How I Medicate with Cannabis

It has been brought to my attention that I don't write enough. 😉
Its true. I don't write as much anymore now that I actually have the honour of working in the Cannabis Industry. It's bustling here in Fredericton!

Sometimes, selling cannabis is about the quick sale. Get in, get out, and get on with your day. But I've
had a few opportunities to spend more time with several customers recently. Those are some of my favourite days because there's a deeper connection when you stop and listen to what's going on in a persons secret life of struggle. It is like a gift they give me. I get a glimpse into their world. They had to decide if I was safe enough to trust. I realize they are standing judging me, to see if I'm worthy or even capable enough to help them. Its a big decision, and when I am trusted, I am honoured.

Sometimes I get to explain why and how I medicate. Thanks to one of my clients, this is exactly what I'm writing about today.

I medicate with Cannabis for a couple reasons. The first thing I noticed it did for me was relieve depression. Second was relieve pain. Third,  it reset my metabolism. The reason I wanted to try cannabis was to relieve pain so I could get off pain killers before they killed me. I succeeded. I'm off all other pain killers. Now, besides allergy meds, I'm off pharmaceuticals.

HOW do I medicate?

I don't know that I learned how to medicate from any one source, or person. It was an accumulation of information. I use a layering method, incorporating different modes of administering cannabis throughout the day. Capsules of infused oil, inhalation (Bud/Shatter/Hash), and topicals.

1. THC and CBD Capsules.

I've learned how to make infused THC and CBD oil caps. (See link on how to, here)
My current dosage: CBD - 17mg  x2/day
                  (Sativa) THC - 10mg in morning to keep me lifted
                  (Indica) THC - 35mg about an hour before bed, to keep me asleep

Eating infusions (or edibles, they act the same in the body) takes the longest time to kick in, up to an hour, sometimes two before the effects are felt. Your digestive tract health as well as how recently and what you ate are big factors in this. But, the effects last the longest too, 6 to 8 hours. This is a big benefit in that I can medicate with a "base layer" of oil. I then can taylor my THC needs throughout the day with smoke or shatter, depending on whether I am in more pain, or needing more happy, or less anxiety.

2. Inhalation of Cannabis

(Smoked or Vaped Flower, Shatter/Concentrates)

This is how I get my immediate THC needs throughout the day. Inhaling our medicine is the quickest
 delivery system. Its effects can be felt within minutes (I've smoked some that can take up to 30 minutes to be felt) but the down side is, the said effects typically only last an hour or two. And since nothing remains constant, except change I don't particularly find that to be a down side. In the course of a given day I can experience great anxiety from a sudden rush of customers to intense pain later on in my shoulder from an old injury. So I can medicate as I need for the moment almost by boosting either my THC or CBD with smoked flower or shatter.
And yes, I recognize I have an advantage working in a place that lets me medicate. Not everyone does. But that doesn't mean you can't medicate effectively for you throughout your day. You just need to find what works best for you.
* NOTE: Tinctures would work well in the case of needing a quick dose of medicine. Takes 15 to 20 minutes to kick in and can last three to four hours. For those of you who can not smoke or vape but need to medicate at work a CBD or THC/CBD 1:1 ratio could be a good option for you.

3. Topicals!

Our brains are not the only place with cannabinoid receptors. Our entire body has them. Topicals work, and do not get you high (you'd have to use a lot!)
I make my own coconut infused oil and apply it topically to my knees every day. The THC and CBD absorbs through the skin to receptors found in our skin, muscle, veins, bones, and nerves. Or as the pros say, the peripheral organs, and the central and peripheral nervous system as well as the immune system. From my experience I think it builds up in the system. If I use it regularly I have no big pain issues. If I forget for a couple days to apply the oil my knees suffer around day 3 and I finding I'm ingesting more.
The link to my original post about how to make topicals can be found here.

Myth Buster! CBD is not THC's enemy.

Layering your medicine is a big step to helping you feel better more consistently.

So is the use of CBD. I had the slight fear that upping my dosage of CBD would ruin the effect of the THC. Basically, I was afraid I wouldn't feel the high anymore.
I have to say, its not gone, but it is different. I actually like it better. Its more calming and happy than I expected. And it allows me to function better. Pain is less, inflammation is less. And frankly, I need less Sativa in the morning too. I'm loving the change and enjoying the benefits. Hardest part, as always, is my being consistent!

Please, if you have not yet tested CBD in your daily medical regime you definitely should. I have had several customers come back and actually thank me for putting them onto CBD. A big pat on the back goes to them though. Cuz I just told them. They are the ones who followed through and did the work to find what works for them. Bravo! Keep it up! I love how we work together for the benefit of each other and our community.
And I'm loving this community!

Any experience with CBD, topicals, or making your own infusions? Tell us your experiences. I'm no expert and love to hear what others have learned.
Any questions feel free to ask here, or my Facebook page.

I Screwed Up My Surgery

So it turns out you shouldn't drink ANYthing with milk product in it before surgery.
I did. So my surgery has to be rescheduled for January.
I had about a tablespoon of milk in my coffee this morning. I would have been fine drinking it, except I was so distracted this morning I didn't finish my 7:30am coffee until 10:15am. If I had finished it by 8:30 I could have gone through with it. But nope! Last gulp was 10:15am and I'm the kind of honest person who tells the Dr. and gets kicked from the roster.

