It’s been an irony for me about cannabis use as my body reacts to it drastically differently today at age 70, compared to my use throughout my youth.
At age 18 - my first exposure to pot - it was just an irresistible laughing reaction. Hilarity!
Now I’m 70 and I have osteoarthritis in my spine and hands. Excruciating chronic pain. I’m literally trapped by the chronic pain. My active life has left me.
When cannabis was legalized for recreational as well as medical use in 2015 I immediately worked through the ridiculous bureaucracy to get a medical user licence.However with the medical licence I was unhappy to have to purchase my weed only from medical suppliers approved by government. The medical selections were all awful: over-dried, pitifully low THC content. ( For pain relief you want highest possible THC. Not CBD) The medically licenced strains of dried bud (leaf) were no help at all. THC levels were pitifully low.
Well, I gave up my medical licence, enabling me to buy my weed where I wanted. Since then I have shopped at two impressive private dispensaries as a “recreational” user, although I am using it for pain relief.
Things opened up magically!
What an amazing plant cannabis is! I am now buying high-THC content in dried bud. Just half a dozen puffs zaps ALL bodily pains _instantaneously!_ Great!
Funny, when I used marijuana as a youth the reaction was an all-consuming laugh riot. No more hilarious fun today! I guess as we age things get less funny? There can be no doubt about that, now that I think about it. Senior users are usually in pain.
Now, there are a couple negative aspects to marijuana pain relief for seniors : The relief lasts for only approx. three hours at the most. And it makes one generally spacey and sometimes sleepy. I don’t want to be spaced out 24/7, so I vape my my bud at times of peak pain - usually near the end of the day, or after I have strained myself doing housework.
However, in the balance of things, I need the pain relief so I will continue with cannabis. I vape it, which is the most lung-healthy way to use it.
Oh, and when I’m stoned my music is SO much better! It’s not expensive. I spend approximately $40 bi-monthly. It takes some comparison shopping to find the best strain and deal for you, as prices vary from strain to strain, and from dispensary to dispensary.
So I do recommend cannabis for pain relief, but shop around, ask questions from dispensary staff ( modern dispensaries seem to hire really good, approachable, helpful staff. I’ve even seen at one dispensary where staff wear doctors’ white coats!)
Go ahead, use cannabis. One thing for sure, it can’t hurt you in any way, when used moderately and thoughtfully. Good luck.