Rage Against the Medical Machine

I have been incredibly fortunate in the past four years since I came out of the green closet to live in a pro-cannabis bubble. While there’s been an off comment here and there, for the most part, my conversations are filled with people who are curious about the cannabis plant and want to know more. I am, of course, always happy to share information.

That began to change earlier this year when I needed medical intervention for stomach problems. My GI PA was not thrilled to hear of my cannabis use, but she was remarkably non-judgmental. She expressed concerns that it could be contributing to my vomiting issues and I explained my 90-day smoke break and 60 days being THC-free was designed to eliminate that as the cause. I explained to her about the endocannabinoid system and shared some research on how cannabinoid receptors and dysregulation may contribute to gut issues. She was not particularly interested, but she listened well.

(Unfortunately, I would recommend this smoke/ THC break to anyone who is dealing with prolonged medical problems, not indefinitely, but long enough to clinically show a lack of causation.)

Ultimately, she decided I would need a fairly common gastric procedure to rule out any particularly harmful causes. Since I would need to be put under, I decided to hold off on regular THC consumption, as this can affect anesthesia dosages. (ALWAYS be honest with your anesthesiologist about cannabis use so they can administer proper dosages – even if the rest of your medical team is unaware.)

I went for this procedure on Tuesday. I was honest with the care team about my cannabis consumption and the length of my abstention from it. No one seemed to care much – or so I thought.

The procedure went well and smoothly (I was shocked by how quickly the anesthesia worked and wore off.) My doctor came over to go through the preliminary results and after telling me that everything looked normal, took an unexpected left into an anti-cannabis lecture. She told me that cannabis use causes cyclical vomiting and that my cannabis use could be the cause of my symptoms – never mind that I had already told her I was 79 days into my break.

I was, obviously, disoriented from waking up from a forcible sleep, but even through the haze of my mind, I immediately responded that cyclical vomiting is the precursor to CHS (cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome) which has a multitude of causes, including genetic mutations, and excessive consumption of highly potent cannabis products, including isolates. I consume whole plant medicine and still experienced symptoms while not consuming.

First of all – a moment for my anesthesia-addled brain for the speed at which it came up with that response. There was no thinking, no pause. That’s how deeply engrained this information is in me.

The doctor did not take a single word of this in. She replied something I cannot remember and walked away, obviously uninterested in what I had to say. It was infuriating but I was quite distracted by everything else going on, like putting my clothes on, leaving the facility, and making the 2.5-hour journey home.

But as the days passed and the effects of the anesthesia wore off (hello full body aches and disrupted sleep!) the anger remained. So I hopped into my patient portal and wrote the doctor the following message.

Do I think this message will make a difference? Not really, I don’t. My hope is that at the very least it will make her curious enough to search the studies I mentioned and gain the smallest understanding of the endocannabinoid system and its impact on the gastrointestinal system. But ultimately, it’s likely just going to echo into the void of overworked, underpaid doctors who are not incentivized to keep up with evolving research.

Still, I’m glad I sent it. I do not claim to know much about the GI tract, but I am certain I know more than she does about the endocannabinoid system since I have spent the past four years pouring dozens of hours into reading through research.

All of this to say, cannabis consumers, like women, must come prepared to medical offices armed and prepared to defend themselves based on the most recent research. You cannot assume your doctor will know anything about cannabis beyond reefer madness or the endocannabinoid system at all. Medical consumption of cannabis is real and valid, whether or not your doctor knows anything about the plant. If you do not defend yourself, no one will.

While research is rapidly evolving, the medical industry is not keeping pace. Stand on business, come prepared with research, and don’t let anyone tell you that reefer madness is real.