Bummer!

But there's a good side too.

~ Work got slammed today without me (and here I am often feeling like I've accomplished nothing at the end of a 9hr day!). I missed work, my co-workers, and my customers today.

~ The doctor said I might be off anywhere up to four weeks after the surgery.
Yikes! I don't got time for that! Certainly not mid christmas season! Plus there were a few changes in how we do things at our store, so I missed day one. Oops, I'm working on positives....

Another positive I'm taking away from this is a life lesson. I've thought about what my takeaway is from this experience.

~ I need to take care of me!

I know full well what the rules are for food and drink before surgery! I've had to parent all four of my kids and my husband through too many surgeries to recount! (OMG! 12 between the 5 of them!) So why didn't I for myself?!

Because I have stopped paying attention to what matters. I've gone from 0 to 60 in a day when I went from Worksafe Rehab to Budtender in a very busy Dispensary which temporarily held the warehouse too.
I was too busy to eat properly.
Too busy get out and spend time with friends or family.
Too busy to blog, or take photos, or write my book.
Eventually got too busy to do my measly 25 min daily walk after work. (o.k. part of that has to do with my knee)
Or my 15 minute stretches in the morning.
Or a 10 minute meditation I wanted to continue....
Too busy to do anything but get up, dressed, and out the door to work. I averaged one day off every two weeks.

And that's why I didn't pay attention to the details about what I should or should not do before surgery. I was in the habit of rushing and not paying attention. To my other responsibilities. To my health. To details......and I always catch the details...

So! I'm taking this as my wake-up call. To pay more attention to bed time, to my water and food intake, to the quality of my rest, to my exercise and re-creation, both mentally and physically.

Time to pull up the big-girl panties and do the self-care thing. And I'm not talking the pampering self centred shit. I'm talking the hard to do cuz it takes determination, persistence, and work kinda self care. Paying bills. Eating well. Resting. Reading. Laughing and loving.
And the even harder stuff, the mental care. Reminding myself to let things go. To enjoy the moments. To slow down. That "its" not all on me and I'm allowed to breathe.....which I struggle to leave written cuz it sounds ridiculous when I read it in black and white. But sometimes that's how I feel, and I need to get better at recognizing it so I can keep it at bay.....and I bet I need to up my friggin' CBD intake!! (insert head-slap)

Haha! I'm very glad we had this talk.

CBD and all those things above... cuz I don't see anyone else standing here taking care of them for me. If its going to be, its up to me.
So I'm hitching them up and getting down to the important business of me.





...now, watch me trip.....

Wait Until You See My New Storage Jars!

How do you store your Cannabis?

Have you ever given it a second thought beyond just keeping it out of sight, or away from little hands? Both valid details to be aware of, of course! But did you know some containers can actually degrade your product? I don't mean just bud, or just hash. However you prefer to take your medicine, its storage is important.

No matter what form your Cannabis is in, it contains cannabinoids and terpenes. Both have medicinal value, and both are sensitive to heat, light, and oxygen. It is always best to medicate with clean, fresh product. When I say fresh, I mean newer product. The older it gets the more likelihood of it being exposed to more light, heat and oxygen, degrading its potency and efficiency. No one wants to waste their money, or time on product that's gone stale. How especially sad if its preventable.

Terpenes are the ignored sisters to the THC's and CBD's of Cannabinoids. Very little is written about

terpenes. Most know that it's terpenes that give cannabis its distinctive smell. Fewer know they also give the subtle flavours to the different strains. But its the terpenes that are most responsible for the different names of strains, like Grape Ape, or Animal Cookies, and even Sour Diesel. There are cannabis flavour wheels all over the internet that show the veritable palette of scents and flavours available. And if you look a bit more you will find that many of the healing properties of the different strains are actually linked directly to their scents and flavours more than anything. (I'll have to write a blog about this one day...back on track).

Let's first address the three biggest enemies, light, heat, and oxygen. Keeping our medicine, whether in bud form, oil, shatter, hash or kief, away from these three is most important. Easy enough, store said product in a dark container. Those of us picking up our medicine from a local Ma and Pa set up are likely getting baggies and maybe brown paper bags. Those should be changed right away. Keeping your flower in the original baggie does nothing to keep those three enemies away.

Those of us with LP's receive our medicine in opaque plastic containers, air tight sealed, with "child proof" lids. These plastic tubs or bottles reduce all three enemies so it's easy to assume it's the perfect container to keep your product in.

But, it's not.

According to Ed Rosenthal, in his book Beyond Buds, its the terpenes that break down certain containers, and are in turn degraded by the chemical reaction. The worst containers to use are rubber and plastic. Some kind of chemical reaction occurs between those two compounds and causes the terpenes to degrade, which causes the container to degrade.  The best containers to use would be glass, metal, or silicone. Metal and silicone are usually excellent at keeping out light, provided we close our containers properly. If choosing glass, then preferably it should be dark. If it is not, then store the jar in a dark place when not needed, or paint the outside of it with an acrylic paint from the dollar store, or decoupage it with white glue and dark tissue paper, or news print...anything to keep out the light. Don't paint the inside though, you don't want to contaminate the goods!

