Cannabis and SCI
Get the facts
In Canada, legal authorization of cannabis for medical purposes has been around since 2001. Two decades later, we now have legal access to both medical and recreational cannabis products. But what does this mean for an individual living with an SCI? Where can you turn for trusted information? Is medical cannabis right for you? Navigating the medical cannabis space can be tricky. Exploring the following page will help you take one step further in learning more about cannabis and how it may apply to your life.
Education is key
The period after a spinal cord injury is a difficult transition that has implications impacting mental and physical health. As a result, it is common for those with an SCI to experience depression, neuropathy and spasticity, amongst other issues.
The use of cannabis to alleviate symptoms stemming from spinal cord injury is a lot more common than you might think. Pain can be debilitating and impact one’s quality of life. The majority of those with an SCI report having to deal with chronic pain in one way or another, usually through prescription pharmaceuticals. However, an increasing amount of people are turning to medical cannabis.
The benefits of cannabis on complications of spinal cord injury continues to be explored scientifically and personally within the SCI community. There are many positive accounts of medical cannabis being a useful supplement to one’s pain management and post-SCI symptoms and that number is exponentially increasing. A National Cannabis Survey run by Stats Canada in 2019 found that 1 in 5 Canadians have reported trying cannabis at one point.
It’s important to emphasize the individual decision making required to try cannabis for medical purposes. Everyone reacts differently and there is a wide gap between clinical evidence and practice on an individual basis. You should discuss risks and benefits with your physician.
