Marijuana Legalization/Decriminalization Efforts

[Roranora]

there's really no reason to import it - similarly there was no good reason to give GW Pharma exclusivity with epidiolex

don't look for reason or fair play here from our government's agencies

[Roranora]

as long as some dude in Oregon has to pay taxes with a wheelbarrow of cash, we're only feigning legitimizing cannabis

[Salodin]

Hehe, I know of their woes but the mental image of that is great.

[Kalmado]

Real question and I know nothing about weed. If you get your card, that does go into your medical file correct? How damning is it to have? I'm considering looking into it to get off of SSRI medication.

[Salodin]

Idk all the sausage making here, but in florida you get registered with the dept. of health I believe. Whether that registration is searchable or could be used for anything other than a list of everyone who had a compassionate use card is up in the air afaik. But that's if you get a prescription from your PCP. If you're just going to some consult with a weed doctor it'll probably stay off any official records, aside from that list at the health dept. of course.

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[Kalmado]

I work in insurance and my boss thinks our company would auto deny life insurance if your found to have a medical marijuana card because only people in critical health "should" be getting it. I disagree with his thoughts, however if the company does that I need to buy more life insurance before doing anything. I know at the very least weed smokers get popped as a "smoker" rating which hikes life insurance rates almost double.

I wouldn't want to smoke, just edibles. I just don't know how reliable it is for anxiety. I take 50mg of Paxil daily. Would be nice to get off of it so the side effects go away. I'd probably lose a bit of weight too.

[Zetanio]

Warning: It makes food taste WAY BETTER.

[Salodin]

Your concerns are quite valid, but idk if states have put enough thought into figuring out how to tackle all those issues. If you have a card tho its good for all options, including vape oil so yeah it's fair to think you'd be labeled a smoker for insurance purposes. Edibles is a gray area that isn't designated on the card tho, so who knows how they tackle that.

If I was a betting man though I'd say they treat all cannabis use the same as tobacco use as far as pricing goes. I doubt the health department is giving up non anonymous health info to insurance companies, but I could be wrong. Call them and find out, and report back here cause this is actually pretty interesting.

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[Roranora]

First of all, it's going to vary with each mmj state. Secondly, the likelihood of it becoming an issue with anything is very low and yet notably nonzero.

What is(are) your main concern(s)? Underwriting for a life policy? Future employment background checks? Just being on a 'list' and the state knowing you danced with the devil?

Generally this data is separate from typical medical records (but conceivably accessible anytime) and used for basic statistics about the collective medical card holders in your state. Simple data like 80% of card holders are 21-29 y/o males, or the most common reason is chronic pain at 90% and the least common is cancer at 5% of medical card holders.

For example here, it's the CDPHE (CO Department of Public Health and Environment) that collects payment, issues cards, and maintains these records. An entity would have to query with this clusterfuck of an office to find out any personal details.

From personal experience, an arrest or DUI is more of a background check hurdle than a medical marijuana card, which I have found is best handled by being completely frank as soon as you see a hiring manager at an interview. Even though the case is dismissed & expunged now and no longer shows on the usual background checks, I still like to get it front of it. (possession of cannabis, Oklahoma, 2011)


Edit: I wrote this up before seeing more replies. I'll catch up and chime in again later.

[Kalmado]

Michigan is my state. Future employment slightly worries me but not really. I need to get more life insurance so that is a concern. The main thing I'm curious about (I know I can do research once home) is using MMJ over a SSRI for anxiety. I know if I consult my doctor he'll say no. He won't even prescribe Xanax. I'd be interested in reading stories about people who did the switch to MMJ from SSRI for anxiety or if there has been studies and what were the outcomes.

[Salodin]

Sounds like you need a second opinion. Old(er) doctors can sometimes be stubborn. Especially if it means they might not see you as often cause of it lol.

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[Kalmado]

I had been taking SSRI for four years before a doctor asked me what do I do when I feel like I'm going to have an anxiety/panic attack. When I said nothing he was surprised and gave me a small script for Xanax. That shit was an absolute life saver. I'd feel something coming on and take one and I'd actually be able to calm down and think rationally. That's what I need from MMJ. I need it to calm me down in general (what paxil does) and possibly stopping attacks.

[Salodin]

When was the last time you tried mj? Kinda sucks cause edibles are a completely different high but are harder to come around than oils and herb unless it's recreationally legal in your state. I'd say just buy some off the street like the good ol days and see how you feel, but that feeling wont be comparable to edibles.

Also, you're gonna get feelings off these things. Xanax puts you in a good place as well, but it's still vastly different. I can still function off a slight high with mj, but if I was on edibles I'd be fucking useless at work. I'd consider that too.

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[Zetanio]

edibles > smoking weed.

[Kalmado]

The last time I smoked doesn't count though and here is why. My buddies came over on a Friday and we're drinking and having fun. About 3 hours go by (drinking the entire time) my buddy's cum dumpster friend calls him and tells us to meet at this bar. We do. More drinking ensues. She's like, I'ma go smoke this joint. Me being wasted I'm like, I join you? Sure......

