Crohn’s Disease
Marijuana has been used as a remedy for Crohn’s disease for centuries (long before it was called Crohn’s disease). Research shows it effectively alleviates symptoms of the disease and often leads to complete remission.
Condition Overview
Crohn’s disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and fatigue are common symptoms. Weight loss and malnutrition often follow.
Other symptoms include rectal bleeding, urgent need to move bowels, the sensation of incomplete evacuation and constipation (which can lead to bowel obstruction). The inflammation can also spread to deeper layers of tissue and cause tears which lead to infections. Crohn’s disease can be both painful and debilitating and may lead to life-threatening complications.
The exact cause of this disease, which affects as many as 700,000 Americans, remains unknown, so treatment regimens usually aim to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and prevent weight loss.
Real Life Stories
Coltyn Turner was only 11 when he was diagnosed with severe, debilitating Crohn’s disease. His doctors tried treating it with conventional drugs — Asacol, Entocort, Remicade, Methotrexate, Prednisone, Humira — but nothing worked. In desperation, his parents started researching medical marijuana and decided to give it a try. After just one month of treatment with marijuana oil pills and THC edibles, his Crohn’s disease was in complete remission. Now a healthy teenager, Coltyn travels the country as an activist for medical marijuana. “I’d rather be illegally alive than legally dead,” is what he tells people every chance he gets.
RELATED STUDIES
Interesting Fact
Marijuana makes complete remission from Crohn’s disease possible, according to research conducted at the Meir Medical Center in Israel in 2013. Half of the study participants went into full remission while the other half saw a significant reduction in their symptoms after smoking two medical marijuana joints per day for eight weeks.