one MMJ patient's thoughts and experience

This blog is based on my personal experience and use of cannabis, primarily in the treatment of chronic pain, insomnia, eating disorders and a list of mental illness. It's intended audience: patients, of age adults in places with recreational legalized. *I am not a doctor or medical professional of any kind*

[prober2020]

How Cannabis Can Help Treat PTSD

[ruairidhohboy]

lavenderenergy:

Currently there are no specialized, effective medications available for PTSD patients, but with new discoveries in our body’s therapeutic hotspot – the endocannabinoid system – research is beginning to pave new avenues of understanding and treating PTSD.

One investigator of PTSD and cannabis is the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Martin Lee is a MAPS affiliate and director of Project CBD, and has studied PTSD and cannabinoids in depth.

“Researchers found that people with PTSD had lower levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid compound, compared to those who did not show signs of PTSD,” Lee wrote, “Innate to all mammals, anandamide (our inner cannabis, so to speak) triggers the same receptors that are activated by THC and other components of the marijuana plant.”

In other words, one pillar of PTSD is an endocannabinoid deficiency: the body stops producing enough endocannabinoids to fill receptor sites, and this is where the cannabinoids found in marijuana play a therapeutic role. By replenishing these missing endocannabinoids with those found in cannabis, researchers think marijuana pharmaceuticals might bring PTSD patients relief from their memories.

“Scientists have determined that normal CB-1 receptor signaling deactivates traumatic memories and endows it with the gift of forgetting,” Lee said, “But skewed CB-1 signaling, due to endocannabinoid deficits (low serum levels of anandamide), results in impaired fear extinction, aversive memory consolidation, and chronic anxiety, the hallmarks of PTSD.”

giftedgreens

[giftedgreens]

Comfortable Bud Smoking Kit

[ruairidhohboy]

giftedgreens:

A little bit of my set up for smoking green, the dried flower or bud, and occasionally leaves (known as shake or trim). In part out of respect for the plant, how it’s helped me and somewhat to combat my high tolerance, I ritualize and put a lot of intent into my smoking. I’ve had ~8 years of mainly medicinal use to figure out what works best for me, here’s hoping it can maybe help you. Remember when setting up your own kit, you’re not just thinking about only sober you, but how you’ll be under the influence as well.

- smokeable (your cannabis and/or whatever you might add to it)

- some sort of relatively safe and controlable fire/burning heat source (lighters, matches, hempwick, so long as you’re comfortable inhaling a little of it as well)

- a piece, the thing you smoke out of. While people get pretty creative here, glassware or rolling papers are fairly standard

- WATER! Lots of it. Preferably in a hard to spill container. Stay hydrated.

- a grinder and screen or jack. Not everyone prefers their cannabis ground up, but I very much enjoy the smell produced in grinding greens before smoking and believe it burns more evenly/completely, less likely to waste any of your green. A screen is a little metal or glass mesh that sits under your green to keep it from pulling through when you inhale. A jack serves the same purpose in a different shape. They will help keep your piece cleaner and prevent burns from inhaled embers or unpleasant charred crunchies.

- Ash tray/trash receptacle. Avoid burning yourself or your belonging by having a safe place to deposit your ash (on the off chance you don’t noticed a still burning ember) or place your fire source.

- tissues. Smoke can often produce coughing when inhaled and sometimes even a bit of stuffed nose. Having something on hand to blow your nose with or cough into is very helpful

- food that doesn’t take much/any work. Especially when using an appetite enhancing strain, give influenced you a hand and have something ready to eat

- entertainment. Music, shows, games, friends, exploration. While weed can certainly be used in meditation, if that’s not your goal, providing yourself with stimulation often guides the high into enhancing those sensations, though this will vary strain by strain.

