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FROM THE MAGAZINE

The Faces Of Medical Marijuana: A Patient Profile: Mikee from Ohio

In this interview we spoke with Mikee from Ohio. He uses medical marijuana to treat degenerative disc disease, a debilitating back condition. Although he was initially given strong pain medication to ease his discomfort, he found greater relief with medical marijuana.

By Larry Lechuga

Could you give us a little background about your medical condition?

Mikee: I have degenerative disc disease, which is a condition that causes the discs between the vertebrae to thin and rupture. My condition was first discovered in 1986 after a work related back injury caused me to have several MRI exams. It was in the early stages, so I returned to work until 1993, when my condition had become too bad to continue working.

Physical therapy was tried, but only succeeded in injuring me further. In 1996 I had a multi-layer laminectomy and disc removal in my lower back, followed in 1999 by a 4 layer neck fusion. I am currently holding off further surgery to my midback due to poor location of the injury (behind my heart) and the dangerousness of the procedure.

Have you tried medicines other than medical marijuana to treat it?

Mikee: I was originally treated with muscle relaxers and pain medications; Empirin (codeine) and Soma (a strong muscle relaxant). In 1993, my meds were changed to Tramadol (6 daily), Flexeril (3 daily), and Vicodin (2-3 daily). I had used marijuana as a teen and into my early 20’s, but had stopped for the most part by 1988, with only occasional dalliances with cannabis.

In 1993, I began to use cannabis again, since I could no longer work and had no urinalysis to concern me. I discovered it made the pain in my back better and gave me a better psychological outlook as well. Although my condition continues to worsen, I have not had to increase my very dangerous and addictive pain med dosages since 1993. I simply use a bit more cannabis to treat the bad days, and less for the good days.

Are there any particular strains that are especially helpful in relieving the symptoms?

Mikee: I typically use an Ohio greenhouse strain, which is primarily indica, with a bit of sativa mixed in. I like sativa strains for when I’m feeling down, but prefer indica for pain relief. Ohio has a very limited amount of strains, but lots of quantity, so I have stuck to the greenhouse blend for about 7 years, because for what is available here, it seems to work the best.

Any final thoughts?

Mikee: In these days of financial hardships on state and federal levels, there has never been a better time to legalize medical and adult use of marijuana. As the hippies of the 1960’s and 1970’s come into power in our government structure, only the ignorant and uneducated are still actively supporting the criminalization of marijuana.