ElsaMars, Canabis is an excellent treatment for chronic pain. But like you say the cost can be prohibitive in more ways than one. If you truly are interested in learning to grow for your own use a good and well written book is Marijuana Botany, by Robert Clarke. It will take you through the history and different methods used by top growers. But back to the methadone therapy. It is a different kind of pain relief. Where morphine will dull the pain it also dulls the senses. Methadone is just the opposite, it can take up to three days to start working, but when it does the pain seems to just fade. Your mind is not dulled nor are your reflexes. It does cause sleepiness, before I started the Adderall with it I would go to sleep if I set down and closed my eyes. But as long as I stay active and moving it's been a Godsend. There are a lot of misconceptions about it. I researched it for quite a while before I committed to taking it. Plus it is very affordable. Even if my insurance did not cover a large portion of it I could still afford it. Don't give up if you try it and seem not to get relief, my Dr. told me of one patient he prescribed it for. This lady was having no luck, she was up to 15 10mg tablets a day. He up her slowly until at 20 tablets she suddenly had that blessed relief, and I know, it's like waking up from a bad dream that never ends. Like me she has been taking it for years now and still at that same dosage. This is my family Dr. from a small E.TX. town, there are not many like him left. This part of the state has what seems almost like a boycott on any kind of pain meds. I don't understand it but I'm not in their shoes.