Cannabis Confessionals (No. 1)

Sometimes people wonder why stoners do what we do… so, for pseudo-scientific purposes, F.A.B is launching a new regular series on our readers’ life experiences with cannabis. If you would like to participate in this column, please contact us via our email. Be sure to include approximately 300-500 words on what makes cannabis so special to you. 🙂

Our first submission comes in from a guy named Matt.

Recreational High or Mental Stabiliser?

“G’day – I’m a 33 year old male living in Geelong. I work full time in a processing / transport company based in Melbourne; we provide compliance plates for new vehicles coming into Australia. I’ve been smoking since I was 16; casually, at first. I smoked for recreational purposes while I was still in high school… but once I left school and began working full time, I began to smoke regularly – every day.

Even though it was just having fun with friends at first, I didn’t realise until I was older that cannabis was helping me with my social anxiety around larger groups and in dealing with difficult situations. My family suffers from a few different mental health issues, including bi-polar and asperger’s syndrome. I’ve been tested multiple times and have come back clear. I believe that cannabis kept the issues at bay, preventing it from developing like my Dad and brother. They are now both on hard pharmaceutical drugs which they need to function at a normal level. Otherwise, they fall into states of depression, extreme panic attacks and face other debilitating problems.”

Ganja Over Meds

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“My doctor prescribed me anti-depressants at one stage. I was experiencing general life issues – a bad break up, and so on. The medication didn’t help, so I stopped. I experienced three months of withdrawals from the meds my doctor gave me, and I haven’t turned back since.

Additionally, cannabis helps with my pain management. I was competing in extreme sports, often hurting myself quite bad. For example, I once fractured both of my shoulders, which still gives me grief to this day. Without using pain medication, I’m able to have my smoke after work, which eases the consistent ache. It lets me get a full night’s sleep without waking up aching, especially in the colder months.

Over the last few years, I began to get serious about the miracle plant and started looking into it properly, reading multiple books such as ‘The Grower’s Bible’ by Ed Rosenthal and ‘Elite Medical Marijuana’ by Ryan Riley. I also watched documentaries, such as ‘The God Plant’, ‘The Union’ and ‘The Culture High’. I did online research for the many different medicinal applications, the endocannabinoid system, all the way to cultivation and harvesting. I’m now looking into an online course at the Cannabis Training University in order to become proficient enough to join the burgeoning industry in Australia. I’d like to help others who can benefit from its many uses, and to get legalisation / decriminalisation happening in this amazing country we live in.”

Life Without Tobacco

“P.S. One of the best things I’ve done whilst smoking was taking the tobacco out. I’ve never smoked cigarettes but always had it mixed (Victorian thing), believing it helped it burn and so it didn’t feel so harsh on the throat. Once my body adjusted which took 3-4 weeks I lost the “cravings” that I’d get during work which has now completely gone away, I’ve cut back from 2-3g a day to under 1g a day and feel the benefits 200 times more than I had been for almost 10 years of smoking.”

Stay posted for part 2!