I grew up in the D.A.R.E.* era, when marijuana was dubbed a “gateway drug,” and went on to become a law student wanting to stay on the “right” side of the law. As such, I felt both uninformed of the benefits and inherently fearful of weed.
*D.A.R.E. was a drug abuse prevention education program intended to give kids skills to resist peer pressure to use tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. It taught a fear-based, "zero-tolerance orthodoxy" that was drummed into the head of every child growing up in the US. indoctrinated to grossly misunderstand cannabis, to the point of fearing it.
In a catastrophic car accident just one year into my graduate studies, I suffered severe injuries – including a broken back that led to four major spinal surgeries. All the while, I leaned on my rescue pup and animal best bud, Juanita who was there for my highs and lows for 17 years.
Ultimately, cannabis — alongside much love and medical care — gave my poor girl enough relief from severe arthritis, congestive heart failure and loss of appetite to extend her life for nine more precious months and culminated in a peaceful passing. After seeing firsthand how it helped her, I began researching and using cannabis medicinally for my own pain management and health.
Having to find a way to live with 35 years of chronic pain, I found myself on an opioid regimen that was unsustainable to my long-term health, and experiencing trauma caused by repeated surgeries. I had to find something else to help me! At the time, I wished that there was a reliable, unbiased source of educational content about cannabis. Instead, I was met with:
All of which just caused me even more anxiety. Perhaps you can relate? While disruptive, these experiences have opened my eyes to the cannabis space, for which I am eternally humbled and grateful.
In a catastrophic car accident just one year into my graduate studies, I suffered severe injuries – including a broken back that led to four major spinal surgeries. All the while, I leaned on my rescue pup and animal best bud, Juanita who was there for my highs and lows for 17 years.
Ultimately, cannabis — alongside much love and medical care — gave my poor girl enough relief from severe arthritis, congestive heart failure and loss of appetite to extend her life for nine more precious months and culminated in a peaceful passing. After seeing firsthand how it helped her, I began researching and using cannabis medicinally for my own pain management and health.
When I was in law school, my favorite quote was “Eve was framed.” Neither the apple nor the cannabis plant is forbidden, rather God-given and every being’s right. It’s time to start a new cannabis conversation.
Join me on my journey to build the educational platform I wish existed when I needed it so that others don't have to experience the same uncertainty when seeking relief. Together as a Hive, we can rise above the stigma and fill the information void, elevate the conversation to a place that inspires cannabis confidence — and improve lives!
