Cannabis: An Addicts' Best Friend?

I got asked this question once…

By my drug recovery counselor.

It was a decade ago, but I’ll never forget it.

I remember feeling helpless in that moment.

The person that’s supposed to be an expert on addiction and recovery doesn’t know the difference between psilocybin and a portobello.

I was a part of outpatient group meetings where the counselor’s would put a movie on about where our food comes from until it was time to go home, adding a 90 second monologue attempting to tie whatever the hell we just watched into addiction recovery.

My point is this…

Even the addicts that are lucky enough to have their insurance accepted, or to have the funds to pay for treatment, aren’t always getting the best care and attention.

Going into treatment is scary, especially when you’re barely old enough to drink alcohol.

I’ve met people throughout my recovery ride that have been to 14+ different rehab facilities.

I’ve also met people that were one-and-done; got clean, and stayed clean after their first treatment attempt.

Sometimes, the conventional way works.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

And now, we have… 🍃Unconventional🍃

Cannabis is the New Wave of medical and recreational treatment. Big Pharma wants it to be illegal because they know it would cost them a ton of money when people start using weed to treat themselves instead of SSRI’s and narcotics.

Generally in the recovery world, cannabis is considered a drug, and they tell all addicts to stay away from it. But for some people, it could make a huge difference.

Do I think cannabis can cure an addict of their disease in and of itself? No.

Do I think cannabis can be a game-changer for the mental side of addiction recovery? 1000%.

Stress and anxiety are two of the most common emotions you feel when starting a recovery journey.

Restlessness, insomnia, and no appetite are also very common…

Anyone know of anything that might help with those symptoms?🤔

I’m a firm believer that if you are trying to get clean and sober, you should do whatever it takes for YOU to stay clean and sober. 

I hated how most recovery counselor’s saw cannabis as on the same level as much harder, life-ending narcotics.

Cannabis could transform the addiction crisis if it were truly accepted medically.

Not only can it help with the stress and anxiety associated with the early stages of recovery, it can replace the ritual of doing drugs or drinking alcohol with the far less harmful ritual of consuming cannabis.

I got clean using M.A.T. (medically-assisted treatment). Another ‘controversial’ method of sobriety. Controversial because you’re replacing one addictive drug with another, with the intent of coming off both eventually (which I did).

But it saved my life.

And if weed can save addicts lives’, then I will continue to yap about it.

I’d be willing to bet that a large portion of your customers are recovering/active addicts. And you can actually help them with their recovery.

Remember those common anxiety-related symptoms a lot of newly recovering addicts experience? Cannabis can help!

Forget about sales and money for a second…

You provide safe, natural products that can truly help people that are struggling with substance abuse disorders.

• CBN for insomnia

• CBG for gut health (your body is all out of whack when you get clean)

• Linalool for stress and anxiety

• Myrcene for relaxation

And this is where cannabis education becomes so important. Most canna consumers I know that get their weed from a dispo are essentially looking for whatever will get them the highest - highest THC, highest total cannabinoids, etc.

Most people that could actually benefit from the medical side of canna don’t know the differences between terps, cannabinoids, and the effects those ingredients can have.

Cannabis has allowed me to come off all prescription medication for my mild, to moderate anxiety disorders.

And I think it can prevent a lot of people from starting down the SSRI road (among others).

There’s a lot of people like me; mild, to moderate stress and anxiety disorders that could potentially be managed with cannabis products instead of addictive prescriptions.

Prevent the chain of addiction from even being started!

The fact that cannabis can help so many people with so many problems and can literally make the world a better, happier place is why myself, and many others are in this industry.

And if that’s why you’re here, keep reading…

So, what can you do?

As always, it starts with knowing your audience.

And I think a good ol’ survey will do nicely. Survey your audience on if they’ve tried prescription medication in the past and if they’ve found it helpful.

Remember, these surveys are optional. Some people may not be comfortable answering these kind of questions, and that’s fine! They don’t have to!

If you want to be less personal, ask them if they’ve used Melatonin for sleep or tobacco/alcohol products for stress and anxiety. That will give you an idea of what conditions they have tried treating and what products you have that could potentially replace the ones they’ve tried.

Click here to have a better understanding of your audience.

Connect with your audience: Most people suffering from mental health issues have tried multiple medications, therapy, holistic treatments, etc.

It’s frustrating and discouraging to keep seeing mental health ‘experts’, and trying new medications and not seeing the results you’d hope for. Use that frustration to offer hope with your products.

A lot of people just see weed as a way to get high. And in my opinion, that leads to one giant problem:

Stigmas: My ultimate dream for the canna industry is to destigmatize the plant and change public perception on cannabis as a whole. If people only see it as a recreational form of inebriation, I fear it won’t be recognized for its medical benefits the way it deserves to be.

Connect with your audience more.

Learn about them, empathize with them, and show them how you can make their quality of life better.

I hope this rant made sense😆

If it did, let me know!⬇️