Real patient testimonials contribute to the validity of cannabis as medicine proving its healing potential and use for improved well being.
Mental Health Improvement with Cannabis
“I was introduced to cannabis like a lot of people were; informally, and for many years I smoked very occasionally, without much of an understanding of what I had or how it made me feel. I never considered it as anything really medicinal, at least for myself. It was something I did for fun, on occasion with friends or cousins, hoping not to be caught by anyone.
I had always had a history of mental illness, in myself and my family. As I reached the middle of my high school career I had a serious mental breakdown, stopped any use of cannabis, and instead began taking anti-depressants and various other drugs to try and re-stabilize myself, following doctors orders. I found that a lot of these prescriptions made me feel not as depressed, but also not very happy either. I was in a constant state of “grey” where nothing felt too much one way or another. I had weight gain, mood swings, and most frustratingly I found it becoming increasingly difficult to understand and communicate with people. It was miserable and I was looking for alternative therapies to help me regulate myself without so many negative side effects. I returned to cannabis in my early twenties, after some convincing from a friend who offered to smoke with me to help me through a panic attack. I found that after my experiences on prescribed medications, cannabis actually made me feel happy. For once it wasn’t just a “grey” feeling, instead I felt real enjoyment from the day, which was something I had not felt in a long time.
I find that today I enjoy sativa strains overall, because they give me that happy, euphoric feeling, which leads to a more positive mood overall. In the past 5 years I have stopped taking any medications other than cannabis for my mental health, and I find that regular THC and some CBD consumption allows me to enjoy my life more, and find more genuine happiness in my mind. I’ve found that the edibles at ACS have changed my opinion on this method of consumption, as before I never had much luck having any effect from edibles. I also enjoy more indica strains now, to better manage my panic attacks and general anxiety. Overall, cannabis has improved not only my symptoms, but my general quality of life, providing me more energy, as well as optimism for myself and patients like me. I hope to see more studies done on methods of treatment for a variety of mental illnesses, so that hopefully others will be able to find relief for their symptoms.” – A.J.
Ulcerative Colitis & THCa Tincture
“The daily THCa tincture has caused complete remission of my Ulcerative Colitis symptoms. I started in October 2019 and within a week and a half the symptoms quickly began to subside and it stayed that way. I ran out for a few days in December and I started to feel symptoms coming back. The tincture arrived, via their Home Delivery program, and within a few days I was back to normal. I can’t thank you enough for this – it’s the first time that a compound has truly worked for me since 2012.”
Anxiety, Loss and Mental Health Struggles
“Throughout my life I’ve struggled with mental health. However, the most traumatic experience that I had to overcome was my fathers death in 2017. Shortly after, my anxiety dramatically increased. I began to use CBD products and I haven’t looked back since. The beauty of CBD is that when anxiety gives you racing thoughts and makes you feel insignificant, CBD relieves those feelings and allows you to think clearly. As someone who can personally understand those who have mental health issues, I advocate for the use of CBD to support your emotional well being. I have found that CBD is a great tool for anyone to use therapeutically as it is an amazing product that medical marijuana has to offer.” – I.S.
Seizures, Muscle Spasms & Neuropathy
“I considered myself very healthy up until the winter of 2015. I was 26, working full time and taking classes online. I came down with pneumonia that December and after being prescribed a Z-Pak and a week-long Prednisone regimen, the pneumonia was gone but I was having small frequent localized muscle spasms all over my body. Over the next few months the spasms intensified and I began experiencing frequent migraines and painful throbbing and burning sensation in my extremities, chest and back which I would later learn is called neuropathy.
I spent a lot of time and money trying to figure out what was going on but all the tests came back normal and none of the lifestyle/dietary adjustments made a difference. At the time I was already comfortable using cannabis recreational and knew that it was being studied for it’s analgesic and antispasmodic properties. I would attempt to alleviate the pain with THC flower from the black market whenever I could, and it that wasn’t available, over the counter pain medicine was better than nothing. In an effort to save money, I relied on the OTCs until I began having stomach problems. I stopped using them and relied only on cannabis. THC flower helped me reduce the migraines and neuropathic pain but didn’t provide the relief from the muscle spasms.
In June I was referred to a neurologist who did several tests and an EEG showed that I was having “simple partial seizures”. He went over some pharmaceutical medications that the said could potential help, but most had dangerous side-effects or consequences for missing a dose. I already knew that THC cannabis helped me and had heard about high doses of CBD being used to treat seizures, so I inquired about getting my medical marijuana card. I was surprised when my doctor told me that he encourages his patients to utilize cannabis if it helps them but many of them were only able to supplement their prescriptions rather than replace them because the financial cost of cannabis isn’t covered by insurance and product supply is often inconsistent. I told him I didn’t want to be handcuffed to a medication and wasn’t interested in taking something long-term. He recommended a low dose of Alprazolam “twice a day or as needed” in order to slow down the central nervous system and make abnormal electrical activity less likely. It was effective for the reducing the seizures but even at this low dose, it gradually numbed and distorted very valuable parts of my mind an personality. My thoughts started feeling increasingly disjointed and I would become frustrated when I couldn’t stay focused or remember things.
