Sativa Rocks!

Times have changed since marijuana started becoming legalized. I remember when I was younger we had to know someone who knew someone else who could get you some smoke. They were always in the background, the person who provided the final product, and nobody was supposed to know who they were. There was also the unspoken code that all the stoners understood, how you don't talk about a sale on the phone. If you call to get something, you have to phrase it in terms of fruit, such as asking if you can get another bunch of strawberries like the last ones you picked up. That tells the person on the other end exactly what you want, and doesn't mention the word "pot".

Now, there are stores selling marijuana on every corner it seems. and the products they offer are tremendous! Of course, I live in Colorado where all of this is legal, but it should be legal everywhere when the benefits of the product are considered. Nobody ever drove 90mph down the wrong side of the road when smoking marijuana, not that I am recommending anyone drive when they are high, but if they had to, they would most likely be going slower than usual and stopping at green lights.

When I first smoked marijuana, it was with my ex husband on one of our first dates. I was supposed to cook my famous burritos for him, a dish I had made a hundred times, but after sharing a joint, I could no longer remember how to make the dish. I think we ordered pizza and laughed about it, but luckily when the high wears off the memory does come back.

I stopped smoking for a while, thinking that maybe it was something that I shouldn't be doing, but eventually I began smoking again. It was right after I left my ex for the first time and moved into a small apartment in another town. One of the tenants there smoked marijuana like a furnace and he was always more than ready to share with anyone who would share with him, and I was game, so we would sit out on the porch at night and share a few pipes, and at that time I couldn't always handle it so I 'd stagger down the hall to my apartment as fast as I could. I'm sure some people thought I was a drinker, but in fact I don't drink.

Getting high in the morning made me feel anxious, like I had done something wrong, but the world looked brighter and I was in a good mood. I would never drive that way and was always paranoid somebody would need a ride and I wouldn't be able to help them, but that feeling passed eventually and was replaced with a sense of creativity. When I was earning my masters, I would write my articles for class, then get high and edit the articles. I remember one time the professor commented that I must have some experience in the field because of the manner in which I wrote about things. Uh, no, I was simply high when I did the edit, reinforcing my opinion that marijuana opens up areas of the brain and creative thinking.

Of course, there are the munchies to consider. I couldn't figure out why I was gaining weight, but if finally dawned on me that making a personal sized cherry pie at ten in the evening and consuming it all before going to bed was not the best idea in the world. I went from a size 10 to a size 14/16 in nothing flat and didn't even realize I was fat. But, the funny thing is I don't get the munchies anymore.

At the University of Northern Arizona there was a top student who smoked marijuana constantly. I fully believe as long as people are responsible and don't smoke and drive that thc only enhances thinking. Yes, you do lose your memory for a short time, but it comes back, and thc does not destroy brain cells like alcohol does. It's also a great pain reliever and people who are struggling with cancer will agree with this.

I don't have anything as severe as cancer, but I do have degenerative disc disease which demolishes the discs in my spine. I've had one surgery to remove 8 pieces of ruptured disc from my neck because of this, and had to go in a few times a year for spinal injections for the pain. Since I smoke marijuana daily now, I have no more pain and have not gone in for injections for over 10 years.

Major pharmaceuticals do not like the fact that marijuana is natural and a lot of people are using that method of pain treatment versus drugs. But it's inevitable that someday the truth will overcome all the hype and marijuana will be legal and appreciated for the values it provides.