My Legal Cannabis Journey | The Third Legal Prescription

In this final instalment, Charles Cumming shares where his medical cannabis journey has led him now and how he’s been able to now stop using medication to manage his Crohn’s Disease symptoms.

“My third prescription arrived within a week and contained two Spectrum No.2 pots and 10 grams of Bol Indica MVA. The Bol flower was recommended for night time use, with THC levels of 20% and CBD levels of 4%.”

I found the new Indica was fast acting, with effects showing within around five minutes and making me feel very sleepy. The taste was fairly neutral, and the vapour was smooth upon inhalation, sending a deeply relaxing sensation throughout my body and displaying its suitability for evening use. At this time, most of the pain I was experiencing from my condition had diminished. I had also been prescribed liquid nutrition for two months, which I would take ten times a day. There were limited side effects, however the high levels of glucose syrup resulted in considerable sleep disturbance. The Bol was ideal for counteracting this side effect and allowing me get to sleep within minutes, however, the morning after I did feel a little fatigued. The Spectrum No.2 was on hand to give me the energy boost I needed when this happened.

My condition improved considerably over the next couple of months, and with my tolerance levels seemingly rising, I was hoping to take this time to give myself a break from cannabis medicines. My doctor recommended that I should be taking a month’s tolerance break every few months of use, and I had now been using the medication daily for at least two years. With this in mind, I stopped using cannabis without tapering off it as I might have done with previous medications. The first few days were a little tricky, I found it hard to get to sleep occasionally and my mood was sometimes a little low. However, after the first few nights, things got better and my sleep improved. I also started to feel more mental clarity. With any withdrawals seeming to be over, my need for the medication’s assistance reduced almost completely.

I’ve now been on a break from medical cannabis for a month, and I’m doing well without the need to medicate most of the time. I can’t imagine how much harder these last five years would have been without the help I had from medical cannabis to assist in my symptoms and the side effects from strong prescription medications. It has helped me get through a very difficult and distressing period in my life without furthering the stress that my condition inflicts, and has given me the option to opt out of pain, get the sleep I need and eat food when I have been in too much pain to even consider it.

I am incredibly grateful now to not be dependent on medication, but also relieved to know I have legal access to cannabis if I still need it’s assistance.”

If Charles’ story resonates with you, or you know somebody who could benefit from similar help, book an appointment with our medical specialists today to start your own journey into improving your quality of life with medical cannabis.