When James Ball went to St. Mary’s Hospital he assumed he would be able to consume some medical marijuana edibles he had with him to help control the pain.
He has a medical marijuana patient card, issued by the state, so he figured it wouldn’t be a problem. However, he was told the only thing he could take for pain would be what they’d prescribe, and he didn’t want to take pain killers.
Ball told the Weekly he felt it was discriminatory, especially because medical marijuana had been prescribed to him by a doctor and it’s regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Ball’s history with prescription medications is an issue, too. So over the years he’s stopped taking them, and realized marijuana was the best way to treat his pain.
He found himself at St. Mary’s recently because his pain was growing worse from a spinal cord issue that caused swelling and irritated his spinal column. Besides pain, he couldn’t move from the neck down.
He found himself in and out of the hospital. He thought he’d bring edibles and he happened to mention it to the nurse when they wanted to have him take pain medications, specifically percoset after a surgery and then morphine.
“I was told it goes against policy,” he said. “I wanted to talk to someone higher up, but couldn’t.”
One night, when he was in a deep sleep and they had difficulty waking him, they took him to ICU when they thought he may have taken marijuana against their wishes. Ball said he didn’t. He just hadn’t slept for two days because of the insomnia and pain, so his need for sleep finally caught up with him.
“It was a high-stress situation,” he said.
“I was told since the hospital is a tobacco-free zone, like cigarettes I wouldn’t be able to use marijuana.”
Ball said he looked at his discharge papers to see if they ever tested him for THC, but there was no evidence.
“The papers said they suspected someone brought me some in food,” he said.
Early last year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to allow medical marijuana use in about 20 hospitals throughout the state. Ball said a change in policy is needed in Arizona, too.
“Again, if this is prescribed by a doctor and supported by our state health officials,” he said, then why can’t it be used in our hospitals.”
This is part one of James Ball’s story on medical marijuana. Next week, we talk to three Tucson hospitals on their policy treating MMJ patients and not allowing marijuana, edible or otherwise, on hospital grounds.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2015.
“He found himself at St. Mary’s recently because his pain was growing worse from a spinal CHORD issue,” the story says.
Deep sigh.
Copy editors can fix these embarrassing mistakes. No MMJ required. Usually.
> Copy editors can fix these embarrassing mistakes. *Less MMJ* required
FYP
Spinal cord is actually correct. Spinal CHORD is not.
Cord is correct; however, Percocet is a brand name and as such should be capitalized. Moreover, Percocet is misspelled in the story.
So this is the sounding board for MMJ not about. The pending from the pan into the fire jump with talk about legalization. The board talk is about Narcissistic spelling police complaining in the way alignment of letters rather than try to understand the idea trying to be communicated. I will say this Legalization with the intent the Rep Cardensas is putting in front of our Legislature. This is not what we want by any means. $50.00 tax per ounce at the state level and what ever the county and Cities want to levy on as a tax. All this does is keep the illegal market up the judicial and criminal coffers funded. Short fall in revenues means increased tax’s levied. these dispensaries are oblivious to the symbiotic relationship between Medical Patient and the local grower. Which need to get better to compete on a national scale as that’s where it is going. One big massive 500,000 square glass ceiling warehouse can supply the whole state and then some when turned over to an industrial scale these local dispensaries are going to go like ashes in the wind just look at VCR to DVD to Netflix. Or another comparison, computers DOS MAC WINDOWS EXPLORES FIREFOX NOW ANDROID AND APPS. I FOR ONE WILL NOT SUPPORT THESE DISPENSARIES NOW OR IN THE FURTURE IF THEY KEEP WITH PROMOTING THESE UNREALSTIC TAX RATES FOR LEGALIZATION.
I will say in the future with legalization and these dispensaries collecting axes and trying to make a fantastic living out of outdated growing technics and collaborative efforts to stifle competition. Anybody then that end up prosecuted for tax evasion or selling Marijuana the blood will be on their hands.
I challenge just go to Weedmaps and look at prices paid in Oregon, Colorado, Washington, California, etc Arizona is DOUBLED. look at how these states look at the difference between medical as to Recreational. Just look at any Weedmap review of product in at local Dispensaries. The reviews are always the same people liking the carnival pricing with punch cards Happy Hour and stuff for the kiddies jelly pops and so forth stopped by got my gram and it’s the bomb Dude. There is little support for the medical needs person at the local dispensaries in my opinion. i have had my card now 3+ years been to all of the dispensaries in town over the 3 years. It started ok but then marketing took place. There were high price in the beginning to get a market up and going. This was done so the initial cost could be quickly recouped. Now this has set a price that the collaborative dispensaries want to keep as standards and forgo the Medical need patient that got the market in the first place.
Or you get this come by we can talk about it like I have the time go by a dispensary 3 -4 times a week for my gram punch card vap pen cartridge go home post a review on Weedmaps freebie.
Well there is my ran for this week
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If you need Medical Marijuana to protect or save your health use it! I can assure you that all these croakers, pundits, Arizona Legislators and other various mealy mouthed know it alls will be NO place to be found when you lie dying in a Hospice.
It’s a you Vs them equation. It’s your life and the only rescue will be self rescue. X them out and save yourself and your life. Their is way too much respect in Western Culture on the “expert” what ever that is? Most of these so called “experts” can’t even tie their own shoes or change a flat tire.
If you need Marijuana to save your live do so. Forget all these experts, hospitals, croakers and others that are educated beyond their intelligence. If you want to trust them, help yourself as they don’t give a flip if you die, only if they get the insurance check! Why is it that when the medical insurance money runs out they report to you, “There is nothing more we can do for you”?
Screw the Hospital; if you need marijuana as a medicine use it.
Remember when seeking medical attention the first think they ask you is: How are you going to pay for this treatment? Not how sick are you!
These croakers, shrinks, hospitals don’t give a damn, they just want money. For example: Some pills for Chemo related nausea cost $800 dollars each. You will get better results from 5 dollars worth of Medical Marijuana.
Forget them! If you need Medical Marijuana use it……………….