The night kinda went in flashes moving forward. At one point I was sitting on a picnic table in the smoking area of the bar staring at the sky. My buddy asks if I'm OK and my response was, "I'm just contemplating life bro. I'll come back soon." We then went to a strip club and on a Friday night they had the D-League roster there. We went home and I slept for a long time.

I've heard about edibles kicking your ass. But if it works good, hey, cool. Also, it would help me a ton at work since my job is to talk to people. But yeah, I'd have to test out what works and what doesn't.

[Madeline]

I dropped SSRIs in favor of weed. I would never in a million years go back to that. I'd rather be on nothing than be on SSRIs again. It took 6+ weeks of those "brain jolts" as they were described, coming off of SSRIs to even feel remotely normal again. Marijuana that said has become more therapeutic than ever for me. I'm not an all day every day snoop smoker like I used to be. Following SSRIs I smoked every day 6 times a day for about 3 months and that pretty much satisfied that part of me alongside killing any desire to return to the medicine I was on. In general even when I'm not smoking, I feel better than I ever have. I can go long periods without anything and save anything I have for when I'm actually facing a shitty situation or having a bad time. It's good. It's also opened me up socially which was something no medicine was ever able to do. The inherent fear that comes with anxiety doesn't pack as much of a punch.

I still say half of it is dropping the SSRIs. Marijuana almost feels unrelated now. Whatever you do if you're unhappy with them I'd try my best for something else. I've been through every class including stimulants for my anxiety and depression, but sadly you just can't get them prescribed for shit anymore thanks to overdosing buffoons and pill mills being on every third street. They work better than anything for me, but at this point I don't need or want them as I did when I was struggling to get doctors to listen to me.

Keep in mind you may have to try several strains to find one that works best for you, and it may not work better at all. Some people find themselves far more anxious on their first weeks and that can really wig you out. Been there too.

[Kalmado]

My anxiety is more PTSD and situational. Yelling and very loud things like doors slamming gets to me really bad. And part of my job is getting yelled at by idiots. The other is hard to describe so I'll share a story. This was before I was clinically diagnosed.

My fiance at the time (now wife thank god for her) and I were shopping at Ikea and we bought a desk. At the time I was driving a Toyota Solara and when we got to the car with the box I thought there was no way it would fit. My brain started just racing and I'm freaking out because we have to go back into the madhouse that Ikea is and my fiance keeps saying it will but I'm sure it won't and I'm almost in tears and I don't know why and I can't make it stop.

I don't do that ever anymore and that's why I stay on SSRI. However, MASSIVE weight gain and zero sex drive are my main side effects. I could have more that I'm not aware of. I'll take the side effects so I don't feel like my head is going to explode every day.

[Salodin]

Ohhhhh boyyyy

Just wait til you have sex while high. You'll either knock her up or knock a hole in the wall with all the bed rocking you'll be doing lmao. Your story sounds like every other story from people who are on other meds and just want something new that will fix things instead of just making something else broken instead. Idk about working while high, cause that's super dose and person specific, but you should give it a shot.

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[Madeline]

The inexplainable bouts were why I sought treatment to begin with. I was in a really shitty relationship at the time and something along the way just broke me to the point I was having random breakdowns much like your parking lot debacle wherein everything, regardless of how small or how silly felt like too much. I said goodbye to almost everyone I knew just to have radio silence enough to focus on myself and to get away from the embarrassment of not knowing how to control your emotions anymore. I retained only a few of my friends and they've seen me through hell and high water. Much like your wife if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be where I am right now. I learned the hard truth that depression is something some people do not understand and aren't willing to keep around, which made me ever more thankful for those that did and were.

While just trying to fix myself I had experienced weight loss, dysphoria, extreme tiredness, inexplainable emotional bursts wherein I'd destroy my social standings in outbursts that were nothing short of embarrassing. The real killer was the tiredness. I'd be so fucking exhausted all day every day I felt as if I'd been given a hypnotic and I was incessantly irritable. No one wanted to talk about anything so I sought a psychiatrist that ultimately wanted me to go inpatient. I had to learn to work on myself or end up much worse off than I ever wanted. Drugs are just a tool, we have to learn how to best use them to open ourselves up to the same self improvement and rationalized thought processes that others can already enjoy. That was my mindset for it, and I full understand that isn't how many feel about it, especially while still under treatment.

It took a few months but I ultimately came to the realization that the medication was doing more harm than good. I'd become monotone which was something I didn't even realize at the time, I couldn't hold conversations at any length, and my social standing was worse than it had ever been. I wouldn't shop to the point my cabinets were empty and I'd be eating cereal for multiple meals. I've only in recent months bounced back enough to grow socially again after several years of trying. It's that thought, how long it took, that really scares me when I think about it. I'd debated posting here several times about it since there are threads here wherein people discuss these things but I would always talk myself out of it. Marijuana was my alternative. Maybe it'll be yours and maybe it won't. I was happy to reach a point where I can take things into my own hands, all the while ever fearful that one day it'll creep back up on me. Some days, and some people, are just exceptionally shit.

Either way, good luck and I hope you get to where you want to be. That turned into a rant-y life story, apologies.

[Kalmado]

I plan to talk with wifey about it some more this weekend and will look into who to speak with in my area for a possible consultation. Thanks for the input ya'll.