My Marijuana Experience
It is hard to believe that we are actually seeing marijuana legalization. With two states legalizing recreational and medicinal marijuana, twenty three states legalizing medicinal marijuana and Cannabidiol legalized in nine more, this means 34 states have legalized some form of marijuana. It blows my mind!
Growing up in a small town, I never really thought about marijuana. If it was being done in my high school (and I'm sure it was) I didn't really know about it. My upbringing and knowledge of marijuana was based on "Reefer Madness" and Nancy Reagan's "Just say No" campaigns. My parents believed any type of drug use was a crutch, my family rarely took aspirin. It just wasn't something that was discussed.
The first time I saw marijuana being smoked (I was 15) I did not realize what I was seeing. It was years later that I realized that the boy I thought was rolling his own cigarettes (I assumed he was too poor to buy them and was making his own) was smoking marijuana. I wondered why he had offered his cigarette to me - yep I was clueless!
In my first two years of college I never touched marijuana. I had roommates who did, and while I did not censor them, I had no interest in trying it. I did notice that none of them had hallucinations, none of them turned to harder drugs, none of them sold their bodies to "score" some more. They hid in the bathroom, blowing the smoke into the exhaust fan, giggled a lot and usually ended up eating a lot.
When I was 20 I began dating a boy who smoked marijuana. When I was 21, I tried it for the first time. I wasn't as afraid of it as I had been, but I was still worried I would "trip out." To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I had always been self conscious, but I no longer felt that way. Usually I was anxious, second guessing myself and nervous. I worried about everything I did, everything I said, how I appeared, etc. Suddenly, those little voices of doubt were gone. I actually felt comfortable in my own skin. Really comfortable. It was amazing. I did not overdo it, usually just one or two hits. I did notice that sometimes I had great clarity of thought, if I had a notebook handy I would write some really amazing poems and short stories - my thought process had never been so clear. I really enjoyed music when I was stoned, really enjoyed dancing and frankly, sex was never better, mostly because I was not thinking "Does he like this?, Am I too fat? Is this right?" etc., because I was comfortable with myself.
I did not become an addict. In fact, for the next five years, I never bought marijuana. If it was available, I would have some, if not, I was fine without it. I did not become lazy, I was still goal oriented and working full time. I did not become a "stoner" in the way that is typically depicted by the media. I was a professional and no one would ever know that I sometimes partook.
If it made my anxiety so much better, why didn't I buy it? Because it was illegal. And after those five years, I was married and had children so I quit altogether. It was illegal, so I would never take the chance of getting into trouble. Yes, it makes my anxiety go away, but you know, I have to set an example and my going to jail for an illegal "drug" would not be beneficial to anyone.
Fast forward to 2014 and Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana. For the first time, I realized how backwards our country is. I knew that my anxiety was better when I smoked, but I didn't realize that there were so many medicinal benefits to marijuana. I didn't realize how many different strains and varieties of marijuana there are. I didn't know that there are people who have cured their cancer by utilizing marijuana, that marijuana can help so many, many different illnesses. Why would our country ban something that causes no harm and benefits so many?
I have teenage children. We speak very openly about everything. I am telling you my children could probably get marijuana faster than any other drug. It is harder for children to get their hands on liquor or cigarettes than marijuana. Why? Because cigarette and liquor sales are regulated. You have to be of legal age to buy it. Why would our country not legalize and regulate marijuana? If you want to get marijuana off the streets, out of the hands of the drug cartels, out of the hands of dealers who have no problem selling it to children the answer is simple. Legalize and regulate it.
In order to properly understand the variety of marijuana strains, in order for people to receive the best strain for their illnesses, marijuana needs to be legalized, classified and regulated.
In order for our country to benefit from the sale of marijuana, which is going on across our country, legal or not (according to www.norml.org it has been used by nearly 100 million Americans, and keep in mind those are the ones admitting it!) it needs to be legalized, regulated and taxed.
I was so disappointed with Cuomo when he released New York's version of the medical marijuana bill. It's scope is so limited that, while it is a baby step, it leaves much to be desired. As I was following the news regarding New York's marijuana bill, I became more and more convinced that people need to speak up, speak out and educate themselves.
This blog is my exploration of Marijuana Education. I cannot explore my own experience with this as marijuana is still illegal in New York, but I can live vicariously through those who have partaken in the legal states and report their findings accordingly. I will explore the different types of illnesses that marijuana can help with. I will explore the different benefits of different strains and which strains are best for medicinal use. I will explore the benefits of legalization and I invite you to come along with me on this exploration.
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