Hi Beautiful Pain:
My personal opinion is that it is immensely helpful as a pain reliever, UNLESS:
- you get it from an unknown (ie. potentially risky) source
or
- you are someone who experiences paranoia after consuming it

I am generally very in favor of medical marijuana and decriminalization, but I don't advocate it as a self-medication option because unless you grow your own or get it from someone who does, you can never be sure of the quality, standardization, and possible contaminants.

Check the http://www.norml.org website for information about the laws in your state.