If you have a family member who is struggling with an illness, you may have tried a long list of treatment methods with little success. Many doctors will advocate the use of medical marijuana in this situation, and while there are lots of patients who will be eager to try this form of treatment, not everyone will. Some patients are resistant to using marijuana because of outdated beliefs—for example, perhaps someone is highly conservative and believes that because marijuana has been illegal in many states for several decades, it's a black and white issue. However, as a family member, you can take a role in emphasizing the value of medical marijuana to the patient. Here are some points to get across.

Not All of it Gets You High

It's a misconception that medical marijuana users smoke marijuana with the goal of getting high so that they no longer care about the symptoms of their illness. If your loved one has this belief, it's time for you to squash this misunderstanding. While there are certain types of medical marijuana that can yield a high, this isn't always the case. Many people prefer to use cannabidiol oil, commonly known as CBD oil, to deal with pain and inflammation, and it doesn't generate any degree of a high.

Its Doesn't Carry the Side Effects That Other Drugs Do

It's possible that your family member may be reluctant to try medical marijuana because he or she believes that there could be a number of side effects. Again, this is likely the result of outdated misconceptions about this substance. The reality is that medical marijuana doesn't carry the side effects that many pharmaceutical drugs do. In fact, taking pharmaceutical drugs, especially over a long period of time, can cause a number of undesirable results. This is unlikely to be the case with medical marijuana.

It Won't Lead to a Drug Addiction

A common misconception about marijuana is that it will give you an addiction. Perhaps your family member is concerned that if he or she uses medical marijuana to deal with an illness, an addiction will be present after the illness is gone. The reality is that unless the person decides to abuse the marijuana, addiction is unlikely. The Medicinal Marijuana Association reports that the probability of getting addicted to the drug is low, provided that the patient follows his or her doctor's dosage instructions.