Many cannabis consumers will attest to the benefits of the plant. Some might even say their cannabis use has changed their lives, especially those successfully using cannabis to treat symptoms of myriad conditions. Tony Paterson, a 33-year-old father from Kinross, Scotland with multiple sclerosis, can surely be counted among them.
Paterson could reportedly barely move due to rapidly progressing multiple sclerosis, but after replacing his prescription regimen of 75 tablets a day in favor of cannabis, he’s back on his feet, according to a Nottingham Post report.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that impacts the nervous system, namely the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It occurs when the immune system attacks nerve fibers and myelin sheathing, a fatty substance that surrounds and insulates healthy nerve fibers, in the brain and spinal cord. This ultimately causes inflammation, which can destroy nerve cell processes and myelin, subsequently altering electrical messages in the brain.
MS affects patients differently; some face mild effects that don’t greatly alter their day-to-day life, while others may lose their ability to move their limbs, walk or speak over time. While MS has no cure, many MS patients already use cannabis to help manage their symptoms.
Paterson was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS after he was admitted to the hospital for an eye squint operation and underwent an MRI scan in January 2011. He got the news just as he landed his dream job as a chef with Gleneagle hotel.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, 90% of patients will have a relapsing-remitting course of disease. Symptoms include fatigue; numbness; tingling; blurred vision; double vision or loss of vision; unsteady gait and weakness, though this type of MS also means patients’ conditions can worsen and then improve.
“After being diagnosed my whole life was turned upside down,” Paterson said. “I didn’t understand the condition—all I knew is that my body was changing and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t see properly, my body was weak and I was completely disorientated.”
Paterson said his condition “went downhill really quickly,” having to move back in with his parents and eventually using a walking stick and then a wheelchair. This was on top of brain fog, confusion, memory issues, other mobility issues and issues with his bowels and bladder.
“It felt endless. I had pills to counteract the symptoms of other pills,” he said.
After his daughter Zevanna was born in 2014, Paterson began searching for other solutions, eventually coming across an NHS research project examining the effects of medical cannabis, so he gave it a shot. Ultimately, Paterson left his 75-pill daily routine behind in favor of cannabis. Following just 10 months of cannabis treatment, the U.K. father is back on his feet, cycles regularly and owns and runs a removal company with his brother, Jordan.
For me, everything changed the day I started using medical cannabis,” Paterson said. “It’s completely turned my life around. I never would have been able to get my life back without it.”
Paterson consumes approximately three grams or less of medical cannabis each day, spending about £300 a month ($365.83) purchasing the plant medicine from licensed medical cannabis clinics. While it’s not perfect, it’s hard to deny how substantially cannabis has altered the trajectory of his life.
“My life has improved drastically,” Paterson said. “I’ve dealt with bipolar, and PTSD and it helps me get on with the day. It doesn’t take all the pain away but it’s been the best painkiller and has given me my life back.”
Paterson now lives on his own, raising his daughter as a single dad. While he was “devastated” to lose out on his dream job at 21 because of his diagnosis, he said cannabis now allows him to be there for his daughter.
“Now I feel like I’ve been given a second chance. For those people who are in pain, have tried other routes to no avail, think about medical cannabis. It has changed my life.”
