By FibroToday.com Staff
In polls taken earlier this year on FibroToday.com, 60% of you said that you have tried marijuana to treat your fibromyalgia symptoms and 81% of those who have tried it said that it was “very effective” in treating their symptoms. Based on this and other feedback that we’ve received about the growing interest in using marijuana and CBD (cannabidiol) products to treat fibromyalgia, we wanted to clarify the options for people who are seeking to legally get access to these products.
There are 3 options that those with fibromyalgia or chronic pain have to legally use cannabis products in the United States:
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Reside in a state where marijuana use is legal with or without a medical marijuana card. Marijuana is currently legal for adults in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Residents of these states can legally choose from the full array of marijuana options and forms, including edibles, tinctures, oils and topicals. While the number of states legalizing marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes is expected to grow over time, it is only legal in these 4 states as of January 2016.
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Reside in a state where you qualify for its medical marijuana program. 34 states in addition to those listed above have a medical marijuana program in place as of October 2015. States that specifically include a qualifying condition of “pain” or “chronic pain” are Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont. So medical marijuana for treating fibromyalgia is generally a viable option for residents of those 13 states. Many of the other 34 states have a medical marijuana program but are restrictive on the qualifying conditions and allowable products. For example, many states only allow for the use of CBD marijuana oils (rich in CBD and THC) by those with epilepsy or seizure disorders.
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If you do not reside in a state where marijuana is legal or if you live in a state with a medical marijuana program but you don’t qualify for it, your remaining option for legally treating your condition with cannabis is generally the use of CBD hemp products. These products are legal in all 50 states and are available in a variety of forms including oil drops, vape oils, capsules and dabs. CBD hemp products are legal in all 50 states because, unlike traditional marijuana or CBD marijuana oils, they contain little or no THC. Thus, CBD hemp products are being increasingly used by sufferers of fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions because they contain many of the same medicinal qualities of marijuana without the “getting high” effect.