Category: Cannabis

Although I have been using medical cannabis for about six months, until yesterday, I had never visited a dispensary in person. I order online, and the cannabis is delivered to my house. The dispensary visit went about as expected, if you expect that, somehow, I will mess things up.

I had my Medical Marijuana Recommendation, which is still required in many places throughout California. I got mine from HelloMD. Not all dispensaries (including the one I visited) are licensed to sell retail. They copied my documentation and driver’s license while I sat in the nicely appointed waiting room filling out a form with address, etc.

When all was ready, a click opened the door to an inner chamber, a small store with glass-covered display cases. A young man (the budtender) waited on me. I said I was looking for Kiva Terra Bites, chocolate-covered dried blueberries that are supposed to be good for insomnia. I’ve written about other sleep remedies here and here, but I wanted to compare and contrast.

Check, he says, they have the Terra Bites, and if I like them, I should come back on Mondays, when they’re on sale. Nice.

While I was there, I checked out the displays to see what else looked fetching. I saw a small jar of a topical cream called Dabba. A brochure on the counter said it provides natural pain relief for 34 different conditions, from arthritis and eczema to neuropathy, phantom limb syndrome, sunburn, gun shot wounds and menstrual cramps. Obviously, I need this product.

I paid for my purchase in cash as required (I saw an ATM machine in the lobby). The budtender put my goods in childproof packaging and gave me a quick tutorial on how to open it. I also got two free pre-rolls and a little loose bud. Free pre-rolls seem to be common. I don’t smoke the joints, but they mysteriously disappear from the cabinet where I put them, so I’m pretty sure Dale is up to no good.

It looked as though I would get out of there without incident, when I saw two doors that appeared to be exits. One door was clearly marked, “Not an Exit.” Two guys were standing there, talking in front of the other door. Door number two did NOT have a sign regarding its role in life, so I assumed it WAS an exit and said excuse me, as I went to turn the handle.

No alarms actually went off, but I can still hear the sirens in my head. One of the guys said, stop! Miss, you cannot go in there! I’m freaking out. I guess this is the door to the mother lode? I backed away slowly and said in the same voice I use with TSA agents, “Can you please tell me where the exit is?”

They point to a door at the opposite end of the room. The exit, by the way, did not say, “Exit.”

I will have a full report on the blueberries in due time. They are 5 MG of THC per blueberry. That’s considered low-dose, but I ate one last night before bed, and it was too much for me. I felt dizzy and slept weird. Cutting a blueberry in half sounds dumb, but that’s what I will try next. I do believe they make them in 2.5 MG, which is probably better for my dainty self.

As far as the topical goes, I put it on my knees, my back and my mastectomy scars. I felt almost immediate relief – very similar to Penetrex but better. As it happens, I was on HelloMD chatting with one of the doctors, and she said topicals are a must for treating my post-mastectomy pain. She said to put it on several times a day for a week, and it might even make the pain go away permanently.

This is my first experiment with topical cannabis, which may be the best thing yet for older adults suffering from a variety of ailments. Cannabis creams will show up in a drug test, but they do not get you high. If you are open to the idea of using cannabis to treat pain and inflammation but don’t want to consume it, topicals are a good option.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. So far, the only downside is a pungent odor for a couple of hours after you apply it – not offensive to me but definitely cannabis – to the point where I didn’t think I should go to the supermarket with Dale. It’s perfectly legal, not like they are going to kick me out of Whole Foods, but I really don’t want cannabis to be my signature scent.

 

I continue to use homemade CBD-dominant cannabis tincture to ease anxiety and reduce inflammation associated with post-mastectomy pain. All is well, but I wanted to share a couple of updates from the field!

First, always be cautious with your dosage. Cannabis is medicine not candy, and our goal here is to feel better without feeling stoned. Second, back away from the gummi bears.

My preferred delivery system is a little juice shooter in the morning with a bit of cannabis tincture. I’ve been adding a dropperful to my shooter. When I finally finished my first bottle of homemade cannabis tincture, I opened a new bottle and squeezed out a dropperful.

Whoa! There’s a reason I’m not a professional cannabis chef. My quality control apparently sucks. A dropperful of the new bottle from the same batch of tincture gave me what is lovingly called, “Couch Lock.” Except I was at my desk, so it was more “Chair Lock.”

Under the effects of too much cannabis, I sat there for a couple of hours mindlessly staring at my computer. So, yes, you might think of it as just another day in the office. But I’m retired, and I have more important things to do.

Such as making cannabis gummi bears! My tincture was a success, so I got to thinking how much fun it would be to try some other sort of cannabis recipe. I was immediately attracted to the idea of making cannabis gummies. I found a recipe using tincture, I ordered the molds, bought gelatin and sour cherry juice, because I thought that sounded like a good flavor.

