A reader writes: I'm among the legions of pot smokers who have a chronic disease. For me it's severe eczema that itches like hell, splits my hands and feet (and right now face) into tens of cuts, and hurts from swelling. Nothing else ever works. I've tried the sleeping pills, drink, exhaustion – nothing. Cannabis … Continue reading The Cannabis Closet: Severe Eczema
A reader writes:
I have to thank you. For years, I have been in chronic pain from a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Simply put, my collagen is messed up, so my joints don't stay in place.
The resulting dislocations and subluxations, as well as arthritis that comes from such joint damage, is incredibly painful. I have the joints of a 70 year-old woman, and I'm not even 21 yet. I'm on powerful prescription painkillers, and yet my Tylenol intake (as a supplement to my prescriptions) was through the roof.
As my joints deteriorated, particularly in recent months, I was frequently lying down, out of commission, sometimes for days on end. As a full-time student studying music at one of the top conservatories in the nation, I couldn't afford that. I had thought about medical marijuana before for pain relief, but had been brought up to stay on the so-called straight-and-narrow. Your consistent advocacy for marijuana, and your willingness to post articles from the Cannabis Closet like this one, convinced me to finally try it. So about two weeks ago, I got a prescription–ain't it great to live in California?–and got some quality weed.
Andrew, I am a different person.
A reader writes:
That Scenes From the Drug War post really freaked me out. I watched the video all the way through and was so bugged that I posted it to my Facebook page. Six hours later I came back and found two comments. One was from a buddy of mine who is an FBI agent doing anti-gang work in New York City. He urged me to join mpp.org and advocate for decriminalization. The second was from a lawyer friend of mine who wrote "it has happened before," and posted this link. After reading a second story about a police raid over drugs that aren't found and involving pets murdered in front of family members, I started to get concerned. If there are other documented examples of this kind of behavior, they need to be compiled into a single place so we can get a handle on exactly what kind of society we are running here.
You see, I just started smoking marijuana about eight months ago and I recently had a drug dealer over to my apartment. Now I'm wondering whether there is a possibility that the police will break down my door, shoot my dog, and arrest me. I have seriously started to wonder whether I've been wrong for my entire life about who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in society, at least when it comes to drugs. I come from a Christian home and I've always admired the police. But this is scary and it has me bewildered.
A reader writes:
I'm a full-time working mother of two small children. A couple nights a week, after the kids are in bed, I smoke a bowl, usually shared with my husband. This is so much better then having a couple beers or a glass of wine. I'm not hungover the next day and it's easier on the wallet. I can fully relax at night, tune out a bit and I'm able to go to work the next day, no problems. If it's a weekend I can fully interact with my children without ever having to say, "Shhh, mommy's got a headache."
Fortunately for me, I live in a middle-class neighborhood and I'm white, so if the cops ever bust down my door they'll probably leave before arresting me because the paperwork's not worth it. Maybe that's why the illegality of it doesn't bother me.
A reader writes:
I am a 39-year-old homeschooling mom and I smoke pot every night after my kids are asleep, in order to maintain my sanity. One of my kids has a language disorder and is mildly autistic. Teaching him requires a great deal of fortitude and patience and some days are extremely stressful. For me, nothing takes the edge off like pot does.
I choose to smoke pot instead of drinking alcohol as I suffer from clinical depression along with everyone else in my family. Alcohol is very, very bad for my mental state so I restrict myself to a glass of wine on special occasions. Pot, along with light therapy in the winter, has helped me to manage my condition without anti-depressants.
A reader writes:
I know you closed this thread awhile ago but after reading your recent post I feel a need to share this with you.
Marie Claire profiles several of them:
"I hate the term pothead—it connotes that I'm high 24/7, which I'm not," Pelham says, wincing.
One 17-year-old busts it wide open. Samizdat video of him smoking a joint after a presentation in favor of marijuana legalization after the jump:
A reader writes: To add to the chorus, I'm a 20 y.o college student with a 3.4 GPA, a 1490 on my GRE (I even smoked the day before), plans to go to grad school, and a great starting job in my field. I'm not bragging, just saying that occasional pot use doesn't make someone a … Continue reading The Cannabis Closet: Chickening Out
A reader writes:
I am a stay at home Mom of a toddler, active in my synagogue and preschool. I also have suffered from secondary insomnia almost my entire life. Two or three nights a week I fall
asleep, only to wake up 3 or 4 hours late. I am then unable to return to sleep for the rest of the night.
In my twenties, I had a cigar box full of marijuana that I left in a drawer by my bed. (I was never a recreational user, since smoking in the company of others made me feel paranoid.) If I woke up in the middle of the night, I would smoke a little, go back to sleep and wake up feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. But I stopped smoking when I met my now husband, since he didn't approve. Now my insomnia has gotten much worse since the birth of my child, with all the attendant middle of the night awakenings.
