MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

Marijuana has been hailed as a prescription for many ills and physicians once used it to stimulate appetite, relieve chronic pain, and treat asthma and migraines. Pain is a common symptom for people living with a life-threatening chronic disease (Tashkin, 2005). It is particularly common for those very near the end of life. The disease itself can cause pain, such as when cancer spreads to the bones or the spinal cord. Certain treatments for disease can cause pain, such as when anticancer drugs or radiation alter nerve activity (neuropathic pain). In addition, certain conditions that accompany dying can cause pain, such as when immobility leads to stiff joints, constipation, or pressure sores (Tashkin, 2005).

People should discuss their preferences for drug and non-drug treatments. These discussions should also clarify specific goals of treatment, such as whether to treat pain aggressively, even when doing so may increase sedation at the end of life. There is no evidence that properly administered analgesics hasten death. On the contrary, evidence suggests that people live longer when their pain is under better control. And, dying people need not worry about becoming dependent on analgesics (Berry, 2007). Finally, knowing possible indications of pain, such as grimacing and fast breathing, gives family and friends a way to monitor pain when a dying person can no longer speak for himself.

Information about what to expect can help a dying person tolerate new or worsening symptoms. Companionship, emotional encouragement, and spiritual counseling all may lessen the anxiety, anger, depression, fear, insomnia, and loneliness that make pain worse (Berry, 2007).

Some types of pain are better tolerated than others, but pain of any type generally diminishes the quality of a person's life—and death. Pain is affected by a person's other symptoms, mood, quality of sleep, emotional and social support systems, ...