Gummi bears were easy to make, but at the end of the day, you are stuck with boatloads of cannabis gummi bears. Oh, and I ran out of space in the bear molds, so I used silicone cupcake molds instead. That resulted it big globs of gelatin with cannabis in them. They look sort of like peanut butter cups.

They taste OK, but again, dosage is a problem. Those bears are so tiny! And the faux peanut butter cups are huge! And for some of us, who shall remain nameless, it’s difficult to remember they aren’t candy. For me, it’s safer to rely on the precision of a medical dropper. It even looks like medicine.

In hindsight, I would say, what’s the point? I don’t eat regular gummi bears, so the medicated variety don’t fit into my routine. And it occurred to me later I don’t actually like gummi bears. The only way I would want a product like this is if I were very sick and this was the only way I could take my medication.

Even then, I would advise all to proceed with caution. Overdoing it can lead to wasted hours in front of the computer, and that sounds too much like work.

I was always a sleeper – used to say when the going gets tough, the tough go to sleep. Stress? Sadness? Pain? Checking out now, thank you. See you in the morning. But like everything else, all that changed with menopause, age, etc. Some nights my brain lights up with activity just as my head hits the pillow.

By design, I never tried prescription sleep medications. Too fraught with peril for me, typically a belt and suspenders kind of gal. That’s why I tried cannabis tea, which is legal where I live. As a novice user of medical cannabis, I wanted something easy and predictable. Kikoko Tranquili-Tea is exactly that. But it’s close to $5 a pop, so I began to research alternatives.

There are many indica-dominant strains to treat insomnia, but one that stood out for me was Granddaddy Purple. Up until this time, I had only used cannabis as tea or dried herb in my PAX vaporizer, and I didn’t see Granddaddy anywhere in the lineup on the dispensary website where I shop. Then one day I saw it.

Granddaddy Purple was listed under “concentrates.” The specific product was a cartridge. I was excited to see it, so I just ordered and didn’t think about the delivery system, other than it sure was cool to have it delivered to my house.

When it arrived, I opened the package and realized I had no idea what to do with it. I showed it to my husband, and he said I think you need a vape pen. I’m like, snap, I don’t want to be the cannabis paraphernalia queen, but there I was with Granddaddy Purple in a cartridge and no way to tap it.

If you are an inexperienced cannabis user, you might ask, um, tap what? What’s in the cartridge? In this case, it was cannabis oil, a concentrate made with a botanical extractor that uses pressure and carbon dioxide to separate the plant material. It produces an amber oil that is vaporized in a portable vape pen.

Which I did not have.

Here it is, the slippery slope, I thought, as I drove to the smoke shop. The hopelessly young clerk asked if he could help me. I had taken a picture of the cartridge with my phone and decided to lay my cards on the table.

I’m kind of new at this. I bought a cartridge, and I think I need a vape pen to use it. Are they universal – will my cartridge work in any vape pen, or do I need something special for this cartridge?

He was super nice. He looked at the picture probably just out of curiosity, wondering what an old lady smokes. But then said, yes, they’re universal. He showed me a selection of vape pens, and I picked a gpen slim for about $25.

Took it home and then had a hell of a time figuring out how to put it on the pen. Incredibly easy, but you know, beginner’s mind. The pen comes with a mouthpiece to use when you put your own oil in there, so think of the cartridge as a replacement mouthpiece. You screw it on, you push a button and you inhale.

On the first night I was still, uh, testing the tool and took several hearty puffs. Whomp. I slept, oh baby, I slept and had a hard time getting out of bed the next morning. No hangover or anything, which is the gift of cannabis. Just a bit groggy.

The next night I tried two very gentle puffs and got a wonderful night’s sleep. I woke up feeling refreshed, and there are none of those odd nocturnal behaviors associated with prescription meds. In terms of cost, a .05 ML cartridge is $40. I’m on night 11, and there seems to be plenty left. Already, it’s cheaper than tea.

The verdict? It’s a personal preference. I like both, but then here I am, a professional cannabis advocate. The tea is a delicious sensory experience, but concentrate is more to the point. I felt like an elegant lady drinking the tea – mother’s little helper – and I feel like more of a druggie vaping the concentrate. But the vape is easy, just keep it by the side of the bed, take two gentle puffs and pretty soon I’m falling asleep. And it’s cheaper, so for me, value wins.

What’s more important, though, is the value of getting a good night’s sleep, especially if you are in pain. Your body needs rest. I feel great! You can follow all the advice and turn off your cell phones, fluff your pillow, darken the room or whatever, but none of that did the job for me. Cannabis is a game changer.

Yesterday my husband and I went wine tasting at a local vineyard. Such a hard life.

