I wanted to post about my experience to help anybody who has thought about or considered medical marijuana as part of their treatment on a regular basis. There is a lot of mixed information out there, especially concerning mental health and bipolar disorder and its interactions with medical marijuana.

I received my medical marijuana card in the mail today. A very simple process. A brief background of my usage: I smoked daily from ages 16-20, really using any and all strains. I knew them well but did not specifically stick to one kind or another. Last year, I was given Prozac and misdiagnosed with depression. That sent me into an extreme mania and a terrible 3 week psychosis. Doctors told me it was the weed, and others said it was the Prozac. I have now been diagnosed with bipolar 1 and am very stable on lithium. I haven't smoked since that last time last year before I went completely psychotic...until today.

I went to the local dispensary that had the best reviews. They were truly amazing. I got a free gift for my first visit as well. The benefit of medicinal is that all the strains are lab tested off the plant to ensure accurate THC and CBD levels. That way you know exactly what you're getting.

After growing up smoking weed with 20%+ THC and less than 1 percent CBD, I had never been exposed to CBD. THC is the psychoactive component. CBD is the medicinal component. It is the second most abundant cannabinoid in the plant besides THC. It helps counteract the paranoia and anxiety, giving the body a relaxing sensation. There are now medicinal strains available with all CBD and almost no THC. There is no high associated, only body relaxation. It is great for anxiety, which is why I find it beneficial for my disorder. They also have 5:2 CBD dominant, 2:1, 1:1, ect strains available for you to choose from to get a "synergistic effect".

I'll admit though I am very comfortable with marijuana, I was a bit anxious to smoke again for the first time, especially considering some of the information that is out there about smoking after psychosis. I am a little confident knowing my lithium levels are stable and I know my diagnosis/self a lot better now. I would definitely reccomend treating this way only if you are stable on a mood stabilizer, just like a lot of other drugs for bipolar, to be safe. In fact, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, who was the first doctor to ever prescribe lithium as a mood stabilizer, was a Harvard psychiatrist and worked at the Boston mental health clinic for 40 years. He wrote a couple of books on medical marijuana as supplemental treatment to illnesses. His first book was "The Forbidden Medicine", which speaks about medical marijuana as a treatment for mood disorders.

So, I began by lighting up some "Harle-Tsu" cannabis that has 20% CBD and only .6% THC. That way, I can slowly experience what is about to happen and be in control. The CBD is also a proven antipsychotic and anticonvulsant, so I felt safe doing it this way. After a few good size puffs I felt nothing in my head. I was not high at all. I was sober. But my entire chest and body were loose with no anxiety. It's like all of the weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

After 20 minutes, I decided I was ready to try my next strain, "Harlequin" with 6.8% CBD and 3% THC, which is about a 2 to 1 ratio, and VERY low in THC to begin with. After 2 puffs of this, I remembered exactly why I fell in love with Mary in the first place. However, instead of being stoned and stupid, the CBD helped level me out. I was very light and happy. The THC felt great. But the mix of the two was truly medicinal.

As for coming down, it was very smooth. I didn't crash, and I am not permanently schizophrenic or kicked back into psychosis. The high lasted and hour and a half at most. Now I am sober, and feeling relaxed while taking my lithium for the night. All in all, a very good day for me.

I plan on experimenting with mixing some Harle-Tsu with my old favorite "Blue Dream" which has 20% THC. I'm hoping to mix them half and half to experience lower levels of each. I will be slowly increasing THC and keeping high levels of CBD. There is a lot of new experimenting to do!

For anybody who has any questions or comments, please don't hesitate. I will be keeping account of my usage the next couple weeks and will report back on anything I find to be true, at least for myself. Anybody else with experience is certainly welcome to add to this!