I'll try and give you some direct answers to the best of my ability. MMJ has a lot of legitimate medical uses, including pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately, the Feds have been running rampant in CA under the Obama Administration and almost all of our MMJ dispensaries have closed down because of threats from the Feds. There are still plenty of doctors that write prescriptions under Prop 215, but access to legitimate MMJ diespensaries is limited now.
For starters, there are 3 main types of cannabis within the genus Cannabis. There is Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. C. Ruderalis is small and not commercially or really even privately grown, so if you come across it in your research just remember its not grown for MMJ or other uses. This leaves C. sativa and C. indica.
There is an incredible amount of genetic diversity now. Basically, crossing different sativas and indicas has yielded what are usually called different strains. Much like members of the species Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage) which have been selectively bred for different traits resulting in the foods we know as kohlrabi, broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower; Cannabis is the same way. Sativas are more of an upbeat, energetic head high that stimulate appetite, where as Indicas are a more "couch lock" and typically more pain relieving and anti-inflammatory. By crossing different strains, you can select which traits you want and don't want. Most strains available today aren't pure sativa or pure indica but the desired traits of both can still be obtained through breeding. There are other compounds in cannabis besides THC which have other medical effects, like beta-carophyllene which is a natural anti-infammatory substance found in cannabis and other plants as well. Many breeders have been experimenting in trying to improve concentrations of these compounds and reduce THC levels to provide strains that when ingested lend their anti-inflammatory or other attributes without heavily intoxicating the user.
Most MMJ doctors are very familiar with strains that are better suited for certain medical uses, so if you go see one, make sure to emphasize pain relief and anti-inflammation as your primary concerns. Compassionate Health Options employs many very knowledable doctors across the state of CA.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/compassionate-health-options-san-franciscoAlso, there are many ways to ingest MMJ. You don't have to smoke it. There are vaporizers, tintures, oils, lotions, edibles, etc etc. Again this would be another thing to discuss with a doctor when you meet with them.
Here are a few good links that talk about different strains and their uses, as well as other properties of cannabis that have medical uses. UC Davis actually has it's own Medical Marijuana Quality Control test lab in West Sac, where they analyze samples and provide a stamp of scientific quality approval for medical use. Unfortunately, until the Feds change the Schedule 1 status of Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, further advances in medicinal cannabis will be slowed down and prevented.
http://www.davisenterprise.com/business/medical-marijuana-testing-lab-opens-in-w-sac/http://www.patientsmarijuana.org/Sativa_or_Indica.htmlhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720222549.htmhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080624-marijuana.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/health/policy/24veterans.html?pagewanted=allGood luck and I hope you find something that will help. At the very least, maybe you can use MMJ to cut out the pain pills, if not the anti-inflamatory pills. I am a big Cannabis/MMJ/Hemp advocate and have several friends that have undergone chemo or have conditions such as Muscular dystrophy who most likely would no longer be with us if it wasn't for Cannabis.