Also be mindful of others in your home. I have teens and a husband at home who do not partake in my medicine. So I have had to label, freeze, hide and tape off my foods, oils, honey, and capsules for many months now. This weekend though I went out and purposely pick up special glass jars that are distinctive. I have never owned anything like them before and they have never been used for anything in my home before. I emptied all my various products into the different jars, and labeled them with dissolving labels. I then informed all my family members to steer clear of any products in either of these two styles of jars as they were exclusively for my products, to keep mine separate from everyone else's. I have yet to darken them. I'm considering something that can handle the humidity of a fridge, and washable.

HISTORY OF CANNABIS

HISTORY OF CANNABIS

HOW IT WENT FROM COMMON CROP TO ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE IN THE U.S. 

The history of Cannabis is simple in the beginning. Normal even for a plant that has been used as commonly as grain. It was not until more modern times that the story starts to get convoluted.  For this article I have chosen to stick to the history in the United States of America (U.S.) because much of what happens in the U.S. tends to have a ripple effect on our great country of Canada and to some degree is felt across the globe. 

PRE-PROHIBITION

The first indication of hemp being utilized by humans dates back as far as 7000 B.C to China where they used the seeds for food, wove its fibres into cloth, used it to make bow strings,  foot wear, and the ever important paper. By 2727 B.C. cannabis was listed in the ancient medical book, Pen Ts’ao, along with hundreds of other plants, animals and minerals, and their medicinal uses. Use of hemp spread across the ancient world due to its versatility. Indications and eventually writings of its use have been found in Greece, Rome, China, Japan, India and Europe. The Spaniards took it to South America, while the Romans took it to Britain who in turn brought it to North America and attempted it in the Caribbean.

The more recent U.S. history began in 1609 when King James 1 decreed that all famers of all colonies where to grow 100 hemp plants each for export back to England for rope and fabric production. In 1619 the Virginia Assembly passed legislation that required every farmer to grow hemp. Even George Washington grew it on all five of his personal farms as one of his three main crops. It was also allowed as legal tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. So domestic production was legislated and hemp flourished until after the Civil War when other products began to replace hemp. 

1906 laws regarding labelling of medicine changed.

The mid 1800’s saw a Dr.William O’Shaughnessy introduced hemp’s medicinal uses into Western medicine after he himself was introduced to it in India. Up until the early 1900’s it was regularly prescribed for coughs and colds, stomach cramps, migraines, general pain, as a sleep aide, anti-convulsant and anti-depressant, to name a few. Then in 1906 the Pure Food and Drug Act came into being and required all over the counter drugs containing cannabis to be labeled as Poison. Regardless, doctors were still prescribing it for their patients. That same year the government released the results of a three year study that predicted the complete replacement of pulp and paper from trees with fibre from hemp, stating its versatility, higher yields, low cost of processing and production, and higher quality of products. Important to note that even in 1906 they realized hemp was more sustainable environmentally too. 

Immigrants from Mexico flooded into the U.S. after the Mexican Revolution and brought with them recreational use of “Marijuana”. Fear and prejudice of these new strangers caused the anti-drug promoters to warn against the “Marijuana Menace”. The Dirty Thirties only caused that fear and prejudice to deepen as the country plunged into the Great Depression, in part because the farmers were no longer allowed to grow hemp. Millions of families had lost their livelihood due to the new regulations under the Marijuana Tax. 

PROHIBITION

Also during this time the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, headed by the original Dirty Harry, Harry J. Anslinger had a big impact on hemp, though no one realized it until it was too late. Anslinger knew that if he could convince Congress that there was a serious drug problem amoung the immigrants he would have access to more government funding. Anslinger was one of the few who actually knew Marijuana and Hemp were the same plant, and he liked it that way.  Another man who was threatened by hemps versatility was John Hearst of Hearst Media. He owned many newspapers across the country, filled with new machines to process the paper from trees. If hemp replaced tree pulp as the government predicted in 1906 then it would cost him millions to re-outfit all of his production facilities. Hemp was the enemy and together they had the power to squash it. They began a systematic attack on it. Hearst released false news stories about the “evil weed - marijuana” through Hearst Media while Anslinger would use these news stories published across the country as fact to Congress in his attempt to restrict the use of hemp. Another enemy of hemp was Du Pont. He joined forces with Hearst and Anslinger to squash hemp which would make Du Ponts newest invention of nylon useless. 

Without scientific studies or hard facts to back him up, J. Anslinger finally “won” Congress over in 1937 to prohibit the production, use and distribution of marijuana through fear tactics. The next few years were confusing for the country. Suddenly farmers were no longer allowed to grow hemp but they could purchase it in cough medicine in town. In fact, the first arrest for the sale of an illegal substance was a Mr. Caldwell and his customer was the first arrested for possession in 1937, the very same day the Marijuana Tax Act was enacted.  

Less than a decade later during WW2 the country was forced by need to promote its “Hemp For Victory” program. Agreeing to grow hemp for the war effort could even get you out of the enlistment, but shortly after the war it was again made illegal to grow or possess hemp. To this day hemp is still illegal to grow in the United States, yet they are one of the biggest importers of hemp products in the world. While the 1950’s  saw increased regulations put in place, mandatory sentences for drug related offences, including marijuana were beefed up, the 60’s drifted opposite. Instead there began a trend toward more lenient attitudes and minimum sentences were now considered too harsh.

