This is my first post as well, I just joined; I truly hope I don't offend anyone either. This is a subject i have experiences with, so I thought it would be a good place to jump in. In some states medical marijuana is legal. If you are lucky enough to live in a state that allows medical marijuana, a physician can help you out. I would talk to a Dr before doing anything anyway, just to be on the safe side. I'm certainly not a Dr and can only speak from my own experience and research.
I personally have found it to be extremely helpful in managing my IBS, on several levels. It helps with the nausea. It helps with the cramps and pain. It helps with diarrhea. It helps with improving appetite. It of course helps to elevate mood, for those of us who suffer from depression. It reduces acid in the stomach.
I'm not currently seeing a gastroenterologist, but when I was, he was well aware that I was using marijuana to help with the symptoms, and said it could only help.
There are also negatives, of course. You risk getting in trouble with the law (if it isn't legal where you live, as it's not here). You risk failing drug tests for employement, and you will test positive if you go to the hospital. As you've said, the stigma is great. While I agree with you that it's a positive herb, it is still a drug, and while not actually addictive, it's very easy to get reliant on it. It can also increase anxiety in some people. Any smoking is an irritant to your stomach, and even though you feel relief from the symptoms, you risk irritating your stomach with the smoke itself. If you live where it's legal, you can avoid this by eating it instead.
I also have found that while it's very helpful with my IBS-D, when I have primarily IBS-C symptoms, I have to be careful because I have found it can be constipating if I'm already in that situation. Of course, if it's illegal, it's not regulated, so you would want to insure you get it somewhere you trust, or you could cause yourself more problems.
Overall, I personally belive the positives far outweigh the negatives, but it's definitely a personal decision that you should really think about.
I do want to point out that marijuana primarily relieves symptoms, where diet can actually PREVENT them. I've only just discovered this site and way of eating, and I've been amazed at how much it's helped so far. WHile I think MM is very helpful, I'd rather prevent the symptoms altogether when I can by controlling my diet. I had never realized that was an option before!
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