I know this sounds crazy but do you think medical marijuana should be discussed with a doctor to help an elderly person get an appetite and deal with depression?

If your Mom will smoke pot to get an appetite, then get it for her! God made marijuana, man made alcohol, who do you trust?

I'm not sure why it sounds crazy...appetite stimulation is one of the prime uses of medical marijuana, and in proper doses, it's safe for any age. Funny how someone said they'd always rather take a pill, since most FDA drugs have pretty serious side effects. One of the biggest "side effects" of marijuana is "the munchies", which is exactly what you want!

Oh, and it cured my depression too.

YES and more YES..... If the senior is already forgetful then whats the difference -and from personal experience Marijana is a very freindly drug, It puts ME in a very thoughtul mood and and makes my life seem more real.

I heard they have pills that have the same ingredients as pot does. Personally, I would always rather take a pill.

O.k.. I think it was called marinol that he was prescribed.I think it had THC in it.I beleive his insurance covered it.Pretty sure thats what it was called MARINOL. Jeff said it was not like the real thing he had a rough time during chemo with appetite and weight. I'm a firm beleiver in the benifits of medical marijuana,some states believe in it some states don't.

Ask and see. My mom was complaining about the loss of appetite and what could she take to make her hungry. Well to my surprise the Doc said well I don't think you would like how medical marijuana would make you feel if you didn't use it when you were younger which she hadn't. I was shocked at his answer but he didn't even blink. So go ahead and give it a try, if it makes her feel better, I hope you can get the help she needs.

I'd rather take pot in a brownie myself... It's like a twofer, chocolate and mary jane.

Medical Marijuana, or Canabis, is a very effective drug for the control of pain. It has other effects also, such as increased appetitie, elevated mood, and other good side effects for the human condition. Hopefully, it will be legalized in all fifty states in my lifetime. In order to control abuse, it should be handled like any other controlled substance. It should be prescribed, taxed and distributed with a prescription by a medical doctor or an NP.

Before my mom died of cancer we talked to her doctor about Marinol the marijuana pill and he had absolutely NO problem with giving her anything that would help with the nausea and also improve her appetite. Turned out mom died before we could try the pill for more then a day or two, so we'll never know whether it would have helped her.

There is nothing crazy in trying MJ in this instance. Israeli doctors commonly prescribe it for people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities to help them with pain, increase appetite and improve mood.. What's crazy is all the years of MJ suppression in the USA.

As for "I'd always rather take a pill," that's what the pharmacology industry likes to hear but it seems silly to me to spend a lot of money imitating nature instead of growing something equally or more effective for next to nothing in my own backyard. BTW, most medical MJ is ingested in pastry, candy and and liquid form nowadays, rather than being smoked.

As for asking your doctor, most MD's are ill-informed about marijuana and many are irrationally prejudiced against it. Thanks to many decades of irrational suppression (supported by the law enforcement, correctional and pharmacology industries) most of us (including MD's) have little hard information about it but what little evidence we have strongly indicates that it is at worst, nearly harmless. That is more than we can say for the many marginally tested designer drugs big pharma pushes at us day and night.

I haven't personally needed medical MJ and haven't used MJ for recreation for maybe 30 years. But have seen it help many friends and neighbors with pain , nausea and sleep difficulties without negative side effects and at relatively little expense.