We ended up chatting with the winemaker, who looked to be a Boomer like us. He was talking about his bumper crop of Meyer lemons, so I mentioned my homemade Meyer Lemon-Ginger Drink. I was going to leave it at that, but then I thought, hey, cannabis is legal. I told him I added cannabis tincture to it and drank a shot every morning like vitamin juice.

His eyes lit up, and he started to whisper. Then he stopped. Oh, he said, we don’t have to whisper anymore! We spent the next 30 minutes talking about tincture recipes and edibles you can make at home. Somehow it makes sense a winemaker would be into cannabis concoctions.

This was the first time I’ve had a public conversation with anyone about using cannabis, and it felt great to have that sense of community, the sense we are all in this together, just doing our best to figure out how to deal with life, health and the crap that happens to your body as you get older.

Pain, insomnia and anxiety are among the many ailments that can impact our ability to feel wonderful, especially as we age. I started using cannabis after I retired to treat post-mastectomy pain. Small doses fixed me right up and left me feeling happier than I knew was possible. Like, wow, is this how I was supposed to feel all along?

Although I like cannabis tea and have written about it here and here, I also bought a PAX 2 vaporizer, which is quite small and ideal for microdosing. The PAX 2 vaporizes dried herb, which is the good old-fashioned pot most of us are familiar with.

My PAX is perfect and beautiful – I bought silver to match my hair. I had to buy a little tool to grind the flowers, but that’s it. You put the ground up herb in the chamber, press a button and the PAX heats up. When the lights are green, it’s ready. I just take two or three small puffs and then turn it off again. I purchased the PAX and the grinder at a local smoke shop, but you can easily get everything you need online.

The hardest part is figuring out which strain of cannabis to buy. I found one strain that eases pain and anxiety and another one that gives me energy and focus. This weekend I’ll be trying one that purportedly helps with sleep. I do have my beloved sleep tea, but I’d like options.

It’s different everywhere you live, but California makes it easy. I still have not set foot in an actual dispensary. I order from a website, and they deliver it to my house. You even get a free sample called the Early Bird Special if you order before noon! Who knew I’d retire and start loving the Early Bird Special?

Yes, I am now a cannabis advocate. It’s crazy to say it in my outside voice, because there’s still this perception cannabis users are part of a seedy drug culture. That is changing. Surveys now show most Americans favor legalizing marijuana. And more of us are using it in a mindful way that defies the image of stoners with bongs as big as Atlanta.

If you haven’t checked out my Retirement Confidential FaceBook page, I urge you to go there and maybe even Follow or Like it. I post additional content on FB that doesn’t make it onto the blog – articles about baby boomers using cannabis and other stories about aging, eating well and otherwise loving life.

Wouldn’t it be great to find our tribe and be part of a community where we can go and feel connected with other open-minded people who want to age with health, happiness and possibly cannabis?

 

My entry-level forays into the modern maze of marijuana led me to products for managing pain after my second bout of cancer. The first cancer – ovarian – almost killed me. But the second – breast – resulted in long-term post-mastectomy pain.

Once I got pain under control, I was like, gee, what else might cannabis do? As I’ve aged, I don’t sleep all that well. I know, take a number. Right? I usually fall asleep quickly, but wake up and ruminate about everything imaginable. Sometimes I have to get up and make a list, just so I can “let it go.”

Enter our friend, cannabis. Here’s what I learned:

• There are three types of cannabis – Indica, Sativa and Hybrid. Indica promotes relaxation and sleep, while Sativa is more uplifting. Hybrids are somewhere in the middle.
• THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis, and THC can help you go to sleep.
• CBN is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, and CBN can help you stay asleep.
• THC and CBN work better together.
• Herbals such as chamomile and lavender complement cannabis for enhancing sleep.
• If you smoke or vape cannabis for sleep, you’ll get faster results.
• If you ingest it, the process is slower, but you’ll probably stay asleep longer.

As I see it, edibles are the way to go. I’m a novice at all this, so I wanted to keep it simple. I had success with Kikoko Sympa-Tea tea for pain, so I went back to the well and purchased Tranquili-Tea, which has 5mg of CBN, 3mg of THC and lots of delicious complementary herbs. This product is unlikely to get you high.

Cannabis for sleep was revolutionary. For me, it’s the best night’s sleep ever. Even if I have to get up to pee, which is a given, I can go right back to sleep and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. I don’t use it every night, mainly because I try to stretch out my supply, but I do enjoy a cup several nights a week. Sound sleep cannot be underestimated, and I’m hopeful good ZZZs will contribute to my strategy for living a long, healthy and happy life.

