Pain researcher Dr. Jason McDougall discusses questions around medical cannabis and what it means for people living with arthritis. If this is something you’re interested in, we recommend you grow your own cannabis, legally. You can do this through the ACMPR program, we help our clients through the paper work and connect them with a doctor who will prescribe you the amount you need to grow for yourself. Growing cannabis legally on your own means you know exactly what’s in your marijuana.

Arthritis is the most common form of disability in the United States. It affects 54 million people in the U.S., according to the CDC, and 350 million worldwide. Unfortunately, there is no known cure, and the harsh pharmaceutical painkillers often prescribed for it have their own awful side effects. The good news is, cannabis eases the pain.

University of South Carolina scientists discovered that THC can suppress inflammation. In fact, THC has been found to have twice the anti-inflammatory power of hydrocortisone, and 20 times that of aspirin.

Another study, this one published in the medical journal Rheumatology by Dr. Sheng-Ming Dai of China’s Second Military Medical University, found unusually high levels of CB2 receptors in the in the joint tissues of arthritis sufferers. That is believed to be an active response, by the endocannabinoid system (ECS), to reduce inflammation. This led to the conclusion that cannabis can reduce inflammation by activating CB2 receptor pathways.

Another study of the body’s natural endocannabinoids, anandamide, and 2-AG in arthritis patients, found that cannabis-based medicines are effective in the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with RA and OA.

The list goes on, and this is why if you know anyone who suffers from this, you should suggest to them that they grow their own cannabis.