Happy legalization day to virginia friends

one of my favorite pictures of myself, smoking weed in the dense forests of Alaska in 2015

​YO Happy Legalization Day to all my Virginia friends! I still can't believe this is actually happening.

​Learning about weed and realizing how much good it did for my mind and body was one of my first steps in realizing that I had been taught a lot of wrong things as a kid. For those who don't know, here is an article that outlines exactly how and why marijuana got the reputation it did in America almost a century ago. Heads up: This is not the only thing you've been lied to about by the government.

When I was in college, I got chronic terrible migraines, the kind that made any aspect of living impossible. I had medication that made me sick in other ways: one medication made me puke, another gave me a solid 4-5 hours of dizziness and mindfog before the migraine would eventually hopefully go away. Even sleeping through the migraine was a hard ask. The only relief I could get was weed; the only way I could endure my very strong medication was weed. When I awoke with a migraine, I would take my medication, smoke a bowl, and be able to go back to sleep until I would hopefully awake feeling better. On days when I couldn't just go back to bed, weed is what took the edge off enough that I could rise, dress, and get where I needed to go.

I've always had problems with my emotional processing (Cancer sign baby!). Throughout my life, the presence of my feelings has gotten in the way of me resolving interpersonal issues. You know -- I'd be ready to make nice, but my heart would still be burning with anger, embarrassment, etc. I have a really hard time getting rid of feelings once they're there, even if my mind is sensibly asking me to calm down. This emotional fire prevents me from being able to just let resolution happen. But weed helps me calm down and take a step back so I can approach conflict resolution in a way that's healthy and productive. When I feel the fire rising inside me, a bit of the other kind of fire helps me cool off.

I've met nearly all of my friends through weed, even those who no longer blaze. Weed is an inherently communal substance. It's better with friends. It lends itself to sharing. It's not expensive, it's not dangerous, it's not coveted, and so when there's some, it gets shared. Having weed in common is more than enough to start a new relationship even when you have nothing else in common. I appreciate and value all of the wonderful people that weed has brought into my life, not only in college (though particularly in college), but since then as well.

For over a decade, weed has been a pillar of my life. It's been part of my daily routine. It's helped me wind down after work, get over hangovers, sit through terrible movies, endure a year of self-isolation. I understand that some people don't like smoking weed, and some others are better off not smoking it. But I've been able to be an extremely high-functioning stoner for over a decade, and this is just who I am now.

For over a decade, one of the pillars of my life has been illegal. Buying weed illegally was infantilizing, humiliating, frustrating, time-consuming, and at times dangerous. It felt bad to be put in a position where I had to break the law to imbibe something natural, helpful, healthful -- and there's plenty of science behind that. It never made sense that I could legally black out from vodka shots but I couldn't legally medicate my migraines or vibe out on the couch with my friends. Furthermore, weed being illegal for so long has put me in the same room as a lot of people I would rather have never met -- you know, the kind of people who are super willing to traffic illegal substances.

When I went to my first dispensary in Denver, I cried. To be treated like a regular ass person making a legitimate purchase -- like blazing was a normal, everyday thing -- like I was an adult making informed and sensible decisions -- it totally changed my perspective. This isn't about a weed takeover. It's not about everyone being stoned off their asses all the time. It's about respect: respect for adults to make their own choices, and respect for the Earth and all the natural wonders provides for us.

I know I still have friends and family who have yet to unlearn all the anti-weed propaganda that's been plaguing our country for almost a century. I hope the legalization of this wonderful, multi-faceted herb helps to open people's eyes to all it can do for others, even if they personally don't like it.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

---