Here’s my routine: I make the tea and take it with me to bed. I read for awhile, and then I start to feel sleepy, I drink the tea. By this time, the tea isn’t hot anymore, but that doesn’t matter. It’s right there, and I don’t have to disrupt my rest pattern. I’ll read a little bit more and then zonk.

Kikoko is available in California. If you live where medical or recreational cannabis is legal, I encourage you to visit a dispensary and see what they stock that might produce the same effects. There is a lot of competition in this category! Hopefully, now you know what to look for. Of course, I’ll continue to seek out new products to review.

Please be especially careful with edibles. This is medicine. Make sure you know the potency of the product you choose. If you are unaccustomed to using cannabis, it’s easy to take too much. I’m a lightweight and find that even 10mg is too strong. I mean, nothing horrible happens if you overdo it, but you won’t like the way you feel. Start low and go slow!

As always, even if you are not a cannabis user, I encourage you to share this information and have discussions with older adults in your life who may find relief in medical marijuana.

I had no plans to try marijuana when I retired at age 62. Although I have a friend who uses it, I thought pot made him lazy. I was experiencing post-mastectomy pain and decided to get a medical marijuana card and purchase some cannabis-infused tea. The tea worked fabulously, and I started using cannabis in a sensible and mindful way on a regular basis.

Cannabis did NOT make me less productive – it turns out my friend was just lazy to begin with.

The first product I tried was Kikoko Sympa-Tea. I reviewed it here. Kikoko is a simple and delicious way to enjoy the benefits of cannabis, especially if you are new to marijuana. Still, you don’t always want tea, and I wondered if there were less expensive ways to get roughly the same effect.

Tincture.

For background, you can read my post introducing tincture, which is usually an alcohol-based extract. Most people put it under the tongue for immediate effect or in a beverage for slower onset. If you only use a little, you’re not going to feel much onset, and that’s the idea. Just a pleasant feeling that for me, eases pain and inflammation, quiets anxiety and lifts my mood.

Truth: I didn’t think I was depressed … maybe sort of bummed for no good reason. Although I felt good, I used to wonder what would make me crazy happy. It turns out small daily doses of cannabis washes away the negativity and leaves me feeling exceedingly happy for no good reason.

I learned that true happiness is a state of mind and not about what you have, where you travel or what you achieve. Some people come by inner happiness naturally, but those of us with baggage might need something like cannabis to unclutter our complex emotions and reveal the joy that lies within.

Most dispensaries sell tincture. A typical ½ ounce bottle runs about $45. My suggestion is to buy some and see how it works before purchasing a larger quantity of pot to make your own tincture at home.

An ounce of weed can run $350, but I did the math, and my DIY tincture is $1.71 per dose as opposed to dispensary tincture, which rolls in at $7.50 per dose.

I like to putter in the kitchen, but to make tincture, you are dealing with alcohol and open flame, and my retirement plans do not include burning down the house. I purchased a Magical Butter machine, which makes all this simple. It’s now selling for about $175 (look for online discount coupon codes). I did not include this one-time cost in my financial analysis. I also did not include the cost of the bottles, which were $10.99.

The hardest part was figuring out which strain of marijuana to use. I already had CBD Shark, which according to Leafly, “Offers an equal ratio of THC and CBD, a cannabinoid combination that helps patients treat an array of symptoms like pain, anxiety and inflammation without the overly intoxicating effects induced by many high-THC strains.” I bought more CBD Shark.

The recipe is spelled out in the Magical Butter owner’s manual, so I’ll just give you a general idea of what happens in case you want to try it or run screaming from the room.

First, you cook whole buds in the oven for a bit. I used a Corning casserole dish with a glass cover, and there were no odors in the house. The reasons for cooking it are complicated. It’s called decarboxylation, and I don’t really get it. I just do what I’m told. Then you add the buds and Everclear grain alcohol to the machine. There will be Everclear left over, so save it for next time or take it with you to the toga party.

The owner’s manual has instructions for temperature and timing — basically you push two buttons and let it go. The machine lights up (in a festive way) and makes crazy noises, but you don’t have to watch it every second. I just let it do its thing on the kitchen counter for several hours while I did stuff around the house.

When it’s done, strain it through a filter that comes with the machine and put it in dark glass bottles. I bought these on Amazon. It’s best kept in the fridge.

That’s it! You can also use the machine to make infused oils and butters and even chocolate, but I haven’t tried those yet.

Start slowly, perhaps just three drops in a beverage of your choice. Add another drop the next day, and the next day until you find your sweet spot. My daily dose is one dropperful in a little lemon-ginger shooter.

While not everyone who reads this will jump up and buy a bottle of cannabis tincture, I hope you will keep an open mind about mindful use for older adults trying to live happy and healthy lives. Do you have a loved one who might benefit from cannabis?