Faces of Pot: The pain specialist

Jeannie Herer

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We weren’t looking for people to get high,” says Dr. Mark Ware of his research into the effects of marijuana on pain. “We were looking to help them relieve symptoms."

SUPPLIED BY MARK WARE
We weren’t looking for people to get high,” says Dr. Mark Ware of his research into the effects of marijuana on pain. “We were looking to help them relieve symptoms.”
 

Dr. Mark Ware first witnessed the powerful pain relieving effects of marijuana while working at a clinic dedicated to sickle cell anemia research in Jamaica in 1998.
A Rastafarian in his late 70s, with full blown sickle cell disease, had made the trek from his home in the mountains to the Kingston clinic. He was much older than the average life expectancy for someone with the disease and didn’t exhibit any of the tell-tale symptoms, such as severe pain in the chest, hands and joints. Instead, he was fit and spry.
A dumbfounded Ware asked, “What’s your secret?”
The man leaned in and with a penetrating look, said, “You must study the herb, doc.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.thestar.com/life/2014/01/16/faces_of_pot_the_pain_specialist.html