I ask a lot from a single strain of cannabis.

I need bright, clear thinking but not the urge to be chatty. I need muscle relaxation without being glued to a chair. I need serious help with pain and inflammation. I have debilitating anxiety.

I also can't afford designer weed that comes in keepsake jars, which unfortunately really narrows my options for something that really meets my daytime needs.

For the longest time, only Miracle Alien Cookies really hit the spot. That's not to say that I don't like or use other strains, in fact I love trying new things all the time, it's just that most daytime-appropriate strains only help with a few of my symptoms.

I'd tried Wizard Gum by Curio when I was looking for a nightcap, so when I saw other "day walkers" reviewing this sunny cross, I knew I needed to try it. I'm glad that I did. I refer to anyone that consumes cannabis while working as a day walker, in homage to the movie Blade.

Daytime Balance With Potency​

The two most dominant terpenes are known for lending mental clarity, focus and creativity to the experience (alpha pinene and limonene).

Next, Beta Caryopheliene relieves inflammation, followed by the least of the significant terpenes in this strain, beta myrcene, providing relaxation and very mild sedation.

There are other terpenes, too, it has a little linalool and humulene - check it out on Leafly where you can also figure out where to buy it. It's strong enough to penetrate neuropathy, without putting you on the couch:

Hacking The Effects​

If you want more relaxation (who doesn't want more couch occasionally anyway?) eat a mango an hour before using this strain. The additional beta myrcene you ingest will put you out promptly.

There's really no more room to tweak the 'up' effects with this one as they're already at skyscraper levels, but lemon will help refocus it.

A Formidable Pain Killer​

I not only have inflammatory issues from my immune system, I also have the problem of constant spasms ever since I had my second round of brain surgery. These spasms frequently become cramps, which really effects my ability to work. Usually, I have to look to stronger indica-leaning strains to get enough relief from this to be functional, and mix in strong citrus strains to counteract the couching.

This strain is all of that done for me, balanced completely. I feel the muscles relax, but not give up for the day.

ADHD Soothing​

The amount of Alpha Pinene in this strain makes sure you stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and it is a renewable effect (you can sustain it through micro-dosing throughout the day).

You feel the effect start to take hold in the back of your head, near your language center, and that's when the relaxation starts. Then, you feel like you can get things done, similar to lifter.

Great Citrus-y Taste​

The taste has lots of citrus with a hint of diesel and the aroma is actually somewhat subtle. It's not harsh, but like other strans high in Beta Caryopheliene, it can tickle the throat. It doesn't have a chem-like taste like pop rocks, but your tongue will feel it.

Sunny Wizard By Curio Is Awesome!​

Great any-time theraputic that hits what some have to chase multiple strains to manage, with a reasonably accessible price and great flavor. I'm definitely putting this in my rotation when I can get it deli style at my local dispensary.

Whatever your late day wind-down cycle entails, you want your cannabis to match your vibe. If you want to watch a movie, you need a head clear enough to let you, and possibly get up and make yourself or some companions a snack.

Or maybe you just want your couch to defy physics and absorb you slowly throughout the evening — and that's totally understandable — but can the same bud help you with both? Flo Walker by Forward Grow will definitely try its best to meet both demands.

Full Relaxation Without Total Sedation​

Flo walker has an absurd amount of the terpene Beta Myrcene, which has a relaxing and sedating effect. It's not an inflammation killer, but it will relieve tense tired muscles and tense tired minds. However, with a significant concetration of Limonene, Flo Walker feels (and tastes) refreshing, not sedating.

Part of what else makes this strain successful for somewhat sociable relaxation is its THCa content. It's in the low 20s, which is almost a little pedestrian for medical grade cannabis, but if it were any more powerful it wouldn't be social anymore.

If you think this is probably on the low side for you, don't separate the kief when you grind it.

Hacking The Effects​

More limonene (once THCa has been ingested and absorbed) will boost mental clarity during the experience.

Eating foods high in beta myrcene (like mango) an hour before consumption will boost the sedating and relaxing qualities.

Rescue Strain​

Because this strain doesn't rob you of your wits, it can be used to eliminate anxiety attacks very effectively; you might consider this as an alternative to chemical sedatives prior to a long MRI, etc, or as a rescue from PTSD symptoms.

It is unfathomably difficult to feel a heightened sense of urgency about almost anything after consuming this strain. Don't use it at work unless you're taking the rest of the day off.

