Medical marijuana curbed Canadian women’s multiple sclerosis symptoms and improved her health
With a few simple words, Joanne Gauthier-Wiebe expressed how much she enjoys life. “Cannabis has given me my life back,” she exclaims. The Canadian citizen has suffered from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, but her symptoms have virtually disappeared since beginning to use medical marijuana about five years ago.
Gauthier-Wiebe used to struggle to perform everyday tasks most take for granted. She couldn’t read or walk properly and was forced to quit her job as a teacher. However, she now can smile again. “Once you get secondary progressive its kind of a steady decline and yet in the last five years, since I have started taking cannabis, my health has significantly improved,” she explained.
Now that she understands how beneficial marijuana can be if taken properly, she has become a devout advocate for the marijuana industry. She says, “You can be pain-free and not be stoned. You start taking cannabis and all of the sudden you realize you can take a few drops and ‘Oh my gosh now I can function and go throughout my day!’”
Medical marijuana usage has already been shown to alleviate a substantial range of ailments. It continues to be accepted more and more across the US and Canada, which is also fueling additional studies into its benefits. Education is always the first step toward acceptance. Says Gauthier-Weibe, “We’re afraid of the unknown and people need to realize how much it can help them. The reason we started having these meetings is because people were in pain, they’d go to see their doctor, they’d get a permit and not know what to do with it.”
