YES, I AM A STONER, AND A GREAT PERSON

The sun. A joint. And a chicken. 

This is self care for me. 

I feel conflicted about sharing this photo. I feel nervous about the backlash or the judgement that will surely come. 

Cannabis is 1000% legal here in Canada, but it still has a stigma attached to it in ways alcohol never has. ::ahem systemic racism:: 

For me, cannabis is medicine.

Cannabis is what lets my mind slow down enough to let me sleep. It’s what takes the edge off of my anxiety. It’s what allows me to relax and actually enjoy my life. 

I haven’t always had this relationship with cannabis. I tried my first vape at the ripe old age of 32. What can I say, I’m a rule follower. But, before weed, I was the guy talking to my therapist because I was having panic attacks when I couldn’t find time to iron my sheets. I weighed 111lbs. I laid awake all night long replaying every conversation I had that week, picking myself apart. 

And now, I’m not that guy anymore. I am more present with my kids. I am gentler with my wife. I am kinder to myself. I’ve stopped drinking, and I sleep 6-7 hours a night consistently. I also weigh in at a much healthier 125! 

And yet I still feel the need to hide this thing that has made my life so much better. I feel like I don’t need one more thing for people to judge me about. Being transgender offers enough. 

But then I wondered if maybe there are more of us out there than we all know. Maybe there’s this secret underground web of lovable responsible folks out there that use weed like I do? Maybe if we all stopped hiding, the stigma would simmer on down. More studies about the many awesome uses of cannabis would be done, and then we could all make more informed choices about how we use it. 

I’m not hiding this part of myself anymore. 

I’m not about to become a #cannabisinfluencer or anything like that. This is likely the only time you’ll hear me talk about it...But I wanted to be honest about who I am and what has helped me navigate the past 2-3years the way that I have. 

Most importantly I wanted to let anyone else who is carrying some secret shame around know that we just don’t have to. 

Saying it again louder for myself.