My First Trip to the Marijuana Dispensary as a Person with Parkinson’s

CBD Oil and Parkinson's - Davis Phinney Foundation

Written by Tom Sheppard

In the  last few years,  there’s been a quantum leap in  senior citizen’s interest in cannabis.  It’s a frequent topic of conversation among this demographic  and more and more  people  are trying it.   

The stories, opinions and cautionary tales come  from all directions: national media, local news, internet, Parkinson’s conferences, support groups, etc. There are people everywhere  you  go who are excited to share their success stories and how marijuana has the power  to treat a wide variety of ills.   

At every support group meeting and  conference  I attend,  the subject comes up.  And despite the fact that there’s no shortage of information out there about the use of marijuana to treat what ails you, the questions people ask  reflect  a significant lack of knowledge about the topic. I know that was (is) certainly the case for me.   

For a long  time,  I wondered if marijuana might cure my insomnia, something I’ve been living with for several years. I tried  medication, cognitive behavioral  therapy, OTC products  and anything else I heard about, but I had little to no success with any of them.  

When I ran out of traditional methods of treatment to try, I began reading the  studies  and  stories  about how marijuana can help restore healthy sleeping patterns. I was hooked; however, having the idea to try it and  actually going  out and doing something about it are very different things. I felt ill-equipped, naïve and frankly, intimidated about going into a store. To mitigate my nervousness, I hunkered down in the research so my first visit to the dispensary wouldn’t be such an unknown.   

For example, I wanted to know: 

  • What  makes marijuana  marijuana?   
  • What (or who) is a budtender?  
  • What’s the difference between pot and edibles and pens and CBD oil?  
  • What’s THC?   
  • What’s the ingredient that might help me sleep better, deeper and longer?   
  • Why does it  seem  to work so well for some and do very little for others?   

I started by reviewing this very  comprehensive glossary of terms, and then I watched  this video  and  this video. After all of that, I felt just  knowledgeable  enough to ask smart questions once it was my turn at the counter.   

When I walked through the doors of my local dispensary for the first time, someone asked me, “Is this your first time?” Wow, I must have looked greener than I thought. And my guess is, if I looked like that much of a rookie, there must be plenty of others who do, too.    

Here’s what I learned:  

  • The employees at  dispensaries  are quite knowledgeable (and young).  I felt like I was in the  first grade being taught by a Ph.D.  At the same time, I was happy they knew what they were talking about.  
  • The budtenders took their time with me, answered my questions and tried to make sure I got the best product to fit my needs.  
  • Marijuana products aren’t cheap. But, if it fixes a problem, it’s worth it.    

I came home with a product that sounded  like the right one to help me sleep.   

In my next post, I’ll let you know what happened.   

Do You Have a Story About Using Marijuana to Reduce Your Parkinson's Symptoms?

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Comments (7)

Debbie Cuddington

I’m very interested in knowing if the product helped you and what exactly you got.

Hi Debbie,
Stay tuned til Friday when we post his results:)

I too have dabbled with THC oil. It’s not the magic elixir the growing marijuana community would have you believe. It has its benefits, and its place, but is defibetely not the silver bullet.

I have Parkinson and I’ve heard that the oil helps with tremors. I would be interested in trying the oil-CDB when I have “off” times. Is there a way I can get a sample to see if it helps. My phone: 614-864-6131

Hi Fern – Thanks for reading. One of our upcoming podcast episodes will have information about CBD oil for people with Parkinson’s. