Mar 9, 2020 4 min read

“In one word, what is cannabis?” asked a professor, handing out post-it notes.

The definition of deviance is continually evolving, explained the professor, Dr. Cody Stone, before handing over the discussion to Ph.D. candidate Matt Reid. Reid explained his doctoral research, examining the experiences of medical marijuana patients during a talk at California University of Pennsylvania, “Medical Marijuana in a Post-Prohibition State.”

The one-word definitions varied. Many defined cannabis with street names, like weed or pot. Others described it as a plant or an herb, while others described it with a feeling like “high.” Several others described it by its medical functions.

One local woman said her definition of marijuana has shifted over the years, changing from a pastime in her youth to a way to avoid taking opioids. She has been a medical marijuana patient for about one year following a cancer diagnosis, and asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation at work.

She stopped smoking marijuana after settling down and starting a family. When her son was young, she was in a serious car accident and prescribed narcotics. After only two days on the drugs, she said she no longer recognized herself, and neither did her son. He placed his book, “Are You My Mother?” at the end of her bed, and she took it as a sign that she was already losing herself.

“I said, you’re right. I don’t know who I am,” she said. “I took those pills for two days, and I just turned into someone else.”

She determined not to take narcotics, but the pain persisted.

“So I might’ve started smoking weed,” she said, a bit sheepishly.

She received her medical marijuana card to help alleviate pain from cancer, but the cost of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is a roadblock for her. She said she can get a mason jar of medicated ghee in California for $70. In Pennsylvania, she is charged the same for about a tablespoon. Her doctors continue prescribing her opioids. Medical marijuana takes the edge off, but lately she said the pain has been “overwhelming.” She promised herself she would not take opioids for more than 30 days.

Reid’s research indicated the best course of pain treatment is a combination of opioids and medical marijuana. He said many of the patients in his study reported preferring marijuana to opioids because they can function better on marijuana than on opioids, which make them sleepy or loopy. Some used medical marijuana to go off prescription pills, which were usually narcotics but also included anxiety medications, muscle relaxers or psychotropic drugs like those prescribed for bipolar disorder.

Some described being unable to work on narcotics, or being over-drugged, leading to a distrust of pharmaceutical companies. That led patients to prefer the independence they have with medical marijuana, maintaining control over how they use it.

In best-case scenarios with prescription pills, he said patients reported being able to function because of them. On medical marijuana, they reported “thriving” in their daily lives.

“Not just getting by,” he said. “Cannabis is seen as going a step further, allowing them to thrive and enjoy life’s little moments as opposed to being distracted by pain.”

However, the patients reported some doctors stigmatized them as medical marijuana patients, expressing “intense disdain” for cannabis or issuing ultimatums, such as drug tests. They also faced stigmatization with their families, religious organizations or jobs.

Reid said his research indicates maintaining medical marijuana programs following full legalization is an important issue to patients. Being a member of a medical marijuana program decreases stigmas surrounding its use, which sometimes protects them at work or in legal issues such as custody battles. Many reported that even if they no longer need a medical marijuana card to get cannabis because of recreational legalization, they plan to pay the money to renew their card because it legitimizes their usage.

“Since marijuana was medicalized by patient advocates, we should prioritize their views when we theorize this issue,” he said.