Adventures in Cannabis

[darkemeralds]

Lately I've been hurting more than mere ibuprofen can handle--osteoarthritis, mostly, but a motherfucker of a toothache right at the moment.

So, though I've never been much for getting high, today I tried medical marijuana for the first time.

It took a lot of homework for me to get here. I read books, attended a workshop, and spent several hours on Leafly. I asked my doctor (who, as a naturopath, is all for it). I researched cannabinoids, terpenes, strains of sativa and indica. I read about the different dispensaries. Learned something about the labyrinth of laws surrounding legalization in Oregon. Became engrossed in delivery methods. Decided on vaping. Vaping is fast-acting and doesn't stink the joint up.

Harlequin is a sativa strain bred for high CBD and low THC, which translates to "pain relief without getting high", and my neighborhood dispensary sells it.

So off I walked to Kings of Canna on 15th and Prescott, and came home half an hour later with some paraphernalia and drugs.



But look! It comes in retail packaging. There are USB chargers and LED indicators. The only baggie in sight was the fancy opaque white zip-lock bag mandated by the State of Oregon for carting the goods off-premises.

It's a couple of hours and several hits of Harlequin later, and behold! The tooth isn't really hurting anymore.

Heh. Maybe I need a new icon.


ETA: And I really don't feel high. Maybe a teeny bit hazy. I might have eaten a box of cookies...

Comments

[darkemeralds]

At the seminar I attended, they talked about the opioid epidemic, and how cannabis is helping solve that problem in states where it's been legalized. You just know that the biggest push against legalization is coming from Big Pharma. I'm happy for you that you've been able to get off the oxy.

I wouldn't try to make my own capsules, either. I'm all for supporting experts doing their expert thing. My vape pen takes a little pre-made cartridge of either a half gram or a gram of concentrate, complete with mouthpiece. It's so cool! You just screw the capsule to the battery unit, click a button, and take a hit. Very little waste. I can run up to my corner dispensary any time and get more. Plug and play. It's awesome.

And when yesterday's massive toothache (which had me on the point of calling the emergency dentist and begging for an opiate to tide me over till my appointment on Wednesday) just vanished, I became a complete convert.

[blueraccoon]

For a while I was alternating between oxy and cannabis (never together, oh god no) but I had to change pain doctors due to insurance and the new one told me I had to choose between the pot and the oxy. I opted for the one that leaves me functional (if not drive-safe) and works better than the oxy. And for what it's worth, I've now made it over two months without an ER visit. I may have turned into a bit of a stoner sometimes, though, but I figure I'm not hurting anyone, I get my stuff done, and it makes me feel better so no one can really complain.

I have a vape pen like you do, and I use it sometimes when I need a quicker hit than the capsules I usually take. I haven't found a vape cartridge I really love yet, though, and it tends to make me cough so I usually just stick to edibles.

The first time I tried pot I had a little disposable vape pen thing, and I didn't really know what I was supposed to do with it but a couple hits later my head didn't hurt for the first time in months. Just...nothing there. That was the point at which I said "Okay, this is worth trying more."

[darkemeralds]

Your new no-ER-visit statistic is great! Congratulations! And yeah, so you're a little stoned now and then, no big deal. As you say, you're functional and you feel good--and you're smart enough not to drive. (Even on this low-TCH strain, I found my judgment a wee bit impaired while biking, and I don't think I'd want to be trying any unfamiliar or busy routes after a heavy dose.)

The way the pain tails off is interesting. Do you notice it too? It's not quite like anything I've experienced. The pain is there...it's there...it's there...and then it sort of falls off a cliff. It doesn't seem to decline; just there and then bam! Gone.

The vaping makes me cough, too, which I don't love (I gave up smoking 29 years ago), and for that reason I might go to edibles or tincture eventually. I suspect that I'll be experimenting for quite a while yet. Isn't it wonderful that we're free to do that, without a doctor visit and an expensive new prescription with side effects every time we want to adjust things a little?