Should NH allow marijuana for pain management?

July 19, 2016

New Hampshire’s medical marijuana law only allows doctors to prescribe marijuana for a limited number of conditions. That means doctors cannot prescribe marijuana to manage chronic pain.

Given the widespread addiction to opioid painkillers, medical marijuana advocates argue that it’s time for New Hampshire to change that law.

“The story from patients all along has been, 'Look, I have Oxycontin and all this other crap in my medicine cabinet, and I’m sick of being a zombie, '” Matt Simon of the Marijuana Policy Project told NHPR. “Whether the pain is from cancer or just pain they’ve been prescribed opioids for, having access to cannabis allows them to reduce and in some cases eliminate their need for drugs that are obviously much more dangerous and addictive.”

According to the Marijuana Policy Project survey of state laws, most of the 23 states that allow medical marijuana allow marijuana prescriptions for pain management.

Opponents argue that there is still not enough science to show that marijuana is a safe and effective alternative to other pain management prescriptions.

“We don’t know the impact of introducing clinical cannabis on the public health or on the individual,” Dr. Seddon Savage told NHPR. Seddon is a board-certified pain specialist who teaches anesthesiology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. “In terms of our scientific understanding, we don’t know what the ideal combination of cannabinoids or dosing of cannabinoids are for different symptom management. It’s not contemporary medicine.”

In 2015 the legislature rejected a bill that would have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana for pain management.

When this question was originally asked in July, 98% of 'yes or no' respondents were in favor of allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for pain management. Read the Citizen Voices report.

Read the original discussion of this question on Facebook.

Do you think New Hampshire should allow medical marijuana for chronic pain management? Let us know in the comments.

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Comments

Alan

July 19, 2016

Yes, It should be allowed for pain management and it should be allowed for recreational use. What has happened to New Hampshire? It used to be a leader. Remember the state lottery? Now it follows well behind more enlightened states, There have been enough studies to show that MJ is less harmful than alcohol. Yet alcohol is legal and MJ is so controlled that few can qualify for it. Let's make alcohol available only for medical purposes. (Are there any?) This is lunacy. Legalizing and taxing it would provide state money to battle the truly dangerous, addictive opioids and street narcotics.

Craig

February 3, 2017

I have chronic pain in my entire body every day i have bin in many car crashis and working hard jobs to make almost nuthen for my famly my PCP has had me on oxys 15 mgs for years now is lowering my dos to10mgs when i take them I fell like Iam so sick cant get anything done. no time for my kids and my famly or frends this drug has made my life hell no good comes from it. to get off of it is evein harder painefill !!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is a disgusting....!!!!!!!!!! when i smoke it helps me with my head achs and pains all over i am a happer person when I get high my angziety gos awhy and most of all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY PAIN IS ALMOST GONE AND STAY THAT WAY LONGER IF THIS IS A FREE CONTRY LET AS MAKE THAT DO THAT FOR ARE SLEFS WE KNOW ARE PAIN BETTER THEN DOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! man made pills with sideefecks wow not so good what wood put in your body frist ........ i donot get sick if i dont somke but i do if i dont take my pills god put it on here for a good perpics ....... Docs should crer pople not make them fill whers with the stuff there make you take ........ and nobudy O DS on pot on dies so stop scrowing around and do the right thing for ones help us that need it fill better please its just a plant wiht all the right stuff and one last thing i think as tax payers would rather have are taxs spet bitter helping us find salf pot gowen in state so we konw it was dun right and your not going get sick uzing it and stop drug dealers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! giveing it to kids................. If you feel the same way email me at orzo2500@gmail.com please love to here form you god bless!!!.....

Should NH allow marijuana for pain management?

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