thinking it perhaps a way toward a more standardized process. *It's ok to have a consistent weak brew, because you still have consistent effects for the quantity dosed, right?

Hey, who knows... MSCB may not even be in pain shortly. I'm biting the bullet & going for an L1-2 fusion - I have very high hopes!!!

*(But, it's better to make your oil/tincture as strong as consistently possible... Oh boy, MORE EXPERIMENTATION!!)

To jonc59: speaking as a certified NYS medical marijuana pt., you are being paranoid. You need to get over that. That was then, and this is now. You should consult with the pharmacist at the medical marijuana dispensaries who might be able to help guide you. The whole program was set up to try to make amends to those people who were treated like criminals in the past. Those people now have first dibs on getting a license to start a marijuana dispensary.
If you’re very sensitive to the psychoactive effects of THC, you might want to consider microdosing. By that I mean trying products that have a tiny amount of THC like 1.0 mg, combined with a very large amount of CBD, like 54 mg. Taking half a gummy with that composition does the trick for me. You have to look for a certain chew made by Hedy in their green apple flavor.
Israel has been experimenting with microdosing,, and finding many people who benefit from just a tiny amount of THC, coupled with a much larger amount of CBD, which counteracts some of the negative effects of THC.

Just now found all of these replies. I may find the recipe in here ? If not please let me know how to make it. I live in Calif.
Thanx, Bob.

Seriously, depending on your state you may need a license and a moral license as well. Known originally as a 70s party drug has found multiple uses for healing humans. Horrific abdominal pain. 2 hits just about gone. But for the moral part, I would never drive or do any activity that could cause an accident. Stay on the couch.