My Doctor and I continue to brawl. Unfortunately, My health likes to roller coaster and I find myself needing that paperwork a little sooner than I imagined. I am going under the knife again pretty soon and I don’t take opiates so, I want to be licensed. I am taking this as a sign that I am meant to have my ACMPR and this is the universes way of proving it to me; also, this flare up gives me a little extra leverage in terms of cementing justification for said ACMPR. Silver linings do exist.
So here is where I am at:
I have been visiting with my family doctor every 2 weeks now trying to figure this issue out. I started to bring various family members to visits to make the appointments a bit more uncomfortable. I wanted to remind my Doctor that when someone is denied their choice of safe medicine, the entire family is suffering. Although we have had several conversations about it, it is clear that my GP and I are at an impasse. He has and continues to refuse to fill out the paperwork for medical marijuana under ANY circumstances for ANY condition. Our last visit was very interesting and we came to a few conclusions…
1, He has no problem with me using Cannabis.
The fact that I haven’t had any other pain killer in over 2 years is something my Doctor and I both celebrate. He thinks it is awesome that I don’t ever want to see a triplicate prescription pad (unless I am desperate for a rolling paper) and whatever I am doing to replace that works for him. In fact, I have never received any form of negative reaction or discouragement of my cannabis use whatsoever.
2, He will refer me to a different Doctor so that I can get my ACMPR – I just have to find them myself.
Being horrified at the minimum $200 application fee wasn’t enough to get him to reconsider. So far, $200 is the cheapest I can find but some places it’s a cool $500 just to start the process. Even worse, the license is only good for a year so this would become an annual expense. In my opinion, the idea of this fee is corrupt. Sick people don’t have the extra money to buy the right to access their medicine every year. The wealthy and those who have exaggerated an illness for recreational purposes can afford this but those financially limited from sickness cannot. I have a friend with a license for 400 plants for “mild anxiety” and I am a cancer patient fighting for her access to any.
3, He freaked right out when he realized I will be going through surgery without opiates.
I have told him time and time again but he didn’t listen. My Doctor always imagined that when the time came, he could pull out his prescription and dole me out some pills until this last visit. The conversation began with him telling me I might change my mind when the time comes but it is coming soon so it has to be discussed. I explained again that my plans were to go through surgery using anti-inflammatories, local anesthetic and cannabis. He suggested Gabapentin:
-He started to explain it and told me that perhaps if I started taking that every day, it might help my pain. I would be on a new medication every day potentially for the rest of my life.
– “No thanks, cannabis please”.
– He explained I could try it for a few months.
– “Nope, cannabis thanks”.
– It turned into, “You can’t just assume this herb will be your wonder drug.”
– I very sweetly and politely reminded him that as a Canadian Citizen, It is my legal right to take whatever medicine I would like to treat whatever condition I have. That the College of Physicians and Surgeons do not legally back any new medical information unless it has been confirmed by long-term human testing of more than 10 years and that has not been concluded… yet. Thus, Cannabis has yet be proved or disproved as an appropriate medicine and I am choosing to exercise my legal right to use it.
“Well…you have to see a pain specialist then. I am sending you to a pain specialist. They will talk to you about different drugs you could take.”
“Sure, I’ll talk to them about my cannabis use.”
I was watching this deep crimson colour creep up his neck from his collar it dawned on him that I really mean to do this. He was utterly flummoxed and totally pissed. Then, he said the funniest thing I have ever heard a doctor say…
“well…well…what….well….What are you gonna do? Smoke a doobie in the operating room????!!?? They can’t give you IV MARIJUANNA!!!!???!!”
It was really hard to keep my composure as I could tell he was flabbergasted but trying to understand. I explained that we could use anti-inflammatories, local anesthetic and there are concentrated cannabis products that I can take sublingually. He shook his head and put in the referral for the specialist.
The Conclussion – My Doctor earns every penny he makes when I walk in the door and we both know it. He has no idea what to do with me hounding him for my ACMPR but he has been with me since I was a kid, so, he knows I will never stop. You will never meet a GP who sticks to the letter the law more so than mine and we are at a stalemate. I am going to see my specialist in Vancouver and this pain specialist; I am being told to bring the ACMPR forms to them. The point I will make and stress: If a doctor has a legitimate reason to prescribe me an opiate, why won’t they prescribe me a medicine that is much safer? They better have a good reason because I am getting frustrated…
This article first appeared in the Cannabis Digest