- a comfortable, safe and appropriate setting. With senses enhanced by cannabis, your environment will have a greater influence on you and your high. Pick somewhere you want to be and can leave easily and safely if you change your mind. Pick textures you enjoy, make sure the lighting or noise isn’t overwhelming. Be around people you trust and who are aware/ok with being around you under the influence.

- comfortable, functional clothing as needed

There’s probably more, but those are the basics I can think of right now.

If you’re grinding your greens, you’ll want something to grind onto/into as well as some sort of pick or scraper to clean your grinder and your bowl. A matchstick will work alright for cleaning, but if you’re going to be doing this on a regular basis, it’s nice to have a dedicated tool that you know works for your needs so you’re not compressing ash into your piece and burning your fingers. I use an index card creased lengthwise to grind on and a certain clay tool as a pick for both cleaning the burned ash out of my glassware and getting the bits of compressed green out of my grinder, and have incorporated stoppered bottles and a small funnel into my routine as well for safety and storage. 

[giftedgreens]

Comfortable Bud Smoking Kit

A little bit of my set up for smoking green, the dried flower or bud, and occasionally leaves (known as shake or trim). In part out of respect for the plant, how it's helped me and somewhat to combat my high tolerance, I ritualize and put a lot of intent into my smoking. I've had ~8 years of mainly medicinal use to figure out what works best for me, here's hoping it can maybe help you. Remember when setting up your own kit, you're not just thinking about only sober you, but how you'll be under the influence as well. - smokeable (your cannabis and/or whatever you might add to it) - some sort of relatively safe and controlable fire/burning heat source (lighters, matches, hempwick, so long as you're comfortable inhaling a little of it as well) - a piece, the thing you smoke out of. While people get pretty creative here, glassware or rolling papers are fairly standard - WATER! Lots of it. Preferably in a hard to spill container. Stay hydrated. - a grinder and screen or jack. Not everyone prefers their cannabis ground up, but I very much enjoy the smell produced in grinding greens before smoking and believe it burns more evenly/completely, less likely to waste any of your green. A screen is a little metal or glass mesh that sits under your green to keep it from pulling through when you inhale. A jack serves the same purpose in a different shape. They will help keep your piece cleaner and prevent burns from inhaled embers or unpleasant charred crunchies. - Ash tray/trash receptacle. Avoid burning yourself or your belonging by having a safe place to deposit your ash (on the off chance you don't noticed a still burning ember) or place your fire source. - tissues. Smoke can often produce coughing when inhaled and sometimes even a bit of stuffed nose. Having something on hand to blow your nose with or cough into is very helpful - food that doesn't take much/any work. Especially when using an appetite enhancing strain, give influenced you a hand and have something ready to eat - entertainment. Music, shows, games, friends, exploration. While weed can certainly be used in meditation, if that's not your goal, providing yourself with stimulation often guides the high into enhancing those sensations, though this will vary strain by strain. - a comfortable, safe and appropriate setting. With senses enhanced by cannabis, your environment will have a greater influence on you and your high. Pick somewhere you want to be and can leave easily and safely if you change your mind. Pick textures you enjoy, make sure the lighting or noise isn't overwhelming. Be around people you trust and who are aware/ok with being around you under the influence. - comfortable, functional clothing as needed There's probably more, but those are the basics I can think of right now.

[giftedgreens]

