Well...time to fess up. I use the stuff, primarily for medical reasons. I've suffered from migraines for 35+ years, and have tried every drug in the book - both preventative, and for pain relief. I've seen many doctors, including a neurologist whose life work is migraine. Nothing worked. Best I could do, was dose up on Vicodin, suffer from the nausea it induced, and go to bed for 12+ hours. Even then, it didn't eliminate the pain - just masked it enough to keep me from feeling like jumping off a bridge. And, the Vicodin hangover kept me in a semi-daze for 24 hours after the pain was finally gone.
I'd heard anecdotal evidence of pot's pain relief, but truthfully - I never thought in a million years, it would benefit migraine. Rather, I assumed the opposite...being quite familiar with the drug and how it affected me, I was sure it would make it worse.
One day while suffering from an 9/10 monster and being out of Vicodin, I picked up the phone and called an old friend from high school that I knew still used regularly. He came over, and I gave it a try. The result simply blew me away...the pain was 90% gone within 2 minutes, and completely gone shortly thereafter. The only down side I encountered, if one wants to view it as such - the relief only lasts a couple hours, after which more was required. Still - I can function when high. Obviously, I don't leave the house - but I'm not confined to bed, nor suffering from Vicodin induced dry heaves for hours on end.
Now...the above being said, I'm not one of those "medical only" proponents. I'd be lying if I said I didn't also use it recreationally, although nothing like I did in my youth. Perhaps once a month, at most. I'm not going to apologize for my personal choice of occasional relaxation, and the fact that it's now downgraded to a simple infraction in CA and I keep a tiny amount on hand, allows me to speak about it more openly without concern of legal retribution.
Anyway, at the risk of being labeled the resident stoner, here's something I know a bit about:
.....just as long as there is an effective, non-smoking, delivery mechanism.
There is. Edibles are mentioned frequently, but they are complete PITA in my opinion. Effects are slow, often more intense, it's expensive, requires tons of prep if doing yourself, and is tough to dose accurately.
I use a small vaporizer - no smoke, no stink, no coughing/gagging, near instant results, and no cleanup. It's extremely discreet. And, regardless of how one feels about the issue itself...using a vaporizer addresses something that's quite relevant to this place. It's by far and away, the most economical means of delivery. It uses 50-75% less material than any other method. This alone, makes the vaporizer pay for itself in very short order - good pot is not cheap, even in CA where it is abundant.
