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Cancer survivor reveals how medical cannabis “saved his life”

Barry Freeman swapped his pain medication for medical cannabis.

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A US cancer survivor has shared how medical cannabis helped him manage debilitating pain and stop his usage of multiple medications.

Texan cancer survivor Barry Freeman – who also suffers from PTSD – introduced medical cannabis into his treatment plan in 2019 and has since eliminated the consumption of dozens of pain pills while experiencing a drastic reduction in symptoms with no side effects.

In 2015, a time he describes as “the worst year of his life,” Barry lost his son and received a stage-four colorectal cancer diagnosis.

After being initially turned away by multiple doctors due to his terminal diagnosis, Barry underwent 37 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He finally achieved remission in 2017 but his cancer treatment’s lasting effects combined with emotional distress led to continued symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety and panic attacks.

“I was in a very dark place that year. Living with cancer and losing my son caused severe depression on top of a barrage of physical symptoms that made my life miserable,” Barry said.

Barry then sustained a debilitating shoulder injury in 2018, exacerbating his condition and leading to a prescription of 12 pain pills per day. It was then his physician recommended medical cannabis as a treatment option.

“Medical cannabis saved my life,” he continued.

“I felt more relief than I’d ever felt through any pain pill. I could feel the calming effect of the medication come over me. I feel better than I did at 45-years-old. Emotionally and physically, it’s extraordinary to be here now and feel this way after being so sick.”

The Compassionate Use Program (CUP) was enacted by the Texas legislature in June 2015, allowing for the first legal use of medical cannabis products by patients with intractable epilepsy.

It was not until the program expanded in 2019 to include terminal cancer, all forms of epilepsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, ALS and hundreds of neurodegenerative disorders that patients like Barry became eligible to access medical cannabis.

Following the 2021 session, the programme expanded to include all cancer patients and those suffering from PTSD.

Barry was provided with cannabis by Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation , a licensed medical cannabis producer that works across the state.

Morris Denton, CEO of the company, believes that more still needs to be done to improve access for patients in Texas.

“Barry was ineligible for life-altering medication for almost four years after his initial diagnosis,” Denton said.

“No one should have to endure a delay in treatment for symptoms that medical cannabis is proven to relieve. This is why continuing to expand the Compassionate Use Program matters.

“There are thousands of Texans who can and should be benefitting from the power of medical cannabis now and our team is dedicated to expanding the CUP to include each of them.”

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