14 HIGH TIMES I OCTOBER 2019
Reluctant Patient
I was indifferent
to the legalization of
cannabis [in Canada]. I
didn’t think much about it, wasn’t
against it, but mostly didn’t think
it would have any direct impact
on my life. Until a few years ago,
I hadn’t encountered weed since
I was in my 20s. I’d tried it a few
times, but it never appealed to me
very much.
If one believes in such a thing
as an addictive personality, I don’t
have it. I had a messy adolescence
that included binge drinking
and experimentation with other
substances. And I am one of the
lucky ones who both survived
and walked away. By the time I
[reached] my early 30s I didn’t
drink or smoke, but the truth is,
I have a long history of prescrip-
tion drug use. I went through
years of insomnia, depression,
migraines and chronic pain, and a
corresponding list of sleeping pills,
antidepressants, benzodiazepines,
as well as numerous painkillers,
OTC and narcotic. I have had
running scripts for many of these
drugs for years.
Seven years ago I went through treat-
ment for stage three breast cancer, and
found that people really like to offer
weed to cancer patients, but even then I
didn’t partake. But in the past few years I
slowly became a very occasional cannabis
user. During a particularly bad stretch of
migraines I was desperate, and found that
while cannabis didn’t replace my meds, it
did help in combination with them. And
with more regular usage, I discovered I
could use less ibuprofen (which has long
been a near daily requirement for me), and
fewer of the prescription meds as well.
Even more than the pain management,
I found that smoking helped stabilize my
mood more than anything else. Last fall I
found myself experiencing severe spells of
profound loneliness and sadness. Taking
benzos felt like merely staunching the cry-
ing jags. With weed, these dark moods not
only improved when I smoked, but they
soon came less and less frequently.
So with legalization, I bought a gram.
Now [I smoke] 1-2 nights a week. The
dark moods are gone, and I have more
and more days that I don’t need pre-
scription meds. I’ve completely given up
alcohol.
Jennifer Raven
CanadaVeterans Issue
Just wanted to say thanks for your Sep-
tember issue highlighting the problems
facing our military veterans. While
it’s heartbreaking that so many brave
servicemen and women are suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder, I’m
encouraged to learn about groups like
Twenty22Many, that are providing sup-
port and medicine to veterans in need.
It’s so important to educate the public
about the debilitating effects of PTSD,
and how veterans are disproportionately
at risk. We need to support these people
who have served their country. They
need safe access to quality cannabis,
which shows great promise in treating
symptoms associated with trauma. Keep
up the good work.
Jeff Darlington
St. Louis, Missouri
Psychedelic Caution
As a reaction to the news of magic mush-
rooms being [decriminalized in Denver],
I feel that the potential for how legaliza-
tion could impact the public should be
analyzed fully. Yes, I am for the eventual
legalization of this currently illicit sub-
stance, but people should be aware what
they are signing up for.
As of late, due to the legalization of
marijuana spreading across the US,
people have started to look at other
illicit drugs in a new light. Psychedel-
ics in particular are being looked at for
treatments as a way to solve our current
mental health epidemic. News of this has
created an almost fetishized view of their
potential.
Now, as an individual who has suf-
fered from crippling PTSD for most of
my life, I eventually turned to mind-
altering chemicals (including magic
mushrooms) as a form of treatment
after being failed by the current medi-
cal system. In all honesty, I would have
died a long time ago if it were not for the
results brought on by these chemicals.
If used correctly and responsibly, these
substances can have profound effects on
the improvement of mental health. I am
living proof of it. Experimentation with
these substances could be the missing
key needed to effectively treat trauma
cases and other extreme [psychological]
ailments. However these substances are
a different beast from marijuana, alcohol
and any medical drug used for treatment
and should be treated as such when
talked about for legalization.
What [psychedelics] can actually do
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for society is make certain individu-
als comfortable with life. I say certain
individuals because there are numer-
ous cases of people being unable to
handle the psychedelic experience with
extremely negative results.
I think there is a lot of untapped
potential with these chemicals, but I
don’t think that they should be [thought
of ] as a cure for everything, at least until
their effects can be observed.
Spencer Park
Real Medicine
In the early 2000s I watched the most
genuine person in my life suffer from
multiple myeloma and doctors’ trial and
error while the real medicine was listed
as a Schedule I substance.
In 2015, I found myself struggling with
withdrawal from prescribed Percocet,
not knowing what the true effects of the
medication were. Finally, in late 2016, I
found cannabis as my medication.
In 2017, I found myself taking an oath
to help as many as I can by growing the
medicine under the medical cannabis
program here in New Jersey.
Patrick K.
New Jersey
Psychedelics in particular
are being looked at for
treatments as a way to solve
our current mental health
epidemic. News of this has
created an almost fetishized
view of their potential.
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