Pubdate: Thu, 03 Sep 2015
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Jon Willing
Page: 6

ARTHRITIS PAIN GOES UP IN SMOKE

Doctors couldn't believe what Rachel Janzen was asking for.

Marijuana to soothe the pain from the debilitating effects of an
aggressive arthritis?

"Every doctor I tried to go to, they looked at me like, 'Why would you
want to try that, Rachel?'" Janzen said. "I was always met with a shut
door."

Janzen was sick of the traditional medications. In fact, those drugs
made her feel even more ill because of the side effects.

Now the 31-year-old Kingsville, Ont. woman relies on pot to relieve
her pain and she wants more arthritis sufferers to have better access
to information about marijuana's potential to help them, too.

The Arthritis Society of Canada is funding research into marijuana's
potential to treat pain. The $360,000 study started this summer and
will last three years, the organization says. Two medicinal marijuana
producers, Aphria and the Peace Naturals Project, have handed the
Arthritis Arthritis sufferers are hoping that medical marijuana could
help soothe the debilitating effects of the aggressive illness.
Society funds for the research.

Dr. Jason McDougall, a professor at Dalhousie University, is leading
the study.

Stewart Wong, the Arthritis Society's VP of communications, said the
organization became keen on knowing more about marijuana after
learning the majority of Canadians who could legally have weed used it
to manage arthritis pain.

"This is the beginning of what we hope is a flood or research on the
topic," Stewart said.

The Arthritis Society says over 4.6 million Canadians live with the
disorder.

Most of Janzen's pain is in her wrists and fingers, which is
especially unfortunate since she's a dental hygienist.

Janzen was first diagnosed in 2007. She remembers trying to braid her
cousin's hair but couldn't lift her shoulders.

"It was a very sudden onset," Janzen said.

"It was really aggressive to the point they were thinking it was lupus
or MS."

The arthritis has made her cautious of every movement. She waits for
her husband to open the door. She's afraid to do groceries by herself.

"Socially you feel like an outcast sometimes," Janzen said. "The pain
itself can be all-consuming. It's hard to think of it in any other
way."

Smoking marijuana - she can legally obtain medicinal pot to treat her
arthritis - has relieved pain and the stress that comes with mulling
the future.

She wants to break the stigma for other sufferers who are considering
marijuana for pain relief.

Janzen said her parents were skeptical at first. Then they learned
about the potential upside and watched as their daughter become an
advocate.

"Now they're proud of it," Janzen said.
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