Indica

Indica or indica dominant hybrids are typically know as body highs, where the user feels the effect in their body rather than mental, though these effects aren't mutually exclusive. This is the sort of plant most people with chronic pain use. It's used to relax the muscles, alleviate nerve pain, induce appetite and aid in sleep. Many indicas have a sedative effect, sometimes resulting in "couch lock", where the user finds it difficult or unappealing to leave wherever they've nested themselves. Users not used to indicas effect can sometimes work themselves up into a panic, believing they've lost control of their own bodies or that they can't preform some vital function. This can be addressed with research beforehand, setting up a comfortable and safe environment for use and appointing a knowledgeable/sober sitter for newcomers. Remembering to let yourself relax is vital, as often people who need it most have been stuck in tension, so the heavy feeling of their muscles dropping that tension can feel uncomfortable and strange. Fighting the high once it's begun is usually ill advised and can lead to a bad trip. Some level of acceptance and surrender to its influence facilitates beneficial effects. Some indicas actually promote movement. In my personal use, it was primarily indica dominant strains that helped me get healthy - by giving me some distance from my constant tension, I found I actually enjoyed movement and exercise when not in constant pain. I started to like the way I felt when I stretched or exerted myself and over time, these habits stabilized enough to allow me to ween back off of my usage, keeping my tolerance down, without losing my progress. I began eating better (privileged enough to be in a place where fresh food was accessible/affordable) and shifted from an almost entirely soda/caffeine consumption to mainly water and some juice, because water suddenly tasted amazing, resulting in further benefit from reducing crap I didn't need in my system. I enjoyed being outside more, my senses clearing up from stress-overload. I was more social, relaxed enough to not over analyze every little thing. Strong indicas often produce headaches, which like the majority of negative effects one experiences on marijuana, can be negated through staying properly hydrated. You will likely need more water than you expect and if your experience isn’t a positive one, trying drinking some before it has a chance to build in that negative space. If that doesn’t fix things, seek assistance, from health professionals, experienced users or just someone you trust to get you the help you might need.

[giftedgreens]

Sativa

Sativa or sativa dominant hybrid strains are typically more mentally focused strains, meaning they don’t always produce much of a physical effect. These are usually your euphoric highs, cerebral thinkers or mind expanders. Often, these are the strains in which the user feels more high. Sativa strains can be particularly useful: relieving symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia (when more mentally based), can increase senses and enjoyment of food/remove stressed based blocks to appetite, addressing cycling/negative/intrusive thoughts, interrupting PTSD episodes/patterns and allowing for new perspectives, etc. I personally have successfully used Sativa strains to manage OCD, panic/anxiety disorders, depression, ADD/ADHD symptoms, PTSD and paranoia. I have increased my ability to meditate both under the influence and unmedicated, which has helped manage my chronic pain from a list of injuries. I’ve become calmer, more open to other perspectives and more able to be aware of where my own actions/thoughts/beliefs stem from, giving me the ability to address and alter them on a deeper level than previously experienced. Some negatives I’ve encountered - Some strains actually increased my issues and it took some time to identify and avoid those strains in particular. I’ve had nights of severe depression, increased anxiety and paranoia, even occasions of a strain triggering flashbacks. If you know yourself to be vulnerable in these ways, please be responsible in your use. Keep a sober/knowledgeable friend around to help ground you, put intention into setting up a space in which you feel safe and have access to meeting your basic needs (restroom access, water, food, somewhere physically comfortable). Recognize that the people you’re with will influence your experience. Remember trips are temporary and whatever you’re feeling will pass. The majority of negative effects one experiences on marijuana can be negated through staying properly hydrated. You will likely need more water than you expect and if your experience isn’t a positive one, trying drinking some before it has a chance to build in that negative space. If that doesn’t fix things, seek assistance, from health professionals, experienced users or just someone you trust to get you the help you might need.

[giftedgreens]

Marijuana - Plant-based Enhancement

IME, cannabis is an enhancer. For most, it enhances their appetite, their ability to relax or tolerate pain. Many find their senses can feel focused in an unusual way, increasing awareness of particular tastes or smells or enjoyment of certain sensations. Strain by strain, each has a different strength or area it enhances/resides in. While there may be general effects experienced by most of the population, variations in individual brain chemistry/physiology, experience and tolerance do result in abnormal experiences for some users. Presently, I know of no recorded deaths from marijuana overdose and have heard it would take ingesting over a literal ton to achieve. That said, I wish to be in open conversation about where marijuana may present a dangerous factor for select individuals, so as to address concerns and prevent future harm.