Dunk understated: ‘I had to stop using weed as an emotional crutch’

Volume 5

Discreetly Dank is a regular column dedicated to giving a voice to those who dare to dunk. Each volume comes from a different author who needs a safe space to document what it’s really like to be a weed lover in a world where cannabis has not yet been normalized.

“I know what I had with weed for a few years was an addiction or something similar.”

There was a vaguely hot period in my life in my early twenties where I attributed everything I loved in life to cannabis. I was working in a California clinic and making more money than ever before. I fell in love with a fellow stoner who led me into a world of secret sessions and gray market glamour. I felt like I was there.

As an aspiring writer still in college, I dreaded the impending graduation and how I would find work among the many other journalists who felt hungrier, bolder, and more tenacious than I did. I didn’t think I knew enough to cover crime and the education system, but suddenly everyone was asking questions about weed and where the industry was headed.

I had always dreamed of writing for a living, and as plants became more popular my professors encouraged me to pursue them even though I knew next to nothing about them.

I can’t lie It felt pretty good to have at least some answers. He carved out a path as a writer who felt he had a unique ability to cover a subject.

However, there was one problem.

I didn’t have the confidence to write about weed without weed. I never believed that I could succeed as a writer outside of the cannabis niche without immersing myself in cannabis culture.

I attributed the progress I made and the victories I experienced to the weeds and began to think of it as a lightsaber, a sword of stone and a golden fleece all rolled into one. gave me

Learning limits the hard way

“Smoking weed made me less anxious.

Weed first came into my life when I casually started smoking in high school in California.it was sometimes Primarily at home and parties, and occasionally subsisting on a bag of dime, devoured by the sisters. I didn’t go to school or to extracurricular activities. But then came college.

The first few years of college felt like a permanent brace against disaster. None of my actions seemed to yield the results I wanted.Smoking weed reduced my anxiety. I was able to complete the task and solve all my worries.

Then there was also the part where it was my job to know all about weed in order to help others. How can I report on a topic I didn’t know inside or outside?

Shortly after entering the weed world professionally, I was smoking daily, smoking 30% THC Bruce Banner joints, trying to find the edible sweet spot. My partner was a big dabber, so naturally I was a big dabber too.

During my sophomore year of college, I decided that smoking weed every day and trying to write every essay high wasn’t the best option for me, so I spoke with a counselor. When I told my counselor that I was a little depressed, she said I smoked too much pot.

The pros of smoking weed still outweighed the cons for me.

What is a Cannabis Use Disorder?

During the Harry J. Aslinger days of Reefer Madness, cannabis was seen as the gateway to hell. But the job of past generations of cannabis activists has been to help people realize that weed is actually pretty ordinary and boring.

Much of my own weed activity stems from the idea that weed is not addictive because it has a much lower mortality and disease incidence than alcohol and tobacco and does not cause lethal overdoses or severe dependence. was based on Taking opioids or amphetamines.

However, I do know that what I experienced for several years with weed was addiction or something similar.

According to the CDC, having a cannabis use disorder means “an inability to stop using marijuana even though it causes health and social problems in your life.” Some studies estimate that about 1.5% of the U.S. adult population has a cannabis use disorder, but those numbers aren’t static.

News outlets such as The New York Times have reported on the rise in cannabis use among teens, suggesting that addiction to cannabis products with high THC content can affect brain development, memory, motivation and physical health. claims to have sex. I don’t really know if that applies to me as a teenager, but by college, the negative side for me was definitely emotional and social.

Besides, what made class painful was how easy it was to rationalize not doing my homework when I was high or to get caught up in a THC-inspired pursuit during a deadline. And when my relationship ended, instead of seeking social or therapeutic support, I turned to dabbing rigs and hash gummies to ease the instability I felt.

These were all signs that I was smoking too much, but it took a lot of reflection to understand why marijuana went from helping to being a hindrance.

Practicing Intention and Moderation

For me, and for many others, cannabis can be so many things, including crutches.

What took me a very long time to realize was that I was no longer using weed to help improve my life and seek new insights. It was paralyzing. Getting high as often as it was then was weaponizing weed against me instead of stimulating my growth.

Don’t get me wrong. The medicinal properties and ever-growing list of benefits of cannabis hold incredible potential for our society.But I think it circumvents the reality of how people can potentially It is dishonest to suffer from a cannabis overdose.

I never stopped fighting for people to be able to enjoy cannabis safely and as they please, and I still use cannabis on a regular basis. is ready.

Now that I know (and believe in) Cannabis Use Disorder, I also know that my awareness is superior.

casually dunk

Discreetly Dank is a regular column that focuses on the stories and perspectives of cannabis enthusiasts who transcend stigma around cannabis in all aspects of their lives. From microaggressions to genuine health and safety concerns, Discreetly Dank contributors dare to be dunks in a world that has yet to catch up to their advanced lifestyles.

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