Enter the counter-culture of the 60’s. Use of marijuana increased amoung upper middle class whites and the government realized the stories of old, that marijuana made you violent, were wrong. A short lived weakening of marijuana laws occurred in the 60’s and 70’s across a few states for a few years, eleven even decriminalizing it altogether.  A study commissioned by Congress recommended that marijuana be unscheduled altogether as it was a non-toxic substance and was extremely versatile. President Nixon refused the recommendations and in 1973 when the DEA was formed it got top billing, as schedule 1. No medicinal value, high potential for abuse, no acceptable safe use. Years later Nixon’s aid, John Ehrlichman, was interview. Here’s the shocking confession of why the recommendations were ignored and marijuana was scheduled so severely. 

THE WAR ON DRUGS

Nation wide parent groups got bigger and with the backing of the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) they affected not just public attitudes towards drugs, but were instrumental in starting the War on Drugs of the 80’s. Mandatory sentences for drug related crimes increased, even providing for life sentences or the death penalty for “drug kingpins” under the Reagan administration.

A war waged on home soil, under a title that seemed to make the general public happy. The government was cracking down hard on druggies and pushers, dealers and growers. Commercials on television taught children, teens and adults alike that your brain on drugs was like an egg in a hot frypan. Unbeknownst to the general public it was just more fear and false information being doled out. But in reality the war was still based on prejudice and greed.

 Again in the late 80’s yet another President would declare a new War on Drugs. The result was more of the same, increased spending by the DEA and NIDA and in the 90’s the United States incarcerated so many people for non-violent drug offences that the system was over loaded and in crept privately funded facilities. Today they have a system that is bulging at the seams. While Whites, Blacks and Latinos are all just as likely to use marijuana, Blacks and Latinos make up almost 80% of the prison population. Whether the whole reason for this dramatic increase can be attributed just to the War on Drugs since Nixon was in office is up for debate amoung some, but the figures are hard to ignore.

FIGHTING PROHIBITION

Advocacy for less archaic laws surrounding marijuana came out of the war on drugs. As the United States Government increased stricter laws, organizations began springing up across the Nation calling for decriminalization and legalization of marijauna specifically. The 70’s saw the formation of several big names in the fight against marijuana prohibition, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) the founding of High Times, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy to name a few. But advocacy really started with a man named Robert Randall. Mr. Randall sued the federal government in 1978 for arresting him for using marijuana to treat his glaucoma. Ruling in his favour the Judge issued the Food and Drug Administration to set up a program to grow and supply Mr. Randall with 300 cannabis cigarettes a month under the “Compassionate Use” program. Unfortunately Mr. Randall’s advocacy put an end to the program when in 1992 he attempted to have HIV/AIDS patients made eligible. George H.W. Bush discontinued the program as a result, but by then thirteen people were already enrolled and were allowed to continue. Mr. Irvin Rosenfeld was the second person to become eligible for the program in 1982. He attempted to have the program reopened during the second Bush’s Administration but was unsuccessful. He is one of four who still receive their shipment of cannabis cigarettes from the government.*Note: article printed in 2005.

“The government did everything they could to keep the program a secret since 1992,” said Keith Stroup, founder and legal counsel of NORML. For political reasons, the government doesn’t want people to know that they are spending millions on research into medicinal uses for Marijuana. They have even been getting many patents on THC and CBD, two of the main chemical components of marijuana (THC induces a psychoactive effect, while the other does not) since the late 1990’s. To admit they were patenting the medicinal applications of the chemicals found in Marijauna would be to nullify the very reason it is prohibited in the first place. As a Schedule One drug the government decrees cannabis has no medicinal value, yet their patents quietly declare it does.

IN CONCLUSION

Looking back over the history of marijuana in the United States and trying to pin down any one

reason for its prohibition can be difficult. The contributing factors are many. Reasons of  fear, racial prejudice and suppression, and even greed all factor in. The road towards restricting its use had many ups and downs as the government was forced to realize the country could not truly live without hemp products. While one hand of the government was praising its versatility and benefits the other was maligning it with violent and devious behaviour. The more recent struggles between the two sides contain the same biases as the old, fears and prejudices. Only the voices against prohibition have gotten louder, and stronger because they are based on the science and fact that hemp, cannabis, or marijuana (which ever you decide to call it) is the most versatile plant with the most possible uses of any plant. Our ancestors knew it and that’s why it was spread so far and wide across the globe. 

So hold on to that doobie, we just might see full legalization yet in our lifetime.

Reference Links:

1. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_R._Caldwell

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marihuana_Tax_Act_of_1937

4. http://woub.org/2016/06/27/high-hopes-for-hemp/

5.  http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/

6. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37134751/ns/us_news-security/t/us-drug-war-has-met-none-its-goals/#.V4ug-De9eZg

7. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37134751/ns/us_news-security/t/us-drug-war-has-met-none-its-goals/#.V4ug-De9eZg

8. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-07-pot-program_x.htm

9. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/6630507

10. http://hempbenefits.org

Strain Review of Head Banger from HBB Medical Inc.

Purchase Date: May 20, 2016       

Strain: Head Banger

Hybrid 50/50   1g

Cost $9

CBD 0%

THC 22.1%

Look of Bud: A plump bud that weighed exactly 1gram with only a few long orange hairs. The larger trichomes are fairly abundant making a slightly higher than medium amount of frost.

Smell of Bud: First I detected a piney/woody smell that was earthy and warm. The lightest note is best described as diesel.

