Jermaine is a student, a musician and has been a card-holding medical patient for a year. His story proves that students can also benefit from medical cannabis; despite stereotypes and what some might believe, Jermaine's ability to balance school, work and life has improved with the addition of cannabis.
"There are sooo many reasons I use cannabis," says Jermaine.
The many reasons include psychological issues such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, he has suffered from the side effects of medication including nausea, fatigue, appetite loss and body aches.
After being diagnosed and following the loss of his mother, Jermaine fell into a depression. Managing school became even more difficult than it was before.
"I was on the brink of dropping out of college," Jermaine says. "Getting out of bed was nearly impossible, being motivated to do anything, nonetheless being motivated to do school work or go to class, wasn't a trait of mine."
Then, when Jermaine began medicating with cannabis, he began to see signs of improvement. Schoolwork didn't seem as much of a burden and he started going out more. He describes joining a club and starting to meet some friends. Cannabis offered a newfound, and much needed, perspective and energy.
For Jermaine, using cannabis is about more than just medicating. It is also a ritual. The process can be calming and bring a sort of peace.
"I fell most at peace when I spend the time breaking down my cigarillo wrap, breaking down my flower, rolling it up into a blunt and sparking the flame," Jermaine says. "It's soothing, and gives me the best feeling overall."
His favorite strain is Durban Poison, an extremely high sativa. Sativas, as many of us know, are great for feeling uplifted and motivated. Furthermore, the strain has high limonene and a-pinene profiles -- giving the strain its pine-y and citrus smell -- which have been shown to treat depression, leaving many patients with an improved mood. Jermaine says the strain "gives me everything I need in order to live the busy life I do while maintaining such a great attitude."
Unfortunately, Jermaine was limited by the medicines he could use on the school campus. Cannabis, even for card-holding medical patients, is forbidden on any university campus that receives federal funding. Many students who live on campus are forced to give up using cannabis or illegally partake and risk the consequences.
"I would try and steer clear from cannabis so I wouldn't get in trouble, and in return, my education, social life and my happiness all suffered," Jermaine says.
As our country continues to legalize cannabis, and it enters the mainstream as a non-toxic alternative to many pharmaceuticals, Jermaine hopes it will continue to be normalized.
"I hope that cannabis would be so normal that people won't fear for their lives due to a dependency on pharmaceutical drugs," Jermaine says.
He also expresses hope that one day cannabis may be enjoyed and accessed by many more people who may not have the financial means to access it now.
"Cannabis is for the people," Jermaine says. "Everything about cannabis benefits mankind and to have such a stigma on cannabis only does harm to our society."
The long list of reasons Jermaine has turned to cannabis for relief demonstrates the variety of ailments the plant has the ability to treat. Jermaine is one of many who have experienced that relief first-hand.
