The first time I smoked I was 18. It was a week away from my high school graduation, and as an avid good girl and athlete, I was terrified of the legal ramifications of getting caught with weed or getting drug tested. But just days before walking across the stage to receive my diploma, I smoked with my best friends Jake and B, with weed given to me from my older, more popular, college, party boy, and pot-head brother.
I don’t remember the exact details of the evening in Jake’s backyard, just two doors down from my own childhood home. But I remember feeling relaxed, having fun, and thinking, Man, why did I wait so long to do this?
Cannabis, marjiuana, mary jane, pot, green, weed—it’s that pretty, psychoactive flowering plant that’s known for munchies, uncontrollable laughter, relaxation, and a generally good time. Medically, it’s been successful in relieving pain, nausea, PTSD, and even lessening tremors from Parkinson’s. But it’s also caused much social, racial, political, and criminal injustices. Even with it being legal in 29 states, federally it’s still prosecutable. And although state legalization is slowly helping ease the general public into the idea of toking up, and CBD’s surge to popularity is helping reduce the drug’s stigma, we still have a long way to go to right wrongs and ensure the use of the drug is regulated properly, safely, and fairly.
It’s complicated; and like many multi-faceted things in this life, there are negatives and also many positives. Simply, and personally, I love weed. It’s easy for me to be impacted positively by it, and a lot of that is based on the color of my skin being white. It helps with my anxiety, relieves pms and period symptoms, and makes me feel more at home in my own body. I love the ritual of packing a pipe, rolling a j, passing to a friend—and as someone who internalizes so much shame, grief, guilt, and worry, it’s allowed me to see past myself, see into myself, and show me that life, the world, while challenging, is a beautiful adventure I’m grateful to experience.
xo Maggie
Couldn’t get thru my symptoms of PTSD without it. Game changer. It definitely is not a one-size-fits-all, and just like anything else in life, it affects everyone differently.
I take CBD for gut health! I had pancreatic cancer and had half my pancreas removed and have had horrible stomach issues since. CBD helped me keep the food I eat, reduced inflammation and I was even able to gain some much needed weight after surgery! It also helped clear up my skin a ton!! I use CURED Nutrition raw full spectrum and I swear by it!!
For me it’s more recreational, like a glass of wine, but my boyfriend says it helps his depression and oddly enough his dissociation so much. While I wish it was more regulated, and medical, non-toxic/organically grown strains were more widely available, I think that it truly can be used as medicine and has (albeit disputed) anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. I’m getting my doctorate in Neuroscience rn and one of my favorite pastimes is to read the literature on THC, CBD, and cannabis in general. It’s fascinating!
I’ve grown up around weed my whole life. My dad being a guerilla pot farmer before it was legal, to living through the laws that were passing to make it legal. My parents always taught me that it was medicine, (obviously they didn’t smoke around me or let me as a child) but they made sure to squash any stigmas. So since a child I knew there was nothing bad about weed, but I never tried it until I was 16, and even then I hadn’t told my parents I’d tried it until I was 18. I didn’t think they would be mad but I was still afraid lol. I think that growing up knowing it was just a plant, and in fact one that heals, as there are many but marijuana is the one with such a negative stigma, I had a lot of friends growing up who attached themselves to the negative beliefs and shunned anyone who smoked, and as I grew older almost all of my friends were potheads lol. I think weed has impacted my life positively because I’ve always leaned towards holistic healing before turning to western medicine practices, and there’s so many benefits from the and cbd that have worked for me as well as many others.
I have always loved weed since I tried it at 14. I’ve partaken in waves but it has been a godsend during this pandemic. I take measured edible gummies of THC/CBD combos for sleep, and some days just in the afternoon to ease my mind. It reminds me to laugh, to take breaks from despair or news intake, to see my life and this present moment from alternate perspectives. Don’t be freaked out if your weed consumption during this time creates a spontaneous love of the Grateful Dead 🙂
Cbd & thc have changed my life. Thoughtful usage of both forms of cannabis has drastically helped my ability to manage anxiety & panic attacks without need for pharmaceuticals (which had some pretty nasty side effects for me). In addition to breathwork & yoga, I lean into edibles & oils when I need help creating relief for myself. Different than pharmaceuticals, which felt like they were fighting AGAINST my body & spirit, I feel like cbd & thc work naturally WITH my body & spirit to find peace & calm.
Both have impacted my life greatly. I dated a drug dealer in high school, in those times I’m not sure how helpful it was. My parents knew I smoked and it was definitely part of my identity before I knew myself. I stopped in college for a few years. But now that I’m older, married and in my career I use it medicinal for anxiety and migraines. It’s helped, healed, I’ve used it to escape from myself in dark times so it takes a lot of self awareness in my opinion to use responsibly but I also use it to share experiences and bond with others.
Probably not the answer you’re looking for and I’m not at all against medical marijuana and I know it helps lots of people. But for me, I grew up in a multigenerational house with an aunt and grandpa who smoked a lot of weed and didn’t seem to do much else. As I got older it really bothered me to see them doing nothing and just spending other people’s money on being stoned all the time and not contributing to the household. I now know a lot of people who use it recreationally or medicinally and still manage to do other things with their lives, so I know it’s possible to not let it overtake your life.
CBD oil has made such a difference in my life. Growing up as a chronic over thinker with terrible anxiety, I found falling asleep and socializing to be my two biggest struggles. CBD has helped me regulate my sleep cycles and taken that ainxious voice out of my head. I didn’t even notice the difference it had made until I reflected upon my month of use and realized it was the most content and confident I had ever felt.
CBD was such a subtle change, but just by removing that voice of doubt in my head, it transformed my life. It is definitely not a cure-all remedy, but it’s a tool I can use to improve my self confidence as a whole. By removing the ainxious self doubt, I can focus on the root of my anxiety rather than be overwhelmed by it.
