As Missouri prepares to roll out medical marijuana, patients and physicians weigh the pros and cons

Last fall, when Missouri voters were faced with the prospect of legalizing medical cannabis, proponents touted an array of potential benefits: It could ease the opioid epidemic, bring in millions in tax revenue, and provide an alternative for patients with a variety of conditions.

Now, as the state prepares for the rollout, patients are asking health care providers about medical marijuana. “The most common questions I get are ‘Am I a candidate’ and ‘Would this work for me?’” says Dr. Patricia Hurford, an orthopedic surgeon who practices in Illinois, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2013, and who serves on the board of the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association.

Hurford says medical cannabis has provided an alternative treatment for many of her patients in Illinois, decreasing the need for opioids: “[Medical marijuana] offers an alternative to what I would consider more traditional treatments that have been less effective for patients with certain conditions.”

One of her Illinois patients, for instance, began using medical marijuana last November. In the past, severe fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome left her with such intense nerve pain that she was unable to leave her home or sleep through the night. Surgeries, medications, and therapies failed to provide relief. “When you’re in the extreme amount of pain that I’m in 24/7,” the patient says, “you’re willing to go for anything that will give you hope.” Now, less than a year later, she’s able to sleep through the night and can leave the house. The patient describes her transformation as “night and day.”

Still, some experts believe more research is needed. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, says NCADA policy coordinator Brandon Costerison, “supports rescheduling marijuana so we can get some strong evidence-backed research that would help inform decisions when we are looking at potential medical use.”

Hurford notes that there’s a lack of funding for research on the benefits and risks of medical marijuana. “I think there is a tremendous amount of research that may help to find a better or more effective role of medical marjuana and the plant’s components for the treatment of different diseases,” she says.

Former St. Louisans Jenny and Alex Inman remember first seeking an alternative treatment for their son Lukas, who began having seizures before his third birthday. He underwent brain surgery, which led to a temporary reduction of his symptoms. Soon after, however, the seizures recurred. Three years later, Lukas was back at his baseline. Around that time, the Inmans, who were living in Rockville, Maryland, saw a CNN documentary about Colorado families who were using cannabis to treat epilepsy.Eventually, after meeting with families in similar circumstances, they moved to Colorado Springs. Four years after Lukas began using medical cannabis, the incidence of seizures is down 60 percent.

“It’s a lonely, kind of scary world, because the traditional path of getting medical advice through doctors—they just don’t have the depth you’re used to getting with other medications and treatments,” says Alex.

“And that can be very frightening,” Jenny adds. “We were really nervous and scared, because there was no one we could call for help.”

Because many medical schools’ curricula don’t address medical cannabis, Hurford says, there’s a knowledge gap for physicians. She’s traveled around the state to speak with health care providers about medical marijuana. In light of the degree of physician discretion written into the amendment, educating physicians about medical marijuana is particularly important.

“My recommendation would be to go to a doctor and talk to them about whatever their symptoms are but don’t go in saying, ‘I want marijuana to treat this,’” Costerison says. “Take the doctor’s advice on whether medication is appropriate and what that medication would be.”