I wish you had ulcerative colitis for a few days, just to see what it's like.
Actually, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. My mother had UC, it it pretty much ruined her life. I have Crohns Disease, and it certainly affects how I have to live my life.
For instance, I can not go anywhere without first making a note of where the restrooms are. If I'm going to be doing anything that day where I won't be home, I have to be sure not to eat, or drink anything, other than my meds. If I've eaten, I may have to dash to a restroom, and that's just not possible when I'm working or traveling. So I eat just one meal a day. And I'm lucky if I can sleep more than 3 hours at a time, without having to get up to use the bathroom. I take a theraputic dose of 20 mg prednisone a day, and have done so for more than 20 years. How do you explain the terrible side effects of prednisone over long periods of time? Of course, when I have a flare-up, I have to increase that dose to 50 or 60 mg, then taper it back down. How do I know when I've got a flare up? Bleeding. Lots of blood! The last time I had a flare-up, I was working at a bank, and I had to pay to replace a chair. And then I was off of work for 4 days. And then there's the Crohns Disease sufferer's friend, rheumatoid arthritis, just to remind you that it's there...
Yup, I can see why people like nmh wouldn't want any research into treatments for IBD if they might involve pot. It's such a walk in the park.
Mark