I began reading your blogs months ago and I am finding it a great learning experience. These writers and those who whole heartedly respond, are declaring their innermost feelings. Many “mature” adults do not share in the deep way that I read on this site. In many ways, I grew older and feel I have accomplished so much in understanding myself and then I read these blogs and feel sad, joy, wonderment, and a whole gambit of feelings for these young people. Then an instant later, I realize that I am still that young person, just a tiny bit wiser and learning more about me every day. These articles are so helpful to so many and I am thankful that the authors and all those who respond so honestly from the heart and have the will to share. Thank you. In response to this writer, I have smoked pot for over 45 years and it has been a great relaxing respite from normal every day life, especially now during the pandemic. I also have CBD for sleep and I need it now or I fear I will not rest my body, mind or spirit.
I have insomnia, which very quickly manifests into depression if I go too long without sleep. Weed helps me through the long nights of anxiety so that I can slow my breathing and relax enough to read. Often times, it allows me to sleep.
For me, cannabis has been both a recreational substance and then more of a spiritual tool over the past few years.
It met me where I was at and helped me come home to myself when I was detoxing from pharmaceuticals in my early 20’s (birth control, Adderall).
It helped me learn to be aware of my breath, and it taught me how to do breathwork before I even knew it was a thing! It helps me drop into my body when I’ve been in my head for too long, and it supported me through the treatment of a chronic pain issue (that I’ve since healed from).
Conscious use has helped me grieve losses, find forgiveness when I need to, and really just help me to FEEL in a world that so often tries to get us to numb out.
I’ve spent a decade experiencing a lot of shame and stigma around using this plant, and it’s only within the past year or two (as it becomes more mainstream) that it feels safer to speak up. So much more to say about this topic!
It’s helped me to become more open minded and view things from different perspectives or angles than my own
It’s helped me with chronic constipation, allows my digestion to relax and ALWAYS have a smooth, full bowel movement…it’s like clockwork. One puff and I’m on the toilet! The only downside is I get heart palpitations from smoking it, less with CBD, but if anyone knows why my heart races from it..or a strain that won’t do that, let me know; cause I miss it!
It’s helped me big time with anxiety, depression, and insomnia – and I smoke at least 2-3 times a week to help me cope with all of these issues. I used to feel scandalous and guilty admitting that I smoked it, especially to my family. But today I’m very open about it now that views surrounding it are more accepting.
Oddly, it has also let me release a lot of my own self-consciousness. The other night my fiance and I smoked up and watched a movie, and we were both laughing so hard that tears were rolling down our faces. He said that he’s never seen me laugh that hard, and I thought “He’s right. I probably would have been more reserved if I wasn’t a little high.” It’s allowed me to let go of my inhibitions, have fun, and have a really good giggle.
Smoking weed has changed my life drastically. Growing up I felt very uptight and worried about being normal or perfect but the more I smoked the more I came to accept myself and the uniqueness I have. I deal with anxiety every day and for a while I thought the more I smoked the more it would make anxious, but as I learned more about the plant, strains, etc. I was able to find what works for me. I am 100% a Sativa girl. It gives me energy, focus, determination and just the confidence to be myself. The more I’ve learned the more I have become an open advocate for it and want to educate those who may not fully understand the benefits. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is the idea of it being a “gateway drug” because I don’t see it that way at all. Never in my life have I felt that smoking weed isn’t enough for me and I need to try something harder. As a medical patient, it is my medicine. I feel happier and more balanced when I can smoke freely. THC and CBD, together or separate, have so many qualities that I feel everyone could benefit from if they took the time to set aside their judgements and learn about this beautiful plant.
Would also like to add that my parents have always been very against me doing it & all throughout college I smoked multiple times daily: managing to do homework, study and graduate Magna cum laude. In one conversation with my dad I remember him telling me how happy he was that I was getting all A’s in school and I decided to use that time to let him know that weed was a huge help in my focus on getting those A’s and doing well. While he still wasn’t supportive, it was a chance for me to prove to him that isn’t just something that makes you lazy and do nothing with your life.
I discovered CBD last year as an athlete. I am also a nurse, but my primary interest in CBD was for recovery. I take a CBD oil at bedtime and I sometimes have a CBD sleep drink. It has greatly improved my quality of sleep and I feel like it has helped with the inflammation part of my recovery.
People don’t often talk about this, but I am fully addicted to weed. At first I used it to heal and process my emotions. I would journal on it and find a place of calm. However after time it became something I was dependent on, an escape, a distraction. After a while it started to give me anxiety and paranoia, yet I couldn’t stop. It became something I used to not deal with whatever it is I need to deal with. It’s been an issue that affects my motivation, my focus and my memory. I’ve been smoking weed daily for 5 years now. It’s incredibly hard for me to cut it out but I did sober January and felt like a new woman. I have some friends that are “functional stoners” and it does not affect their mental health. Unfortunately I am not one of those people. Having the control to take a break for a month was liberating and changed my relationship with it. I gained a clarity I hadn’t felt in years. Although I still struggle, I am working on having a healthier relationship with it. 🌱
I was an underachieving student in high school who also happened to smoke a ton of weed; a combination that translated to me being socially classified as a “lazy stoner,” which wasn’t accurate. The true culprit to my underwhelming scholastic output was a deeply-rooted belief that I wasn’t smart enough to succeed, and had little to do with the fact that I was always high. Despite outgrowing the label as a braindead pothead after high school, socially at least, it’s imprint never left my consciousness. As a result, I’m still unable (at 34) to enjoy getting high recreationally, because within a few puffs, the shame of that antiquated classification comes washing back over me.