Taste of Bud: Yes I ate raw bud. It’s actually good for you. Gives you those cannabinoids that still contain the acid chain attached (CBDA, THCA, etc) and have health promoting benefits all on their own. (I’ll eventually discuss this in another blog post-it’s on my “To Blog” list).

As with the smell there was no one overpowering taste to this strain. A slight Diesel taste mixed with the generalness of eating vegetation. Not an unpleasant taste at all. (Though I’d not recommend chewing much bud as the trichomes do like to stick to your teeth leaving a gummy feel)

Handling of Bud: Bud moisture was good. Not as moist as the Champagne I review earlier this month. I did do what the Budtender at HBB Medical recommended though, I removed the buds from their packaging and let it sit in a dark glass jar to air a bit before I was ready to use it. When it came time to grind it up I was very happy with the result. I rolled some into a lovely long slim blunt and it handled just like it should, dry enough to not bunch up in the grinder, but sticky enough to stay packed while hand rolling (not my strong suit). 

Burn and Effect:

Blunt: As I mentioned above the flower rolled well into a hand rolled blunt because it was sticky enough to hold together as I manipulated the stuff. She burned slow and did not need to be relit, a rarity for me. The effect for me was pleasant. I didn’t feel particularly high but rather happy and relaxed. I did notice the friends I shared with demonstrated more paranoia, but that may have been because neither of them are medically legal as I am. (Admittedly, I may have too little fear cuz I don’t know better as I’ve only known “legal”)

Bong: Its unfortunate but my first reaction is to want to cough due to the peppery effect of this strain. I’m also not a big smoker so those of you who do smoke more might not have such a big reaction. The smoke is good a milky cloud. I feel its effects almost right away. A cerebral high that is causing me to loose a bit of focus because there are so many other senses of mine being stimulated right now as I type this on my deck this gorgeous Sunday afternoon in May. So CREATIVITY IS BOOSTED! YAY. I love that! P.S. I’ve only smoked half the bowl and feeling fine! Interestingly, I did not experience the dry eye effect after smoking the bong like I did after vaping. I'm wondering if my eyes were dry from the vents blowing in my car instead...? Not to be forgotten, ash was white right through. 

Vape: First taste from the vape was diesel, than came the woody, earthy flavour. The inhale left a peppery feel in my throat that tickled a bit. There is a slight lemony note in the taste as well. The cerebral effects were very pleasant. I had a general overall sensation of wellness with no sharp turns into feeling high. I can’t say I felt it coming on or leaving but I defiantly felt emotionally light and happy.  I was not prone to navel gazing or ruminating on past or future like some high indicas can do to me. The downside came on about an hour after inhalation. Major dry eyes! Easily solved if ya got some drops with you (which I didn’t!).

Grade: 

My grade scale will be out of five. A point per category listed above with 0, .5, 1 as possible scores.

I give Head Banger from HBB Medical Inc. a  4.5/ 5 

Look:  1

Smell:  0.5

Handling:  1

Burn:  1

Effect: 1

Weight Accuracy: I actually purchased two grams of this and decided to weigh the contents of both packages individually. Both were exactly 1 gram on a scale that weighs to 0.01g. Thumbs up guys and gals! 

Last Notes: I was specific in my purchase this time as I had a special event this weekend. Three ladies out on the town looking for some fun. Dinner and a comedy show out of town, so I wanted something that would give us a happy mood but not make us anxious in public, nor sleepy cuz I was driving an hour there and back. I asked for a 50/50 Indica/Sativa hybrid mix and Mr. B pointed me right to two strains in the showcase. Head Banger and Tahoe. The only reason I choose one over the other was because I had heard the name before. I wasn’t disappointed. 

I never felt lethargic or muddled the whole night. Was able to navigate new streets with ease, feel relaxed in a new situation in a new city, in a dive of a bar. It was sketchy but I felt at ease and capable of handling an event I’d normally not even entertain attending. It was the perfect choice for a night out with friends. A perfect day strain. It would probably be great for doing any kind of creative activity as well. Over all, I love this strain. I’d chose it again.

Correction: I want to mention again the topic of moisture in the bud that I paid so much attention to in my first review. When I stopped by HBB Medical Mr. C was kind enough to educate me in the fine timing of curing. And I fully admit to still being Newbie enough to not know everything. Remember, my only experience so far is getting perfectly cured bud from LP’s in plastic jars with air tight sealing. So I’m willing and wanting to learn from anyone, even my mistakes. So hopefully I can correctly retell what I think he was telling me. 

When HBB packages their product it is done so when the moisture is such that the trichomes are not so brittle that they crush easily. It is recommended that after purchase you store your bud in a dark glass jar (or similar). I did this and the product was better only a few hours later. 

I’ve asked the guys to feel free to comment below the first review and describe what he told me in person. Hopefully one of them will get around to it, as my desire is to learn myself, but educate others as well. And if I’ve made a mistake in something I’ve conveyed here I’d love it if someone out there who knows I’m wrong would correct me. I’d hate to think I’m spreading false information when false information is what we are trying to get away from as we as a Country work on legalizing. 

Follow Up to My Cannabis Break

It was three weeks ago that I told you all I was taking a break from Cannabis. I think I've processed that week long enough. Time to tell you what happened.

I started this blog as a way to process the changes that I have been going through since starting Cannabis as my medicine. The desire to educate people grew the more I learned and realized how little actual truth about this herb is out there. 

