Medical marijuana advice

My father in law has been battling cancer for two years now and isn't doing so well. He is losing weight and has no appetite. His sense of smell and taste are gone and he is finding it very difficult to eat anything. Does anybody have any thoughts on a good strain to stimulate his appetite?

thanks

I don't have any personal experience, but I just did a quick google search for you. Check out this site: http://ocnorml.org/news/pot_strains.htm

I noticed the last paragraph at the bottom of the page:

Here is a quote from Hilary Black of the British Columbia Compassion Society:

"Indica and Sativa are the two main varieties of the cannabis plant used as medicine. There are many strains that are crosses of those two varieties. Within each of those varieties and crosses there are a huge number of individual strains, each with a different cannabinoid profile and effect. According to anecdotal evidence, the Indica strains are a relaxant, effective for anxiety, pain, nausea, appetite stimulation, sleep, muscle spasms and tremors, among other symptoms. The Sativa strains are more of a stimulant, effective in appetite stimulation, relieving depression, migraines, pain and nausea. We are now aware of specific strains that are effective for specific conditions and symptoms."

I can't validate this quote, but it seems to suggest that either strain would be effective. There's plenty of compassionate people who post here and hopefully they can give you some advice. Best of luck.

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Any strain would do. Make sure he starts out with just one hit and waits a few minutes before ea hit. It would be easy to accidentally get too high as a beginner and then for him to hate it afterwards.

If you are in a legal medical area have him try hemp oil also.

Thanks for all the helpful information. Would you recommend he try it in brownies first?

ten characters?

dal88 said:

ten characters?

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This site won't let you just type in "bump". It must be at least 10 characters. I was bumping what I thought was an important question, while making a statement about the random 10 character rule. Subtle, maybe a bit sarcastic, but it did the job.

dal88 said:

Thanks for all the helpful information. Would you recommend he try it in brownies first?

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Is your father a smoker? If he's never smoked then it would definitely be better for him to try an edible (such as a brownie) first. I started using medical mj for migraines a few months ago and had a real hard time learning to smoke - and if he's feeling nauseous it's going to be the last thing he'll want to try. So yes - try a brownie. It will take a good hour or two for it to kick in but he should feel full body relief and gain some appetite!

sorry to hear about your fathers condition... best wishes for you and your family.

I personally find Indica's to do a better job at giving me the "munchies". I find when I smoke a more sativa dominant I end up getting so preoccupied with something (mostly my garden...or just my mind) that I forget about food all together. I would suggest something in the range of 3/4 Indica to start off.

In fact, there is a strain that was developed by the University of British Columbia specifically to treat chemotherapy patients. It is 80% Indica and 20% Sativa and goes by the name "UBC Chemo" or just simply "Chemo". Here is a short blurb from the website http://www.drchronic.com/products.asp?recnumber=1154
"UBC Chemo


OUT OF STOCK DO NOT ORDER .................... Indoor / Outdoor Very strong with a hashy flavour, UBC Chemo was developed in the 1970's for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Exhibiting characteristics of being a polyploid, woody stock and odd shaped leaves give the UBC Chemo a bonsai-like appearance. Recognized amongst the medical community as the best strain available for chronic pain and nausea. Flowering 9 weeks"

Generally speaking if a strain is said to help nausea and the likes then it will most likely work as an appetite stimulant as well.

The seed is offered through Federation Seeds, I hope this helps, my heart goes out to you and your family.



Edit. Got my Indica Sativa %s wrong. Correct is 20% Sativa and 80% Indica

dal88 said:

Thanks for all the helpful information. Would you recommend he try it in brownies first?

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Smoking is better for experimentation.

If you eat too much cannabis it can leave you devastatingly stoned for hours, even days, whereas if you smoke, you can usually crash that high just by eating a decent meal.

Hopefully it helps his appetite, and takes his mind off his condition for a while.

Checkout my medical grow using the link in my signature GL

If he is not an experienced Cannabis smoker than I definitely would not give him edibles first. It is hard to determine exactly how much THC is in each edible. And harder yet to determine how much would be suitable for his situation. I believe that smoking while not always the best method of administration would suit him best, a vaporizer would be even better. Then he could take small hits until he is good. Eating a strong edible his first time may make him sick or too high. Smoking as all of us veterans know is really not the best use of Cannabis due to the fact that so much is wasted in the burning process, and all the carcinogens and butane we ingest. It is said that only 30% of the THC is rendered effective while smoking. While extraction into butter or tinctures one can achieve near 100% THC content. But definetly have him smoke or vaporize his first time out. Also don't have him hold it in like we would do, have him inhale and exhale like you would if you were smoking a cigarette. Good Luck & Get Well Soon

some good advice to not start out on edibles if he has never toked before (or if its been a long time). plus rep for those of you. Start out small to give him the feel . Be there with him to reassure him and make him feel comfortable. Stay with him while he does it for the first few times and talk to him during the "session". Tripping on marijuana by yourself when you are potentially terminally ill is not a good idea. The mind can run to new places, places that were maybe ignored before Marijuana "expanded" it.

Just monitor him closely until you know he is good with it. Believe it or not but some people (not many that I know) have tried marijuana and not enjoyed it and it is usually due to their first experience.

Some Ironic PUN About Pot said:

some good advice to not start out on edibles if he has never toked before (or if its been a long time). plus rep for those of you. Start out small to give him the feel . Be there with him to reassure him and make him feel comfortable. Stay with him while he does it for the first few times and talk to him during the "session". Tripping on marijuana by yourself when you are potentially terminally ill is not a good idea. The mind can run to new places, places that were maybe ignored before Marijuana "expanded" it.

Just monitor him closely until you know he is good with it. Believe it or not but some people (not many that I know) have tried marijuana and not enjoyed it and it is usually due to their first experience.

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Great advice. I wish my dad would have used it when he had c. I just want to add, remember the first time you were there usingMJ and started laughing so much you just couldn't stop? I believe if you help a first time user get in to a laughing mood, they will have a excellent exp. Get better and get as they say in Jamacia "get red".

Thanks for all the kind words and great info. My father in law is doing remarkably well. 2 1/2 years of chemo have taken a toll on him but otherwise we all feel very fortunate to get this amount of time with him in relatively good health.

Lots of good info in this thread, I agree that a good quality vape might be a great starting point. A family gathering playing a game of cards, board games or other activities can also be very enjoyable whilst medicating. You vape your meds, laugh and interact with others..and before you know it, you forget you even had any pains! Best wishes for you and your family.