This petition is not only for loved ones with ALS, but also for patients who suffer from ANY medical condition and would benefit from medical cannabis. We must come together to fight the state of Indiana. There is no reason why our loved ones are denied the CHOICE of medical cannabis due to our state borders.

As a nurse and a loved one with ALS, I urge ALL of you to support the legalization of medical marijuana. Currently in the state of Indiana, my loved one is unable to participate in medical studies involving the use of cannabinoids to treat symptoms and the disease itself, ALS. New research has shown the positive impact cannabis has for ALS such as increased appetite, improved sleep, decreased pain, decreased anxiety, and improved overall moral. Since my loved one lives in the state of Indiana, he stripped of his choice to try potential treatment that has proven positive outcomes for ALS patients. Personally, this seems like a form of medical negligence due to Indiana’s choice to not legalize medical marijuana.

ALS patients are given 2-5 years to live after diagnoses. This death sentence will mean the patient’s brain will ultimately be active and alert, while their body will start to fail them. Patients will lose the inability to walk, use their hands, hold their head up, inability to feed, and eventually, their ability to breath on their own. In the end, patients are required to have a feeding tube and a ventilator to breathe for them. This is a terrible way to suffer and watch a family member slowly die. Indiana should do everything in their power making the final stages of ALS as comfortable as possible. Medical marijuana has a chance to do just so.

For example, according to the study, “Can cannabinoids be a potential therapeutic tool in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?” founded by the Neural Regeneration Research Program…

“There is a valid rationale to propose the use of cannabinoid compounds in the pharmacological management of ALS patients. Cannabinoids indeed can delay ALS progression and prolong survival. However, most of the studies that investigated the neuroprotective potential of these compounds in ALS were performed in animal model, whereas the few clinical trials that investigated cannabinoids-based medicines were focused only on the alleviation of ALS-related symptoms, not on the control of disease progression. This remains the major challenge for the future and it may be facilitate by the recent approval of the first cannabinoid-based drug (Sativex®) available for clinical use.”

If medical marijuana is approved in Indiana, not only will the lives of ALS patients be improved, Indiana will directly impact the research of ALS making it available for Indiana residents to participate.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5270417/?report=classic