I have to state, the changes that sometimes occur are not always medical, or physical. In my case I was very religious my whole adult life. Like, the kind of Christian who wouldn't let my kids watch Disney movies cuz they were full of witchcraft, or magic. I was THAT kind. I shutter, and have much regret for who I was back then. But I try to let the voice of wisdom speak louder and remind me that I only did the best I could with the knowledge I had back then. My best just happens to be better today then my best back then...that's all. (ok...it's not always better...I'm still a work in process.)

My last intake of cannabis in any form was a Friday night. I was off fully until Tuesday evening when I started to ingest it so I could sleep. I didn't start back to my day use, vaping and/or smoking until Saturday night a week later. It has taken these last two weeks to re-acclaimate and mentally/emotionally process all that has gone on internally.

I had a VERY bad first weekend. My biggest physical issue was restless legs, preventing me from sleeping. They hadn't actually start bothering me until day 2. But you can only go for so long without sleeping well. My other physical issues, pain, were easily dealt with by using Tylenol and Aleve. (These are the two drugs I've been on for years and the reason I started Cannabis in the first place was to get off them so as not to over stress my kidneys any further). My mental issues were mostly due to the ridiculous amount of stress I was under for a prolonger period of time. Years. And a big contributing factor was/is my ever present self doubt; doubting my judgment and well...everything. Much of this self doubt comes from the shame associated with my previous religiosity. (Not that church caused it, but rather for me it fed an already established shame and made it grow.)

A small example of how bad I was at the beginning of this pursuit; by the middle of the afternoon on the first Saturday I was literally packing all my cannabis related things into a box and hiding it all in my closet. Bongs, lighters, weed, printed material about cannabis, and my colouring page from #myTHCbox also went. I couldn't stand the sight of any of it so I cleared it out of sight completely. I was at the point of hating that I had ever started it. I deleted groups, and unfollower Cannabis community Facebook pages. I just couldn't have been more hateful towards cannabis.

By Tuesday afternoon I had pulled out a little weed to roll a joint and I start back eating my AVB with ice cream at bed time just so I could sleep. But I had still decided I'd not ever go back to using Cannabis as much as I had been. I could deal with the physical pain by using pharma products and I was willing to take the risk of damaging my kidneys. I got over that by the next Saturday.

My last day off weed was horrid. I was unable to think a positive thought. But by dinner I realized I was on a bad thought track and knew the only way to combat it was to grab my cannabis and get couch-locked! It worked too. Stress left. I calmed the fuck down and realized the sky was not falling. Next day I had the best Sunday a person could have.

And as I processed that weedless week I know that my emotional instability was not and is not caused by my Cannabis use. I really was under a crap load of situations. Most of which have now been resolved, thankfully! It just took a ridiculous amount of time. A couple issues remain, but I'm working on those with Mindfulness practices I learned in classes given by a medical Doctor here in the city; learning some new (and badly needed) coping skills, gaining insight into the causes of stress, and seeing a counsellor. I've spoken with both the M.D. and the counsellor about my shame issues that were fed and grew to huge proportions under the guise of a loving God and both have applauded me for getting out of something that caused me to feel so much shame. Unfortunately that doesn't remove some of the wrong beliefs I still have. That might take years to do in some cases. Some of those shame issues are what had me second guessing my original choice to start cannabis. So while I was six feet under all these major stressors recently those very shame issues were raising an even stronger opposition. But my week off helped clear up and remove the lack of trust I had in myself, at least regarding the issue of Cannabis as medicine!

What this whole week taught me:

The whole reason I took a weedless week was to see if cannabis was causing or creating more stress and drama in my life. I went through a strange week, denying its effectiveness first, accepting its medical use in one area of my life, and then embracing it fully again.

I've learned that Cannabis was not causing me to stress out, life was. Cannabis helps me realize what is no big deal so I can focus on what is.
I know that popping a low dose canna-cap of a Sativa/CBD mix allows me to chase the blues away. I don't feel any cerebral effects but I don't get dragged down by the time I've finished my first cup of coffee either, which can happen if I don't medicate effectively.
I know that I need to get more serious about keeping connected to the larger medical cannabis community. Not that there is anything wrong with the few people I've started to get to know, I just know they don't have all the answers either. Some of them are just as new (or newer) than me. But there is a world full of life-long medical cannabis patients who have a wealth of information that I want to learn from.

I know that I don't know enough about how to medicate properly for pain. I am still medicating with big pharma for pain and inflammation. I want and need to know more.
I'm also allowing myself some grace. My original pain issue was better for six months. I had more mobility and less restrictions due to pain since starting cannabis back December 2014. My new injury occurred mid August. It was intense! I was SO disappointed by the set back! So now, rather than being disappointed that I had to go back on big pharma drugs after I had only just gotten off of them I am learning to be ok with what is right now. Unfortunately I also badly sprained my ankle two weeks ago so I again had to increase my dose of pharma to the max while this newest injury heals. But giving myself a break (or grace) is exactly what I need to learn here, so I'm learning.

Although this may not have been the best way to do it, I do believe this break was a success. I've learned more about me, and what works for me because of it. And as a side note, three weeks out I have felt an internal shift recently that I'm hoping is permanent. It's a healthier perspective with less self doubt. If I went through a hellish week just for that it was well worth it!

Why I'm Taking A Break From Cannabis

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm really struggling right now. 

