Patrick Stewart Says He Uses Medical Marijuana Daily

Yesterday we learned that beloved actor and starship captain of our hearts, Sir Patrick Stewart, uses medical marijuana every single day to combat his arthritis.

After coming out in support of a new Oxford University initiative focused on researching the benefits of cannabis-based medicines, Stewart revealed that he regularly uses cannabis-based ointments, sprays and edible marijuana. In a recent statement to NME, he explained the how and why of his situation:

Two years ago, in Los Angeles, I was examined by a doctor and given a note which gave me legal permission to purchase, from a registered outlet, cannabis-based products, which I was advised might help the ortho-arthritis in both my hands. This, it would seem, is a genetically-based condition. My mother had badly distorted and painful hands. I purchased an ointment, spray and edibles. The ointment, while providing some relief from the discomfort, was too greasy to use during daytime and so I only use it at night. It helps with sleep as the pain was reduced. The spray, however, is much more usable and I spray my fingers and particularly my thumb joints several times a day. The spray very quickly evaporates and leaves my hands quite dry, though with a slight burning or tingling sensation, which is not unpleasant. I believe that the ointment and spray have significantly reduced the stiffness and pain in my hands.

Stewart says he can make fists again, “which was not the case before [he] began this treatment.”

He continued to compare this new treatment method with his older, traditional pharmaceutical ones, which he said can harm one’s liver and cause acid reflux. He referred to the increased use and research of medical marijuana as an “important step forward for Britain in a field of research that has for too long been held back by prejudice, fear and ignorance.”