The opening on Saturday of a medical marijuana clinic in Shelbyville brought hope to the more than 30 patients who had appointments over the weekend.
Im trying not to get too excited, said Rachel Artrip, of Sullivan, who suffers from PTSD and connective tissue disorder. Im hopeful and I havent been hopeful in awhile.
Its such a relief to get your life back, said another patient, in tears.
Medical Cannabis Outreachs Medical Marijuana Pain Management & Wellness Clinic opened at 480 S. Heinlein Drive to help qualified area residents get a medical cannabis license. It does not dispense medical cannabis.
Caprice Sweatt, founder of Medical Cannabis Outreach, said that she started the Shelbyville clinic because doctors in the area have denied patients access to medical cannabis.
There arent any physicians in this whole area willing to recommend it, Sweatt said. Not all of them are coming from a place of bad intentions they werent taught about cannabis in medical school. Some dont support it for financial reasons. Theyve been governed by pharmaceutical companies for so long.
Sweatt said that her clinic offers help with the state-regulated application process and doctors who are willing to sign -off on medical cannabis as a treatment option.
Once a patient gets a medical cannabis license, Sweatt said they will be encouraged to seek continued counsel from her physicians as they wean themselves from opioids.
By switching to cannabis from opioids, Sweatt said patients are safer. Everyday, she said, 48 people die from prescription drug overdoses, while no one has died from medical cannabis.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in the United States for 2015. According to a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, states with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8 percent lower annual opioid overdose rate than states without them.
We really believe cannabis is going to be the solution for the prescription drug epidemic, Sweatt said.
Sweatt has been using medical cannabis herself the last 25 years to combat Crohns Disease.
Its changed my life, she said. I was on so many pills. Cannabis saved my life.
For patients at the new Shelbyville clinic, the closest medical cannabis dispensary is in Effingham. Springfield and Champaign also have dispensaries.
Medical Cannabis Outreach has other Illinois locations: in Pekin, Fulton, Harrisburg, and Melrose Park. The Shelbyville clinic is available on an appointment-only basis for now. Appointments can be made by calling 309-338-8900.
For Becky, who asked that her last name not be used, the drugs shes been prescribed for Crohns Disease have all come with burdensome side effects.
I got a prescription for prednisone, she said. On it, you feel like youre starving; your face is bloated; and it made me hallucinate.
The only drug that has curbed her pain without side effects has been cannabis. While she said she illegally used it without a license, Becky was constantly worried about being busted by police and drug tests at work.
Still, she said, it was too valuable to her health to avoid.
Without it, I dont think Id be here, Becky said. Some of the pills made me sicker than I already was.
Patients left the new Shelbyville clinic Saturday with the feeling that their pain and suffering may soon be over.
I thought about how this clinic makes me feel, Rachel Artrip said. In one word, its liberated.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Clinic That Helps Patients Get Medical Marijuana License Opens In Shelbyville
Author: Stan Polanski
Contact: 217-774-2161
Photo Credit: Stan Polanski
Website: Shelbyville Daily Union
