I’m not going to lie: I like weed.
Most college students like weed. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our professors liked weed, as well. Despite being classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government—along with heroin and LSD in the category of drugs that have “no medical use” and are most likely to be abused—smoking weed has never seemed to be a deviant activity. Hell, when I was growing up, underage drinking seemed to be more immoral than smoking weed.
However, I differ from my peers in the fact that my endorsement of marijuana isn’t just because I like to be high.
I suffer from a rare, inherited degenerative tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III that affects merely 1 in 15,000 people worldwide. At the age of 19-years-old, I already have osteoarthritis, and experience frequent joint dislocations, a proclivity to skin lacerations, horrible scarring, and constant, severe fatigue and pain.
Currently, there is no cure for EDS, and medical treatment is focused on pain management—meaning I have enough pill bottles of prescription painkillers and muscle relaxers to decorate a Christmas tree.
Although painkillers can help make basic, every day tasks—like walking to class or going to the grocery store—more bearable, it’s no secret that they’re incredibly addictive. Last year, NYU Local reported that the resurgence of heroin use may be tied to prescription opiates. The threat of opiate addiction is very real and so very scary, which is exactly why I attempt to avoid taking my Vicodin if I can.
This is where weed comes into play. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have recently found that, in states in which medical marijuana is legal and available, the incidence of prescription opiate-related overdoses decreased by 25%. The study emphasizes that medical marijuana users aren’t using prescription opiates at all, but rather that they may be choosing weed over pills more often.
Despite being one of the most progressive states in the country, New York’s medical marijuana bill—passed this summer, making it the 23rd state to embrace the legalization of marijuana as medicine—is stringent. Unlike my native state of California, medical marijuana prescribed in New York state cannot be smoked, and can only be prescribed to people suffering with serious conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and ALS.
When the bill is fully implemented within the next year, there will only be twenty dispensaries statewide. And although the New York Compassionate Care Act was supported by Governor Cuomo and Staten Island state senator Diane Savino–the latter of whom hopes to bring a dispensary to Staten Island–the medical marijuana movement is being stymied by both the federal government and the old-school legislators who remain steadfast in their belief that marijuana has no medical use and is incredibly dangerous.
It’s so incredibly difficult to enjoy life as a 19-year-old should when you’re plagued by throbbing, swollen joints and consistent exhaustion. But, for me, marijuana makes it a little bit easier. The science is there: marijuana can and does ameliorate chronic pain. In my home state, I am eligible for a medical marijuana prescription; however, it’s questionable whether I’d be eligible in New York to legally receive medical marijuana for medicinal use.
And that leads to the biggest question on my mind: why? As the daughter of a heroin addict who died by overdose six years ago, it blows my mind that heroin and marijuana are considered by the DEA as being equally dangerous and addictive. Perhaps the DEA’s classification is inspired by the idea that it’s the government’s responsibility to enforce some sort of moral code upon the electorate; however, to me, it’s just unfathomable that a substance that can help so many people cope with their severe medical conditions is demonized as some sort of potentially fatal and morally reprehensible drug.
Change comes with time, and I’m hoping that, sometime before I die, the stigmatization of marijuana will disappear, and maybe the number of people choosing marijuana over potentially fatal doses of opiates will decrease even further. But, until then, I’ll manage my pain as best as I can, and will continue to advocate for broader availability of medical marijuana.
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