Before being told that he had Parkinson’s disease, Darrell Pelsrey had noted that his tremors were getting worse during a ten-year period. The 43-year-old Pelsrey’s shaking became so severe that workers followed him around grocery stores and cops stopped him eight times to inquire about his possible drug use. He discovered that staying at home was easier.
Since medicinal marijuana became legal in his home state of Ohio in 2016, Pelsrey chose to test it after discovering that prescription medications didn’t appear to work, made him feel ill, and decreased his appetite.
It completely slowed Pelsrey down, he admitted. “I was able to carry a drink up my stairs to the bedroom for the first time in three years,” the author said.
However, Pelsrey admitted that he has sold blood plasma to cover his expenses since he sometimes struggles to acquire medical marijuana. According to Pelsrey, the price of consumables, tinctures, and up to 28 grammes of smokable flower is roughly $600 per month.
Medicaid pays for Pelsrey’s opioids and other prescribed painkillers but refuses to cover marijuana since it is considered illegal by the federal government. However, according to polls, the majority of people favour legalising marijuana for medical purposes, and 38 states already have such programmes.
The Biden administration said in October that all marijuana studies will be examined to determine whether federal legislation needed to be amended. Congress is also mulling new legislation that would decriminalise marijuana possession and permit more marijuana research. However, it’s uncertain whether Democrats, who don’t all support legalisation, will be able to approve any new marijuana laws before the year is over.
Pelsrey and the more than 5 million Americans with medical marijuana cards who use the medicine to address conditions ranging from severe seizure disorders to chronic pain and PTSD may be impacted by those decisions.
Because of this, HEADLINESFOREVER is starting a national experiment to examine how simple or challenging it is for people to obtain marijuana for medical purposes. The data acquired through this survey will be put to use in a project supported by a 2022 National Fellowship from the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
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