“It gave me my life back.”

Recently, on the Future Cannabis Project YouTube podcast Andrea Asks, host and plant medicine advocate Andrea Raible discussed all things cannabis with Natty Newfie, a Canadian cannabis breeder, a recent transplant to the Garden State.

Among a variety of topics about growing best practices and plant varieties, when asked about how cannabis has affected his life, Natty described how he turned to the plant for pain management after a serious accident.

"I could still function.

I could still be me.

And it wouldn’t affect my mental health, but it gave me my life back. It gave me my ability to go and enjoy life."

Those six words are powerful - “It gave me my life back.”

How many people have said those words, either exact or some variation, once they found their way to cannabis as a safe, viable alternative to pain medications like opioids? How many afflicted with neurological conditions have successfully decreased seizures and tremors by consuming particular strains? How many people have decided to experiment with cannabis for chronic pain issues, finding a manageable pathway to relief? When you start asking around about cannabis as an effective pain management resource, the success stories just keep coming. Yet, for as many who share freely like Natty and Andrea, there are just as many who selectively confess their use, standing in the shadows, in a whisper.

At Elucidation, we wonder - just how many statements, like the one Natty made, are necessary to get to reach the normalization tipping point in the general public? How many stories will it take?

The problematic stigma, originating from decades of messaging about the danger, harms, and criminality of cannabis and the damaging labels affixed to those who are affiliated with it, keeps cannabis truth unspoken for many. It prevents consideration of cannabis as an effective wellness tool for even more.

That's why Natty's share is so important. That's why Andrea's backstory matters. That's why the accumulation and dissemination of anecdotal evidence, paired with supporting research and data, is crucial. That's why we, those who can attest to truths and share with good intention, are obligated to continue to articulate those stories and facts. It is making difference; it's just a slow-moving process. When you consider just how steady, pervasive, and strategic some of that damaging narrative has been for the last century or so, it makes (frustrating, but realistic) sense. To Natty and Andrea and everyone else who shares without reservation - thank you. This is important work.

Contact Elucidation Strategies for more information about cannabis educational services.