And since this blog is about first year or newbie issues I think it's fair topic to discuss here.  

I was introduced to Cannabis through a friend. After nearly a year of reading and watching docs I decided go for it. I found it removed the pain in my knees making me quicker at work, stopped my restless legs at night, allowed me to sleep an entire eight hours, and it took care of the negative nancy in my head. I was happy for the first time in my life. I danced about the house, my work was more fun and I stopped looking for another job. 

That lasted for about six months. Then I sustained a work place injury. Rotator Cuff, repetitive movement injury. That was August 2015. I've never been the same since. 

Once I was cold, stable, and analytical (and easily angered). After Cannabis I was a happy, hopeful person. Now I'm an emotional basket case. I cry at the drop of a hat. I'm more insecure than ever, and my trust meter is even lower than it use to be. 

Granted, these changes didn't come without cause! My Physiotherapist explained that the physical pain center of the brain is exactly the same as the emotional pain center. That's one of the reasons a person can have physical pain but no physical symptoms. It really is all in our heads. But it's real emotional pain. Just manifesting physically. That's part of the explanation for me, never having dealt with root issues.  

As a "doer" my shoulder injury reduced me to near helpless. Off work and lots of time on my hands I couldn't clean my house, wash or put away my dishes, fold laundry, chop food or stir a pot to make dinner. Asking for help was exhausting. And embarrassing. And frustrating. I'd have to ask my husband or kids for help and then wait for the help that didn't always come. So I'd have to ask more than once, daily. 

The rest of life is one big ball of stress. Workers Comp refused my claim (yes I'm fighting it- it's a very long process with very little information. Finally got good news last month, the WCB Advocate is finally on my case!) Meanwhile I've been on EI. Until someone through Service Canada suggested I apply for a program to cover me while I was away for a month in another Province to care for my youngest (14) during her surgeries. I couldn't justify saying I could work and look for a job while I very well couldn't! So I lost EI and have been trying to get it back now for months. It has devastated us financially. I have received no money for the last 4 months. And that's not all of it, but I'll spare you the other long details. It's been stressful, exhausting and defeating to say the least. 

This is carrying over into my attitude toward cannabis. I'm starting to doubt that this was a good idea. I've been so overwhelmed by everything that I'm not handling simple things well anymore. I'm suspecting that cannabis is making me emotionally unstable. Or at least making my emotional instability worse.

So today I'm not going to have any cannabis at all. At this point I'm not sure how long I'll avoid it but the whole weekend is my starting point. 

With the absence of a really strong support group I don't have a trusted person to bounce my questions or concerns off of. No one to remind me of why I started this journey. Maybe that's my own fault. Being too afraid of being misunderstood or of judgement to open my mouth and communicate.

Real or imaginary I already feel judgment and disapproval from my kids. So I'd rather take this time off to decide if this really is helping me, or not! 

If Cannabis really is medicinal then I should be brave enough to admit if it's not working for me. Maybe it was before but now it's not. Maybe it will again eventually. Maybe it is working well and I'm just too overwhelmed by everything else to be able to tell. Maybe I'm just out of sorts because I was not able to find an appropriate strain to match my symptoms while I have had no money all this time. It could be any one of those reasons. It's worth testing to find out. So just like testing different strains and methods of intake to see what effects are felt I'm kind of doing the opposite. Finding out what I feel or find when not on it at all. 

 As far as my pain goes I can resort to Tylenol and Alieve like I use to. They took care of my pain just fine before. Maybe I can still avoid damaging my kidneys or liver by insuring I eat and drink healthier. More water to flush me out, less coffee and sugary drinks that bog my systems down. Cuz repair of my knees isn't expected for 15 yrs or more. 

And as far as depression goes I'm at the point were I'd rather feel nothing again. I'd rather not worry that my kids (or anyone else for that matter) is thinking I'm unstable. I'm so overwhelmingly embarrassed that I'm so emotionally unstable. It seems like the worse I feel the worse my decision making is. So I'm going to test that out too.  

If I had to theorize what my results will be, I'm suspecting my emotional instability is not related to my cannabis use. It might be exacerbated by it though. So I need to find that out because I'll doubt myself until I rule it out. 

I also suspect I might just be better off medicating with topicals to reduce pain and inflammation. Especially if the cannabis is heightening my emotions while in these highly stressful situations. 

That's why I'm doing this. That's why I'm writing about it. To be accountable and honest with all of you is of upmost importance to me. Cuz if I can't be bold enough to say it's not working then I feel I'm doing dishonour to the very fact that we claim cannabis to be medicine. If big pharma drugs don't work we tell our doctor and we (or they) make changes. I don't want to be stubborn because I want it to work. Or just because it's cannabis. If I'm bold enough to say, 'hey, maybe this isn't working for me right now then that gives others permission to do the same. 

So, we shall see how this goes. I might be all for this until my legs start twitching in bed tonight and I can't sleep. Or I'll just learn how to deal with lack of sleep again like I use to. It's not like I've never done that before.

A very Quick shout out to MaryLovesGlass for sharing my blog a couple times on Facebook over the last week. My views have increased significantly. I wish I could force myself to feel happy about it. I'm certainly thankful for the encouragement! I've felt more frustrated by my blog over the last month than ever, to the point where I've removed some posts because I've not had the confidence to keep them online. And I've posted and since removed youtube videos too.

