Valerie Brooks

Medical Marijuana 411 Newest Contributor, Valerie Brooks, gives us a first hand view of how cannabis changed her life. First off let’s cut to the chase, I hated even the idea of legal medical marijuana. I come from a long line of drug addicts and alcoholics. So I’ve never been big on the drinking scene. I have never once done drugs my whole life, not even pot. Heck, I've never been to jail. I literally was under the impression that marijuana was no different than acid. I thought when taken you would go into a some kind of rainbow cartoon world. You would become crazy and harm everyone. You would eat everything in sight. I was certain it could and would kill you. Seriously, this was the level of ignorance I was working with when even thinking about marijuana. I suffer from Hashimoto’s disease, Fibromyalgia, and Endometriosis. If you don't know what those are, they are auto immune conditions. They can cause really bad chronic pain, among other things. For years I have had to be on different pain pills to combat the pain. All of which had bad side effects. The side effects would affect my sleep, gave me IBS, affected my mood, etc. So they would give me more pills to combat those side effects, meaning more side effects. It was a never ending cycle. After years of this, it started effecting my liver and kidneys. One of my doctors was not happy with my liver and kidney levels. He looked at me and said, you need to try medical marijuana. I looked at him like he had 3 heads and said “never”. We had a talk about all that I felt was wrong with medical marijuana. He explained no one has ever died from medical marijuana. That medical marijuana would help me get off more than half of my medications. Most importantly, it could save my organs. He explained why all my thoughts on this plant were wrong. I felt better about it, but wasn’t 100% on board. I went home and researched the mess out of it. I was very shocked to see how many studies said it was helpful and not harmful. I decided at that point to try it. I went through the legal process of getting my first medical marijuana card. I had the list of documented conditions as outlined by my physician. He gave me a full list of the prescription medications I took for those conditions. My doctor gave me the recommendation letter for my medical marijuana and I sent it all in to the State of Nevada, where medical marijuana is now legal. Once they approved everything, I went to the DMV to get my official medical marijuana card. I was nervous the first time trying medical marijuana but ready to try it. I didn’t feel insane, nor did I go insane and I could get up and function. I felt calm, happy, a bit buzzed, but 100% pain free. I slept beautifully with no sleep pills that night. The next day I called the doctor and said told him what happened. I will say for the first time in a long time, I felt no pain. My girlfriend Niki, was very helpful with the whole process of finding what strain was right for me. She schooled me on all the different types of strains and ways to medicate out there. For me personally, I wasn't okay with smoking, so edibles were a much more comfortable way to medicate. I was also very pleased to find out from her that most dispensaries sell medical marijuana that does not make you “high”. I didn't think there was such a thing and I learned that it is the higher THC strains that create the "high" feeling where the CBD strains did not. For me, a found the right CBD to THC combination that relieved the pain but without making me feel too buzzed. I also found out that medical marijuana comes in many forms such as: soda, coffee, tea, lotion, oil, candy, bakery items, capsules, etc. I found out that for my conditions, the pain relief lasts longer if I ingested the marijuana instead of smoking it. I really owe it to Niki, as without her guidance and knowledge on what to take and how to medicate, I would have never made the steps without her. I am forever grateful!! Now today, a year later here is where I’m at with my conditions. I literally was able to get off 95% of my pharmaceutical drugs. My liver and kidneys are fine and my doctor is pleased with levels, as they have dramatically improved. I have only had one autoimmune “flare” in a year, which is great for me. I may always have health problems, but the medical marijuana has made my life so much better. I can sleep. I am much happier. I do more, as I’m not sitting around in massive pain all day. I’m happy to say all those preconceived notions I had, were dead wrong. I’m so happy I chose to break though the stigma. I’m so happy my family and friends supported me. I’m so happy that everything I thought about this plant was dead wrong. I truly believe this plant should be legal everywhere. -Valerie Brooks, Las Vegas Nevada

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Valerie Brooks

How Medical Marijuana Changed Valerie Brooks Life