Since its recreational legalization in 2012, Whatcom County has warmly embraced the cannabis shops that add to our economy and offer both medicine and enjoyment. But there’s one aspect of cannabis many aren’t familiar with: its power to aid in overcoming addiction. Local purveyor 2020 Solutions has seen this first hand.
Tim didn’t have an easy life. He was a lifelong alcoholic and narcotics addict. On top of that, he suffered from crippling depression and panic attacks, which brought him to the deepest of lows. He was left with no home, no social support and a sense of utter hopelessness. He turned to a doctor who, after listening to Tim’s medical history, advised that cannabis might help.
Tim had smoked marijuana in his youth, but back then it worsened his anxiety and panic attacks. “Of course, I was very hesitant to take this advice and pondered it for months,” Tim says. “I was very scared of marijuana, given my history with it, but I was out of ideas. I was at the end of the road.”
He reluctantly took the plunge and visited the 2020 Solutions in Ephrata, Washington. After extensively discussing Tim’s goals and past experience with cannabis, the representative ended up recommending a 1:1 ratio vape cartridge from Fairwinds.
Fairwinds is a wellness-oriented cannabis manufacturer based out of southern Washington. Their products are unique, often including additional active herbal extracts that work synergistically with cannabis to yield a particular result.
Tim was on the Fairwinds regimen for six months and the results have been completely transformative. His blood pressure has lowered, and his anxiety and depression have drastically lifted. The biggest impact? He’s no longer addicted to alcohol or narcotics.
He’s learned to live again. “I find life interesting again,” he says. “I play my guitar again. I smile and laugh more. I am reunited with my family and old friends, and I am now a decent person to be around.”
The adverse cannabis reactions Tim experienced in his youth have not recurred. The key to his success may lie with the flower’s chemoprofiles, the balance between cannabis’ active chemical constituents. The strength and balance of each strain makes all the difference when you’re looking for a particular treatment or effect. With the stigma around marijuana dissolving, chemists, biologists and physicians have become more involved in the process. The levels of THC and CBD, among other constituents, can be accurately measured and there is more consistency in the products and dosage recommendations.
For Tim, having a knowledgeable budtender at 2020 Solutions made all the difference. He was introduced to the product that suited his needs, rather than randomly sampling flower on the street. Their recommendation led to his safe use of cannabis to treat his medical and emotional ailments.
With that said, budtenders are not often medical professionals. They’re an excellent resource for recommendations based on strain profiles, personal experience and testimonials. However, with many people turning to cannabis for medical purposes, some desire a cannabis-related dialogue with their doctor.
Cannabis is an exceptionally safe therapy, but there can still be some counter-indications, like Tim’s heightened anxiety. That’s where the Knox family of doctors has found their niche.
“We call what we do in the clinics ‘Integrative Cannabinoid Medicine,’ because we know that cannabis is not the thing that’s helping people heal, it’s the tool that helps the body really heal itself,” says Dr. Rachel Knox of American Cannabinoid (AC) Clinics, in a Today Show profile.
AC Clinics combines the worlds of allopathic wisdom and marijuana as potent medicine. Their practice was founded on the idea that doctors who prescribe medical marijuana cards often lack the knowledge to answer questions about methods and doses. Having that knowledge allows AC Clinics to be proactive about cannabis therapies with their patients. “More conventional thought believes cannabis should be used only as a last resort, but I firmly believe there’s a number of conditions where it should really be the first resort,” says Dr. David Knox, in the same interview.
The Knox family reports how useful cannabis is for Harm Reduction Treatments: getting people off of hard drugs and as a means to avoid opioid addiction in the first place. Tim’s recovery is a testament to that therapeutic use. “Never in my wildest imagination, while sleeping under some random bridge, did I think that marijuana would someday be a large part of my success, and the end of the terrible life I was living,” he says.
And yet, it has. And the possibilities are endless.
Warning: Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 years of age or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product and should not be used by women that are pregnant or breastfeeding. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.?
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