Medical Marijuana

It’s been like time travel, hearing Izzy and Gary and now Anna freak out about marijuana and drug dealing and the slippery slope. Reefer madness! Over a bit of weed.

Where have these people been, I’ve wondered. Have they not heard the debates of the past how many years about the medicinal uses of marijuana, the legalization, the dispensaries where people with prescriptions receive their allotted dosages? Marijuana is talked about a lot in media and general discourse, but as “medical” more so than “recreational”.

With her chronic illness and high levels of pain, I would think Izzy would know all about what is au courant in the medical community for long term pain relief. And, at least here in North America, that’s medical marijuana. I’ve even seen posts on social media recently about its value for chronic pain relief for your dog.

Pain Relief

And Izzy hadn’t discussed its possible benefit for her with her doctor? Instead she went to a decidedly sleazy bar and met a guy who sold her oregano. Good heavens, I had no idea that old trick could still work on anyone.

Then Gary gets her some. Problem solved, until she needs more. The next lot that Gary buys is way stronger. Tell your friend to use less, the guy warns Gary. Ya think? The teeny-tiny amount alone ought to be a clue. Izzy heeds the warning, but whatever else is in it is very powerful and she is totally disoriented by it.

Anna walks in, of course, and sees the state of Izzy and the evidence in the ashtray (and presumably the smell). Off she goes with Jake, telling Izzy she’s in no fit state to care for a child. Until she sorts herself out, Jake will not be back.

Start at the end

So later in the week Izzy does what she should have done in the first place. She goes to her doctor and asks about a prescription for medical marijuana. The doctor turns her down as not qualifying for some reason. Now she will have to turn elsewhere for pain relief, in other sleazy bars or with other high-powered opiate prescription painkillers.

Presumably we’ll be crawling into the underbelly of illegal or legal drug use along with her in the search for pain relief. It’s a real story about a real problem. If the writers had simply turned events in the plot around, it would be more believable. It should have started at the point it ended at this week, with Izzy asking her doctor about medical marijuana as an option for her.

Izzy could also ask about Sylvia Goodwin’s experiment with pain relief in hash brownies three years ago.