My cannabis therapy began after multiple hospitalizations over 3 years and adverse reactions to the multitude of prescriptions given by the VA Hospital.

My first medical experience was with a lollipop but I had ingested too much and was uncomfortable for a few hours. After that, I went with tinctures and smoking since it’s easier to control the dosage. Grain alcohol tinctures have been wonderful but are quite time-consuming to make. I drop mine in tea to burn off the alcohol and can enjoy it slowly as my tension and pain melt away.

Cannabis has reduced my GI issues and migraines, replaced my use of narcotic pain medications, stop my weekly arthritis injections, and has kept me from returning to the hospital for over 4 years now. This new freedom allowed my thinking to clear and I have been able to get an old military injury repaired after 17 years. It has also renewed my passion for living and exploring.

I have learned that different strains can have many different effects. I have had some strains trigger headaches and others cause the spins.

For anyone who may be skeptical about cannabis to compare the risks of the warning labels of your medications.

Cannabis has only been guilty of triggering panic attacks and slowed respiration, but typically in first-time users that take too much. A frequent misconception about cannabis is that users are all “stoned” and cannot function. The opposite has been true for me with little noticeable side effects and increased function and focus. The only thing getting high are my grades. I’m the guy who takes cannabis before class to help focus on testing.

Since starting with cannabis I have had more time and energy to focus on raising my two beautiful children. I have also altered my eating habits from fast food and processed foods to healthier, fresher foods. This new diet has fueled my rehabilitation consisting of biking, walking, and more recently running. I also use chiropractic care and acupuncture to aid in my recovery. I have expanded this to the rest of my life and am now studying environmental science at NAU. I have also started a business to share my love of learning with everyone.

I love that the wonderful staff at HMH know their product and their medicinal qualities. Other dispensaries I’ve visited may know how to grow but don’t understand the medicinal benefits of these plants. This has kept me returning to HMH for all of my MMJ needs. They have also inspired me to start reusing their containers for points.  My bag has been reused as well, with stickers from as far back as January 2017.