Title of Blog: SHOULD PMS BE COVERED UNDER MMJ LAWS?
The Suffering
Understanding that many women suffer tough menstrual cramps each month can mean debilitating pain for a week, and for others just a pain in the… well yeah! Many sufferers look to a variety of over the counter medicines, and some prescriptions for pain relief. And yet, many have been looking at Medical Marijuana (MMJ) as a solution! With so many states already having MMJ, with many more to follow, shouldn’t PMS count under the medical marijuana classification if it gives patients relief? Duh! We say yes!
Advocacy
Currently, Whoopi Goldberg stated “It seems so odd to me, but then I look at the folks who’ve created the bills and they aren’t people who would be dealing with periods” in a Forbes Article and further stated that she wanted to push to change New York State’s Law to include PMS in their list of medical conditions for MMJ. Whoopi & Maya have a complete product line that they are selling four products: Soak, Savor, Rub, & Relax. However, in New York State, which has the strongest medical restrictions for MMJ, this could be a tough fight.
Only patients with one of the following severe, debilitating or life-threatening conditions may qualify for the Medical Marijuana Program: cancer, positive status for HIV or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy, chronic pain as defined by 10 NYCRR §1004.2(a)(8)(xi), or Huntington’s disease. Patients must also have one of the following associated or complicating conditions: cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe or persistent muscle spasms. – New York State: Healthy NY, Medical Marijuana Program
MMJ Conditions
While many states have a number of conditions that qualify under the Medicinal Marijuana Statues, there are none currently researched that have PMS as a specific condition qualifier. States like California and Colorado (which took many provisions from California), have open qualifiers that do not limit the prescription of MMJ to patients. What this does, is allow for doctors to make the determination rather than the government. As you can see in the Colorado Statute, there are qualifiers for severe pain, nausea and muscle spasms.
any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one or more major life activities (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) or, if not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient’s safety or physical or mental health” – California Law
“A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition other than HIV, cancer or glaucoma; or treatment for such conditions, which produces for a specific patient one or more of the following, and for which, in the professional opinion of the patient’s physician, such condition or conditions may reasonably be alleviated by the medical use of marijuana: cachexia; severe pain; severe nausea; seizures, including those that are characteristic of epilepsy; persistent muscle spasms, including those that are characteristic of multiple sclerosis; and other condition, as subject to the approval of the Colorado Board of Health” – Colorado Law
Best Strains
@TheWeedBlog did an article on the best strains of Marijuana for PMS, below is the strains according to their experts.
• Obama Kush: This is probably one of my personal favorites at Brightside right now. It is a hybrid comprised of both indica and sativa. Due to the progesterone and estrogen spike in women’s bodies around day 7 in our cycle, we experience breast tenderness, cramps, acne, irritability, and fatigue often coupled with diarrhea and/or nausea. The Obama is my most recommended strain because not only does it effectively numb the physical pain during menstruation, it also puts me in a good mood due to the sativa in it. So when I am pissed at the world while my progesterone is spiking, The Obama Kush meets all my needs of pain relief while also taking me to a calmer mental state.
• Black Cherry Cheesecake: A cross between Black Cherry Soda X Cherry Pie, crossed with Cheese. This heavy indica is the ultimate pain reliever. Your body begins to relax as the high arrives and can last up to 2-3 hours. Whenever I’m going through any physical pain caused by the spike of prostaglandins (which triggers uterine cramps) this indica quiets all that noise down, and effectively dulls my pain. This is great strain to smoke before bed or when spending a lazy night in. I recommend the black cherry cheesecake when your in day two of menstruation hell and need swift pain relief.
• Blue Dream: This strain is another example of an affective indica-dominant hybrid. The blue dream is the ideal strain because it effectively relieves pain, while producing the popular cerebral affects of sativa. Estrogen is responsible for the mood swings women often endure when pmsing, and the sativa within this strain helps mellow me out. Blue dream is a great wake n’ bake go-to before work because it relieves my killer cramps, settles my stomach, and leaves me with enough mental clarity to be able to do my job without slowing me down.
• Dutch Treat: Another great hybrid to smoke if you have shit to get done. It effectively calms my raging hormonal mood swings while providing solid pain relief. I enjoy the cerebral high of this strain, and highly recommend it when you need a pick-me-up after watching too many Nicolas Sparks movies. Treat yo self with the Dutch Treat.
• Purple Urkle: This heavy-hitting indica is no joke. When I am in serious need of pain relief, the Urkle is the way to go. I would not recommend to smoke this indica if you want to get anything done, but is great choice when winding your day down at home or before bed. When you’re going through it cramp-wise, it’s a no brainer. Its pain relieving qualities are unmatched, so if you have a tolerance built up, go for it! Great strain for cramps and insomnia.
Leafly does not have a set up specifically for PMS, but they have something for muscle cramps. I am sure if enough people write them, they would add it gladly, as they are quite good about working with their followers. Should we start a campaign? Maybe an Instagram campaign might get them to change? What sayeth thou?
