Emalee Hyde
Patient name: Emalee Hyde
Age: 25
Condition/Illness: Jaw bone arthritis, severe allergies
Using Medical Cannabis since: Age 21
Why did you start using cannabis?
I began using cannabis in attempt to treat debilitating symptoms caused by an allergy that went undiagnosed for nine years. I experienced chronic and debilitating migraines, for which no pharmaceutical “solution” ever provided relief. A friend suggested cannabis, and it helped relieve my painful symptoms by turning them into at most a mild discomfort. I knew that I had stumbled upon something much greater than myself and was hungry to learn more about its medical properties and benefits. Later in life, I learned about the allergy and did not need to consume cannabis for my chronic allergic reactions. Once I hit 22, I started experiencing pain in my face and jaw. After seeing a specialist, I was diagnosed with jaw bone arthritis. I became a medical cannabis refugee by leaving Florida to move to Colorado to obtain a legalized, natural medicine. I consume cannabis every day to keep my jaw fully functional and any discomfort at very minimal levels.
Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis?
I have tried almost every medication and treatment for migraines and pain management. Nothing works as well, fast, safely or effectively as cannabis.
What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients?
Legal access to a quality controlled medical plant. Prohibition puts so many people in jail or in the ground due to the political and street warfare that is waged just within a black market system. The legalized market must have strict quality control standards to ensure each crop provides a safe yield with no pesticides or microbial inconstancies that could potentially harm the very patients the plant was grown to help treat and or cure.
What do you say to folks that are skeptical about cannabis as medicine?
If someone is skeptical, education is key. There are many valuable sources, such as NORML or PUBMED, that trumpet the medical benefits of this plant with many studies to back up these articles.
