Written by Carey Wedler at theantimedia.org
As the tide turns irreversibly toward cannabis legalization, a fifteen-year-old patient perfectly summarized the main argument for its use. At a symposium on medical marijuana research in Denver over the weekend, Coltyn Turner explained,
“I’d rather be illegally alive than legally dead.”
Turner expressed the opinion of an increasing number of Americans who now support the use of cannabis as an alternative treatment to pharmaceutical and traditional medicine. This weekend’s National Jewish Health’s Marijuana and Health Symposium provided a forum for patients and doctors to explore the promising future of the non-toxic, plant-based treatment.
Turner detailed his experience with Crohn’ Disease, a chronic, debilitating condition that left him immobile: “I was just on every pharmaceutical there was out there until I would end up in a wheelchair.”
Coltyn’s mother, Wendy, turned to CBD oil as a last resort and found it was able to heal her son. “He got sick and we had no other options,” she told CBS. “We thought, ‘Well, why not try?’ And it worked.” The family moved from the Midwest to Colorado to treat Coltyn, where he now takes the oil four times a day and enjoys markedly improved health.
Ken Gershman, who attended the health conference, works with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. He lauded the symposium, which focused mainly on current studies exploring the medical qualities of cannabis. He noted “nine current and upcoming studies [that] are looking at marijuana as a treatment for illnesses stretching from insomnia and inflammatory bowel disease to post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The fact that Coltyn Turner—a “child”— can openly advocate his use of cannabis oil is a sign that accepted beliefs about the “drug” are shifting. In addition to expanded medical research on the plant, the DEA recently increased its cultivation of marijuana for the purpose of studying its medical benefits. The federal government isscaling back its war on marijuana.
However, while state legalization is beginning to snowball and tolerance is increasing, many patients still struggle for their right to use medical cannabis. Kansas mother Shona Banda, who, like Turner, suffers from Crohn’s disease, is currently facing 30 years in prison for treating herself and developing a method to extract the highly therapeutic oil. Even so, she enjoys the national support of individuals who are outraged at the state’s callousness in charging her—yet another sign of shifting societal norms.
As Gershman said, “We can’t bury our heads in the sand. We need to learn more and make sensible decisions based on evidence.”
Wendy Turner simply stated, “We want people to understand that this is a good option.”
As Coltyn concisely articulated, laws and regulations are irrelevant when choosing between life and death—a reality the American public is beginning to accept.
Get Your Anonymous T-Shirt / Sweatshirt / Hoodie / Tanktop, Smartphone or Tablet Cover or Mug In Our Spreadshirt Shop! Click Here<
And I think about the plants that only exist in the amazon forest and what they may do. Cure for cancer, diabetes, and the others deseases they could help to cure..a jungle that is being destroyed so that farmland can be made from it. So cows can be raised.
You do realize that medically speaking, cannabis does nothing to help you other then give the illusion of pain relief and symptom relief. Once the boy stops taking the drug these will return. This is not science, people thinking weed is medicinal are foolish.
JM, Weed might not cure this specific disease, but its a way better alternative than everything else.
Crohn’s Disease is no joke, treatments consist of various things such as, anti-diarrheal medicine, aminosalicylates, antibiotics, and other medicines to control inflammation. As well a strict diet.
Weed might not cure this disease but it is definitely a better option than other treatments. And as it states in the article, they had no other option because nothing else was working.
Firstly, he didn’t use CBD oil he used cannabis oil, a full plant extract WITH THC in it.
Secondly, I have Crohn’s disease and I know literally hundreds of people who use it, it does not mask the symptoms, it is scientifically proven to be an anti-inflammatory. Crohn’s is an IBD; and INFLAMMATORY Bowel Disease. Cannabis calms the inflammation in the gut. He was orally taking concentrated cannabis oil, which has incredible anti-inflammatary properties, enough to put a very serious illness like Crohn’s into remission. I know this because I’ve also done it too when I had a supply.
Even when smoked cannabis is an effective pain relief (when other painkillers are terrible and ineffective for some people with IBD), anti-nausea medication and it helps promote healthy weight-gain, promotes appetite (something that is very hard to manage with an IBD) and aids sleep (again essential for any sick person and impossible if you’re in chronic pain or buzzed on steroids-another common Crohn’s medication.
Do some research. There’s tons out there. Cannabis IS a medicine. Legalise it.
“Medically Speaking”? That’s meaningless.
If you want to speak medically, why not examine some of the literally thousands of research papers into the effects of cannabis on cancer, autism, crohns, glaucoma, neuropathic pain, PTSD, and OCD to name a few.
Then come back and comment “medically speaking”. Until then, you need to say “ignorantly speaking” or “moronically speaking” – and *not* “medically speaking.
JM — medically speaking? you are a scientist specializing in cannabis? You sound fucking retarded when you call it “not science”
What the fuck does it matter even if it was a placebo, you’d rather him die? or get sicker? Or better yet pay into government regulated pharmaceutical drugs with more side effects than anything else?
You are a horrible human.