Does medical marijuana work for chronic pain?

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.

One thing I know is medical Canabis is extremely expensive and not very effective..I dont know any other ones and would however like to despite the fact that I read a lot about it but dont know where to buy it.

We have 2 very nice dispensaries in our town. Our grocery stores should be so bright and clean, and staffs should be so courteous and knowledgeable. Unfortunately.
It does nothing for me, and I mean nothing. I don't get high and I get no relief. My first try was 3 or 4 years ago when I was 77, and the clerk suggested a reliable cigarette.If I may use that terminology and it did nothing no matter how much I inhaled it, which was two or three times what she had suggested. I then tried chocolates and got no feelings at all from them. More recently I got something That looked a bit like a ballpoint pen and I was to click out a serving. Again mullible servings did nothing. Maybe you could suggest Adosage, as well as a dosage of just what. I'm afraid the clerks are being too "gentle" with me. Thx

Hi@cekkk:
Hmmm... I am puzzled by your experience. In a lifetime of using marijuana, I have encountered only one other person with the same complaint, a senior friend of mine. In my friend's case, he tried it only after much persuasion from me! So, I believe he talked himself out of any good experience. You don't sound negative, as you keep trying despite zero effect. It may be
possible that staff are
under-dosing you, as you say. Being 'careful' with the senior!
The potency of bud (dried) cannabis is measured and labelled by THC content. I bought the highest content I could find: 41 mg./gram. Six or eight puffs give me the three-hour pain relief I desire.
Next time you shop, ask staff for a THC potency in that range. It's not an extreme dosage. The really strong stuff is still only available from illegal pushers on the street. Don't go there!
I perhaps haven't provided you with all the available advice there may be. Just my own experience. I hope you can get it working for you. Cannabis is a miracle!

Hi@cekkk:
Hmmm... I am puzzled by your experience. In a lifetime of using marijuana, I have encountered only one other person with the same complaint, a senior friend of mine. In my friend's case, he tried it only after much persuasion from me! So, I believe he talked himself out of any good experience. You don't sound negative, as you keep trying despite zero effect. It may be
possible that staff are
under-dosing you, as you say. Being 'careful' with the senior!
The potency of bud (dried) cannabis is measured and labelled by THC content. I bought the highest content I could find: 41 mg./gram. Six or eight puffs give me the three-hour pain relief I desire.
Next time you shop, ask staff for a THC potency in that range. It's not an extreme dosage. The really strong stuff is still only available from illegal pushers on the street. Don't go there!
I perhaps haven't provided you with all the available advice there may be. Just my own experience. I hope you can get it working for you. Cannabis is a miracle!

Hello willbt, unfortunately I cannot smoke weed as I am a reformed tabaco smoker with COPD as a bonus. So I am considering marijuana as another source of relief than smoking it. I dont know if I will find something else but I try. Maybe chewing it might be awful.
Thank you for your input, I am really researching all avenues to use in that domain which is not as expensive as medical and certainly more effective. TY for your input.

As Jessica ( below) says, THC gummies are an option. I have never tried them, but I see no reason they shouldn't be helpful. If I were shopping for gummies, I would not be familiar with the labelling format to know the percentage of THC/gummy, what cannabis strains they are made from, pricing etc, etc. I can tell you that when I buy my dried “bud” for vaping, the minimum percentage of THC per gram acceptable to me would be 40%mg THC to 1 gram; the excellent foil packages show all the details.
I've never looked at gummies, so what do I know!?