My brother lives in Portland, Oregon.
Every year I visit him over the summer.
I try to avoid the rainy season and look forward to spending two weeks with him. When he first moved, my brother was not at all interested in shopping for cannabis. He actually had a very negative opinion of cannabis. While he was happy to show me the sites, try new restaurants, shop and hike, I had to borrow his car for a trip to the dispensary. He’d usually give me a long lecture about the negative consequences of using cannabis. Most of his information was incorrect. When I tried to explain the many therapeutic benefits of the plant, he wouldn’t listen. About two years ago, my brother was injured at work. He hurt his back quite badly. He went through two different surgeries and six weeks of physical therapy. The painkillers that were prescribed produced all sorts of unpleasant side-effects. He worried about becoming dependent on them. My brother did a great deal of research into alternative medicines and learned a lot about cannabis. He read countless studies about how THC, CBD and other cannabinoids mimic natural endocannabinoids produced by the human body. He discovered that cannabinoids influence receptors in the endocannabinoid system to effectively treat pain, inflammation and all sorts of medical issues. He finally accepted that plant-based medicine is safe. It doesn’t cause dependency and no one has overdosed on cannabis. Since having a great deal of success with cannabis during his recovery, my brother is now an avid supporter of it. He regularly visits the dispensary, knows all of the budtenders and has enrolled in their loyalty program.