After a while I began doubting myself. my once impervious sense of self-worth eroded and I allow myself to end up in situations and a relationship that at one time, I could never have imagined myself in. Since I could not afford the large quantities of CBD necessary (200-400mg/day), i tried a balance of Alprazolam and cannabis for a year and a half before realizing I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I stopped taking the Aplrazolam and now, two years later, I use only THC, THCa, and CBD to treat the seizures and their effects. To decrease the seizures and muscle spasms I use a combination of CBD and THCa. In order to get the longest lasting relief, I use edibles, tinctures and RSO. To make edible THCa I just dissolve solvent-less rosin in coconut oil at a low temperature. To reduce the neuropathy and muscle spasms I use THC flower, rosin and RSO work best. I am beyond grateful and happy to know that ACS carries all of these amazing products, prioritizes a consistent menu and understands the importance of keeping their shelves fully stocked for their patients who rely on cannabis medicine. I greatly appreciate their focus on medical cannabis as well as their innovation in the field and partnership with the local medical community.” – J.G.
Cancer, Chemotherapy & RSO
“Medical Marijuana has helped me both heal from and deal with the side effects of Chemotherapy. Side effects of Chemo such as fatigue, appetite issues, nausea, and pain are relived from cannabis products. For me, ACS’s RSO was the most helpful form of cannabis allowing me to bounce back from Chemo treatments. I used both the CBD and THC, sometimes in 1:1 form. Depending on the effects I was looking for, I would adjust for more or less of one or the other. Often the days after chemotherapy I would use a lot more THC to help with the side effects and then use a lot more CBD afterwards to help with the healing. The balm was also very helpful for arm and leg pain. I reserved concentrates mainly for sleep and pain while trying to use flower for nausea and appetite.
The MA State limit of 10 ounces are restrictive to those who are seriously ill and trying to use RSO treatment for recovery. Certain offices have ‘policies’ in place to prevent them from overriding these limits for sick patients. The industry is still new so there is not much targeted treatment and strains towards any specific conditions, especially cancer. It is my hope that certain strains, such as ‘UBC Chemo’ become available for research and that the industry continues to focus on the medical aspect of cannabis.” – J.B.
Cannabis for PTSD, Mental Health & Intimacy
“I didn’t know what PTSD, anxiety, or depression felt like until after I was raped. In college I went to a party, drank some alcohol and was taken advantage of. After my parent told me the incident was my fault, I sought support from friends and through therapy. This life changing event resulted in debilitating paranoia of seeing my assaulter. Therapy was enlightening and advantageous, while exposing deeper trauma from my childhood of living with a parent who struggled with functioning alcoholism. Within a few sessions, I was prescribed Celexa (Citolopram). At this point in my life I had never taken pharmaceuticals and was quickly unsettled by their negative effects; I felt vacant, expressionless with severe mood swings, insomnia, and the inability to orgasm. What shook me most were the thoughts of suicide if I forgot to take them.
A good friend heard my struggles and asked “have you ever tried marijuana? It has medical value.” At 20 years old, I had only tried it once, never felt ‘high’ before, but wanted to find relief. In 2009 my resources were friends of a friend – a ‘drug dealer.’ Once I acquired my marijuana, I brought it home to a safe setting, taking out as many variables as possible, packed a bowl and medicated for the first time. I quickly experienced blissfulness with sincere contentment throughout my body and mind. I had energy to walk the dogs, to be creative, and found myself smiling again. This was the meaningful day where Cannabis became my exit drug from both pharmaceuticals and alcohol. The minimal side effects from medical marijuana drastically outweigh those from pharmaceuticals.
Cannabis gave me the ability to know motivation again, to feel alive within my body and to have an intimate relationship with my partner. I am thankful to have safe access to medical cannabis. ACS’s medical grade CBD tincture continues to provide me with relief from my mental health struggles throughout the day, the relax tincture is helpful for a good nights sleep and I love the Silver Mountain strain for those romantic moments with my spouse.” – D.P.
Compassion for a Child with Autism
“ACS has helped our family live everyday to the fullest. The ongoing support and wealth of knowledge from ACS has guided us in finding the Cannabis therapy that works best for our son. Customizing a product for our son is helping us manage his autism, seizure and anxiety disorders. We are grateful for the support system that we have found with ACS. It truly takes a village to raise a child with special needs. We look forward to having ACS as part of our village to help our son achieve the highest quality of life possible.” – L.D.