in my younger years I used {smoked} marijuana and had pretty good relief of pain ranging from headaches to back pain pre and post back surgery. The relief was longer in duration and better than that of a 10mg vicodin every 8 hours and 5mg every 6-8 hours as needed for breakthrough pain which was my introduction to pain medications. But, because our government chooses to keep it illegal I have to find my relief {and I do } in oxycontin. A much more potent medication than the vicodin I began with. I would prefer to use marijuana in some form rather than to take the strong narcotics.