So don't take MaryLovesGlass's saying at the end of her videos, "Smile at someone today" as just a nice tag line. It is important to smile at or even encourage someone everyday. It might be the only smile or encouragement that person gets all day, or week! You never know what's really going on in the background of their life, and one smile could help make the difference in turning their perspective a little more positive. 

Here is my favourite Quote from Doctor Who's best episode. Vincent and The Doctor.

  Check out my follow up post on what I gleaned from my week off Here!

Kick Ass Medicated Chocolates

I have finally successfully made Canna Chocolates at a set dose and I'm pretty proud of myself.

I mean, I've made edibles before and have had a 98% success rate. Only one product I made was void of any cerebral effects. I can't say it had no medicinal effect though, because regardless of whether I decarbed it properly or not, or it had enough Kief in it or not, it contained cannabinoids. Therefore it had medicinal effect. But I won't be trying to make hard candy again for some time!

I have been concerned for lately about finding my dose. The right amount that I can make consistently. I first had to find out how to calculate the amount of THC per piece of baked good or chocolate (or gelcap). I hunted for some sort of formula for a while on the internet until it was with great relief I was given this one. This is the actual math for my most recent batch.

2g X 1000 = 2000mg
2000mg X 22.4%THC = 448mg
448mg divided by 15 pieces = 29.8mg/piece

So the formula for you to fill in is....

#g x 1000 x THC% divided by # of pieces
If you are unsure of the THC amount use 10% as it is typically an average for generic street weed. All prescription Cannabis from you LP or local dispensary will have the THC% written somewhere on their container.  I add the decimal point in the calculation as it makes it that much more accurate.

Enough with math! Lets get to the chocolate recipe! Apologies, I did not take a whole lot of pictures this time as I was way to stressed about having this turn out right (maybe next time I'll do a video demo).

Decarbing the Cannabis

I measured 2 grams of Kosher Kush bud. I busted it up and cooked it in the oven, in a glass casserole dish with lid on, at 200'F for 20 minutes. I removed it from the oven and let it sit undisturbed until morning. Not even taking the lid off. (Leave lid or covering on until the bud has fully cooled!)
Next morning I added 2 Tbsp of Coconut Oil to the decarbed bud and warmed it in the oven for another 20 minutes. I was in no hurry. My purpose was to hopefully get as much of the THC converted as possible. 

Canna Chocolates

Ingredients:
 4 oz chocolate (I used Semi-sweet Bakers Chocolate Squares)
 1 tsp  cocoa powder (to counter the oil)
 2 Tbsp  Infused Coconut Oil (or Cannabutter)
(Bit of paraffin wax for consistency)
1/4 cup granola
1/4 cup ground nuts 
2 Tbsp shredded coconut (I used unsweetened, I'd prefer sweetened in this case)

• Melt chocolate and infused oil over a double boiler and mix well until fully melted. 
• Added a few small chunks of paraffin wax, about the size of the thumb to the first joint. It is usually used to make the finished product glossy, but since I added extra oil I didn't want my end product to melt just by looking at them, so the wax helps reduce that effect too.
• NOTE: I did not strain out the bud from my oil. In order to get the maximum amount of benefit from my medicine I didn't want to risk throwing away any terpenes or cannabinoids by straining out the bud. I just made sure it was very well ground up so the bits were small.
• After mixing the chocolate, oil and wax together I prepped my production line. 

This is where I differed the manufacturing of my chocolates. I had already done the math and knew I needed to make 15 to get the dose I wanted per chocolate. So I laid out 15 chocolate candy cups, the bowl of granola/coconut/ground nuts and the bowl of medicated chocolate. 

• I spooned out a teaspoon of chocolate into the bottom of the cups, which had been dusted with cocoa.
• Next I spooned a 1/4 tsp of granola mix into each cup. Mixing a little with a toothpick to mix it into the chocolate.
• I then spooned another teaspoon of chocolate over the top as the third layer, and again gently mixed.
• I decorated the tops with a tiny bit of granola, and....
• refrigerate

I now have 15 chocolates that knock me out for bed all from only 2grams of bud. 

Must stay refrigerated.

Things I'd do different?

I would add peppermint to the chocolate for a nice flavour. Or I'd add a tsp of maple syrup and some dried fruit, or sweetened coconut. Cranberries are nice in chocolate. So is broken up candy canes, or cookie.  Also, the sweetness of your chocolate is up to you. You can use white, 70% Cocoa, semi sweet, or sweet. Or mix a couple. How about top layer white chocolate and bottom dark? Get creative.

Why did I do it that way?

I explained above why I kept the bud in the oil and mixed it into the chocolate. Since bud is a bit gritty it is necessary to add something to the chocolate to hide the gritty texture. Thus granola. Many things could work to hide that texture as it appeals to you. 

The reason I did the math first was so that I could determine ahead of time how many pieces to make to get the right dose. I'm usually leery about making something and having the pieces come out different sizes and shapes resulting in each piece being a different dose. This is why I was super careful to measure exactly the same amount in the bottom, middle and top layers. It's also why I spooned them out in layers. If I had added the granola to the chocolate and mixed, I may not have gotten exactly the same dose per piece if one had more granola than another. 

Have any questions? Or suggestions? 

What have you made recently? 

Don't forget to like and share my blog. Then come find me on Facebook and Massroots.

Happy medicating everyone.

Another version, Cranberries and Pistachios