Yes, I felt about 15 years old and needing to let my parents know I was possibly letting them down because of my new found fun in the weeds. It also occurred to me that this might be good for them too. However, everyone knows that one should take on only one uncomfortable topic per discussion.
So the first one went something like this...
Me: Guess what I decided to do?
Mom: You got a medical marijuana prescription?
"Uh... how did you know?"
"Oh my friends are getting them. I figured you might."
"Yes, I thought it would be better for my anxiety instead of pills."
"That's lovely, dear. I'm sure it will be good for you."
"Are you thinking about doing something like this for you or Dad?"
"Oh, no. It's not for us. We don't need to get high or start smoking at our age."
This is the starting point for many. This is where the ads point us. This is how we are invited to enter understanding "medical" vs. "recreational" use. THC is the part of marijuana that gets us high and CBD is the healing side without the stoner vibe. (Here's how the government puts it. )
For those of us who are curious and yet still looking to avoid the user stereotype that had us avoid marijuana to begin with, it is often boiled down to: THC Bad and CBD Good. THC gets you high; CBD doesn't.
Except that's not necessarily true. Like everything else, it is dependent on what works for you. I have a friend who found hydromorphone (a prescription pain killer sometimes given post-operation) does nothing for her pain. I prefer it to oxycodone which does nothing for me except constipation.
Both THC and CBD affect you - technically they both have psychotropic impacts. THC is most associated with getting you high/stoned... or relaxed - which can be exactly what you're seeking. CBD is used in many of the oils, lotions and body products coming out aiding with inflammation and pain.
Recently, in New York city, I saw CBD products in corner stores! Gummy bears and creams, oils and pills. Ontario is not there yet (and I'm not convinced that we should see it sold along with cigarettes and chips...) but the cultural change is upon all of us on this continent.
CBD does have very very tiny trace amounts of THC. It's a great place to start and then add THC a bit at a time until you find what works for you.
The issue is not to avoid one or the other but understand what you're looking for (medically speaking) and what your tolerance levels are. It's a place to start but not the only factor in your decision making. That would be like assuming there's only one kind of chocolate and that all chocolate is created equal.
Read up on it. Think about it. Be prepared to try both - alone or together.
I've been indiscriminately telling my neighbours about my latest adventures.
Turns out they find my innocence very amusing. Even more amusing than the night I got tipsy on my front porch and sang show tunes. As a result of me telling everyone around about my new found interest, one kind gentleman brought me something he really likes - a laced chocolate bar.
The problem with edibles is dosing. As a baker, I know how hard it is to ensure an even distribution of chocolate chips in my cookies, or rosemary in my beer bread, or lemon zest in my pound cake... Experiments are required both in the making and the munching.
I'm sure I will eventually play with my muffin tins. But first I took a 1/4 of a square of someone else's chocolate bar...someone else's currently non-government sanctioned chocolate bar.
Nothing. I mean I got a hit of chocolate but that was all. I sat on the couch, reading, waiting for my shoulders to relax at least. Nada. Finally, after two hours, I gave up and went to bed.
Two nights later, I decided to try 1/2 a square. After all, the chocolate was tasty and one should never waste good chocolate. About 10 minutes later, I crawled up the stairs and fell on my bed. It was not a fun effort. I alternated between floating and sinking and imagining myself in a scene from Where the Wild Things Are.
Did it help my sciatica? I don't remember. Did it calm a panic attack? Well, I think I was having one during the moment when the Wild Rumpus began. So, no. Would I do it again? I can't; I threw the rest of it out.
I do very little without tons of research. From reading labels to 3am google searches, I am not a free spirit. (unless it's a little black boot... then I mostly give in to impulse)
It's veeeery easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of information available on cannabis. Online, friends, books, magazines... There's an opinion, an ad, a strain and a new question for every search I start.
Plus, it's not a linear logical sequence. (e.g. first learn addition, then subtraction, then multiplication...). Information comes in from all directions and you don't know what you don't know.
Some of the questions:
What's a terpene profile and why do I care?
What's sativa vs. indica vs. hybrid?
Why are dosing levels so small?
Which sites are worth checking out?
What might be the reactions of my friends if they find out?
Which method is best for me?
...
Like this blog, I can't share my discoveries in a straight line. But I will come back to this list and hyperlink to blog posts as I unravel the mysteries.
Feel free to leave me a question to add to my list!!
I'm discovering marijuana. I have no idea what I'm doing and so am sharing what I learn because I can't be the only ageing babe who skipped the experimentation in my 20s. I was a "good girl" in those days and whipped cream was my prime vice. I felt morally superior and was probably more tightly wound than my friends let on.
I discovered wine in my 30s. I loved exploring the new tastes, adding to cooking and savouring the feel of a cup in my hand while watching a late night movie with friends.
In my 40s, it was sports. For the first time, I enjoyed moving my body for the sheer pleasure of stretching my muscles in a run, yoga, a hike, a canoe trip. I tried kayaking and tree climbing and put my ice skates back on after 2 decades.
Then menopause arrived. My body still loves to run and my tastebuds still leap up seeking new flavours. I am a bit more fearless in trying new things and less concerned with what others think. I'm also more aware of every ache and the funny noises I make getting out of the car after a long drive.
I suddenly found myself with a whole regimen of vitamins, pills for migraines, pills for anxiety, pills to sleep, pills for aches, pills for digestive issues and a few more pills left over from various necessary medical procedures (mine and those who have lived here over the years). If I was less principled maybe I might have found a better way to build out my retirement fund...
And then I herniated 3 discs in my back - one in the lower, one in the middle and one in my neck. And then my son suggested that perhaps some medical marijuana might be better than pills. I scoffed. I protested. I ached and I shuffled.
It would be another year till I took my first hit.
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