Access to safe cannabis is what keeps me alive and writing this blog; I have a huge stake in legislation that:

1. Regulates my ability to buy cannabis products

2. Regulates my ability to consume cannabis products

3. Regulates my ability to grow cannabis products

4. Regulates my ability to pursue a course of medical treatment with cannabis products

My entire life can and most likely will be profoundly affected in some way, hopefully positively, if any changes take place that alters those abilities. I have something that works; something that keeps me in remission while helping me deal with the long-term physical and cognitive difficulties I'm facing from surviving treatments that effectively halted and mostly healed stage IV lung cancer that spread to my brain.

And right now, things look optimistic: I have access to legal products and can work mostly autonomously within my monthly allotment, and I can access clinical help with that treatment as necessary. But, I'm still insecure - I'm not allowed to grow cannabis. Like any other drug that insurance won't cover, I have to pay for medical cannabis out of pocket.

I also have no safe harbor from laws pertaining to being under the influence even if I'm not under the influence, since there's no effective legal means of determining one's level of cannabis intoxication. At any point anyone can claim that something that happened was the result of cannabis and it's my word against their word. I don't go near guns, steering wheels, moderator tools, or anything else. I co-parent as a verb so I'm certain my kids only get the best I've got to give.

Everything you do daily becomes different in interesting ways when you're not 100% secure in something that you absolutely depend on for survival. Oddly, saying "it's as important as money to me" can be taken very offensively by some people. For some reason, it really only is suffering that hits home the most with the kind of people that tend to turn out for every single local election, and those are the people you have to reach.

And that's why I advocate through my story; through the real ways that my life and lives that depend on me can so easily be up-ended purely on political whims. That's the message that isn't so easily met and dismissed with tired racist bullshit and gateway-drug-flim-flam, the one that speaks from pain. I hate that I have to be injured before I matter on the same footing as Nixon's tired cannabis rhetoric in the conversation, but it is what it is.

Something is different now that wasn't so clear-cut even a decade ago: mental health is real and nuking the stigma around it is everyone's right, as it normalizes the act of saying everything isn't okay with the world being supportive instead of ejecting you like a recalcitrant toy from an assembly line. Doing this helps people who don't ordinarily worry about not having safe access to cannabis relate to needing it, and think more critically about the sound bytes that were planted in their head.

Do I just want it legalized? Of course. Fighting for that, however, means putting more urgent human appeal to a cause that a lot of conservatives see as younger people wanting to get high. I can't scream loud enough for folks to hear me until I can convince them that what I have to say is worth listening to.

That's why the more general faceless push in advocacy isn't doing enough for me; I need people to know why it's important to me, so they know my needs aren't superficial, and they're likely casting a ballot with way less real skin in the game.

That's just how I've found advocacy to be the most effective. I'm not really prescribing anything; I'm just sharing the perspective because it might be helpful to someone considering cannabis. People don't know that taking away or hindering access to cannabis also effectively cuts off sleep for people that depend on it - they don't get to be functional people without sleep. That's way more compelling to put effort into putting on a bumper sticker; I'm just sayin'.

Your host in long-winded wellness,

-tim

I'm Tim, and I'm a medical cannabis user from Maryland. I'm also a developer advocate and (mostly) retired software developer. I started this site to create a place where I can share what I've learned about cannabis in the hopes that others will too. Why have I decided to do this? Because most of the information about medical cannabis is currently also paid marketing.

I was quoted as saying this in a podcast (which was edited out prior to it being published, unfortunately):

"That isn't to say that sites aren't creating great stuff as part of their content-marketing strategy; it's that patient decisions often rest solely on this content, which isn't an appropriate coupling."

Patients need information that prioritizes patient needs, not SEO. We have very specific needs and goals and need information in a consistent way. Cannabis is almost always marketed with a recreational mindset which isn't helpful for those in the medical market.

I'm also a long-time cannabis user; once I discovered that I could use it to treat chronic anxiety and pain so effectively that I could give up other medications, I was convinced it was the right path for me. Once it also took care of the long-term effects of cancer, including keeping new growth away, I felt an obligation to not just advocate for even more legalization so that others benefit from it, but also so patients would have an independent resource that is continuously updated and fact-checked by patients and providers alike, one page at a time.

I want people to be set up for success when they turn to cannabis as a treatment option. I want them to know how to decide on their consumption methods, strains and terpene profiles.

And with a few affiliate links and ethical sponsorship opportunities, we can probably at least make it pay to host itself.

If you're interested in partnering up, send me an email! I always like hearing from other cannabis users. I'm at tinkertim@gmail.com. I'm looking for co-conspirators and collaborators, if you're interested!

Your host in wellness,

-tim