OREGON WEED: STATE REVIEW

Oregon weed is sold legally throughout the state.

Does that sound right to baby boomers? A comfort?

Yes, weed is legally sold in Oregon, with a load of stores in Portland, Oregon.

But, you don’t need to drive into the big city to score a bag.

Portland baby boomers know how that was.

You knew a guy who knew a guy, and they don’t want to know you.

The truth from those days is you didn’t want to know them, either.

Some connections are better left unmade. Just hand over the money to the guy who knows a guy and wait it out.

Something usually showed up.

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Things changed with evidence that marijuana was more than a cheap high for the jazz musicians Jimmy Buffett sang about:

I remember bein’ buck-toothed and skinny
Writin’ fan letters to Sky’s niece Penny
Oh I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
Then I could solve some mysteries too

Then it’s Bandstand, Disneyland, growin’ up fast
Drinkin’ on a fake I.D.
Yeah, and Rama of the jungle was everyone’s Bawana
But only jazz musicians were smokin’ marijuana

Medical Marijuana From Oregon Weed

Harvard Health had a few weed questions way back in 2020.

There are few subjects that can stir up stronger emotions among doctors, scientists, researchers, policy makers, and the public than medical marijuana. Is it safe? Should it be legal? Decriminalized? Has its effectiveness been proven? What conditions is it useful for? Is it addictive? How do we keep it out of the hands of teenagers? Is it really the “wonder drug” that people claim it is? Is medical marijuana just a ploy to legalize marijuana in general?

I’ll answer a few questions based on my experience with medical marijuana.

With hip replacement surgery on the calendar I had appointments.

In three instances I was reminded to fill my prescription of Oxy for pain control.

Surgery is painful if you’ve never been hacked on.

“We’ve noticed you haven’t filled your pain med prescription.”

What I did instead is work the pain with a stack of Tylenol, Aleve, and edible weed gummies.

Did I tell the medical professionals dispensing care? Yes I did.

How’d they take it? The docs were noncommittal, the nurses more encouraging.

I think it broke down along the lines of patient care: the doctors had their job, the nurses had their job.

You’ll see the doctor, but see more of the nurses who have a better handle on pain management.

Pain Advice From A Cancer Patient

I searched for a cancer patient to give advice on Oregon weed pain properties.

Luckily I didn’t have far to look. The guy in the mirror was quite forthcoming with advice

After a brush with neck cancer treatment I needed something to break the pain, so I took an oxy pill.

I passed out and woke up feeling worse, with the addition of nausea.

So I took a dose of liquid oxy and had the same results.

I came to the conclusion that I was a poor candidate for opioids.

Oregon weed in a brownie was my last resort, and it changed my outcome.

I went from struggling cancer patient looking at a stay in a nursing home or hospital since I was failing miserably, to recovering cancer patient.

The same outcome applied to hip surgery.

It felt like I had defeated drug addiction on the hard stuff without getting started.

Is Portland Inundated With Oregon Weed Stores?

Look at the top image and you’d think Portland was #1 in Oregon weed.

And you’d be wrong. I was, even though a new weed store is going up a mile from my street.

Where is the big weed deal going down? On the Oregon coast.

From Oregonlive:

“A lot of our income depends on tourism,” said Erin Maas, the manager of Yachats Cannabis Company in Lincoln County, “especially during summer.”

“People are coming from out of state and they are coming for vacation,” she said.

But, she added, once they get here they are also saying, “‘Hallelujah, there’s marijuana!’”

But Maas thinks it isn’t 100% tourists.

“We’ve got more retirees that have money,” she said, “so that’s a good part of it as well.”

Keep those retirees in mind the next time you see an old geezer hobbling out the door of a rural weed store.

It could be someone you know who wants better results when they face pain straight up.

Having walked the walk of debilitating pain, I can point to weed for pain management.

I checked in with the Center for Disease Control to see if they agree.

They don’t.

Instead they offer this:

Depending on the type of pain you are experiencing, these options include:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) or ibuprofen (Advil^®)
• Topical Ointments (for example lidocaine)
• Exercise therapy, including physical therapy
• Interventional therapies (injections)
• Exercise and weight loss
• Medications for depression or for seizures– some anti-depressants and anti-seizure medications have been shown to relieve chronic pain
• Cognitive behavioral therapy – a psychological, goal-directed approach in which patients learn how to alter physical, behavioral, and emotional responses to pain and stress
• Other therapies such as acupuncture and massage

I’ll fix this list for the CDC.

• And weed.