A Good Recommendation

A note on the importance of a good recommendation

For many years, I have been aware of Cannabis and have routinely used it over the last 20 years for pain management. What kind I used was entirely up to where I found it, but I had no clue what it was or how it was grown. Sometimes it was super skunky and sometimes it was fresh and lemony, and I was told names like Sour D, Lemon Skunk, Blue Cheese, according to whatever was popular at the time. Consistency was almost nonexistent, but what were my options?

Another thing that I often relied upon Cannabis for was to help with my insomnia, which was mainly due to a tendency to worry and ponder about the responsibilities in my life. Ruminating on the things that were bothering me would keep me awake all night and would eat away at my stomach all through the day. When I could confront and deal with the issues quickly, I was generally ok, but if longer, it would keep me obsessing for days. So, I would smoke some Cannabis and force myself to sleep, which I preferred over sleeping pills which left me very groggy and foggy the following day. Sounds fine right?

For the last 2 years, I only had one source of Cannabis and that source only had one type, which was a Sativa like strain. It gave me great pain relief with no hunger and lots of creative energy; but it also would bring the same mental focus to any issues that I was ruminating on, amplifying the associated insomnia and anxiety. I found this out the hard way and several times since, took Cannabis for pain, then agonized for hours chasing thoughts like hamster wheels in my brain. Thus Cannabis and I had a bit of a falling out, which soon found me back on prescription painkillers and sleeping pills.

Then Maryland began the Medical Cannabis program, halle’frickin’lujah! I went to a medical dispensary, where they listened to my litany of issues, asked me some probing questions about the sources of my insomnia, then suggested a few things to try. The patient advisor suggested three products, each specialized to a separate symptom: ‘Guice’ by Curio, for focus, which has all but eliminated my need for caffeine; Grapefruit Kush by HMS, which somehow completely relieve me of any anxiety or obsession over a worry; and lastly, I was introduced to concentrated and distilled THCa crystals, which took away all of my pain while leaving my brain clear to think. It wasn’t a silver bullet, but rather a whole new line of medicine that I could use for several of my issues.

After a few months as an active participant in Maryland’s Medical Cannabis program, I no longer stay awake all night ruminating and exhausted the following day. I know what to use now and when, where to safely get it, and also that the medicine that I buy is produced under the strictest conditions. I have removed Motrin, Vicodin, Zoloft, Ambien, caffeine, and Xanax

from my life and feel better for it. The cherry on top of all that was that my relationship with my wife was greatly improved; the Grapefruit Kush was so effective on anxiety, that it no longer terrified me to talk to her about sensitive topics, and who knew that performance anxiety could cause ED…