Pubdate: Thu, 07 Apr 2016
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Column: The 420
Copyright: 2016 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

WHEN TO KNOW TO SAY NO

When to say no

Before we start:

Rest in peace, Ryan Landers.

Ryan, a.k.a. "Mr. Compassion," was a driving force in the Sacramento 
medical marijuana movement for 20 years. He was a strong and 
passionate presence at protests, council meetings, benefits and 
anything to do with providing safe access for people helped by 
cannabis use. He was as selfless and compassionate as a human being 
could be. Ryan Landers is the reason Sacramento has good cannabis 
laws. We are all better for having known him, and poorer in his absence.

I used to smoke a lot of weed, but I quit because it was making me 
feel weird. I had auditory hallucinations, all kinds of things. My 
brother also had to quit when he got back from the armed forces, 
pretty much for the same reasons, but he has mental health issues 
anyway. My question: Are there strains I can try that won't give me 
these problems?

- -Noam Oar Bud

Dude. Weed isn't for everybody. I know pot activists are fanatically 
gung-ho about how medical marijuana can help just about anyone with 
just about anything, but there are people who shouldn't use cannabis at all.

Quick disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Moving on. For every study you 
can find saying that marijuana is no good for people with 
mental-health issues (PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective 
disorder, et cetera), you can find one stating that marijuana is 
beneficial. The brain is tricky and powerful, so if you use cannabis 
and you feel like you are overly paranoid or super-anxious or having 
hallucinations, you should probably stop using cannabis. It's really 
that simple.

I have autism and I can't smoke for medical reasons. Although, I did 
smoke this one strain one time when I was on the East Coast. It was 
great. I wish I knew what it was.

- -Forest Getful

Yeah, that happens too. I know some people who only like Blue Dream 
or Granddaddy Purple, or maybe they don't smoke any Afghan variants 
or they hate Romulan, or whatever. There are more than 1,000 
different marijuana strains in the world today and the breeders are 
making new kinds of weed even as you read this column. It is 
problematic that, as of now, the only way for you to find a cannabis 
strain that suits you is good old-fashioned trial and error. 
(Although, I feel it would not be in your best interests to continue 
to believe that cannabis is helping you, despite the obvious 
deleterious effects it is having on your mental health.)

There are some sites where folks have uploaded all kinds of 
information about how certain strains made them feel. Leafly.com is a 
good one. You could always keep a weed diary and make a record of 
your feelings and reactions to the strains you have tried. Or: Just 
don't smoke pot! I know it sounds weird for me to say that, but it's 
true. Marijuana use isn't mandatory. Good luck on your journey.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom