Hopegrown Spotlight: Cannabis Dad

I am a forty-eight year old husband and father of five kids. Along with owning my own business, I am also an active member of my local catholic church and generally seen as a leader in my community. One thing nobody knows about me is that I consume cannabis every day. 

I had my first experience with cannabis as an adolescent and after smoking marijuana for about two years, I eventually stopped to pursue a track scholarship. The scholarship landed me at a major Division 1 program and I went on to have a successful collegiate career.  

After college, I began consuming cannabis again and then later quit again because I had young children. It was not till after I had been extremely sick with debilitating IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) in my early late 30's that I returned to cannabis- this time for medical reasons. 

Before using marijuana to treat my symptoms my life was miserable. I couldn't eat without major discomfort. I was losing weight at an alarming rate and the doctors had no answers for me. For relief, I turned to cannabis. And it worked! I smoked a little everyday after work and years later I have been able to eat normally and gain back all the weight. 

With running a successful business, raising five kids and maintaining a happy-healthy marriage, people often ask me, ‘How do you do it?’  I want to answer, ”cannabis" but alas our society still has a bad stigma so I don’t. But lately, I have found myself slowly coming out of the “cannabis closet” and wanted to share my story. It continues to relieve my IBS symptoms along with reducing stress and pain from chronic arthritis.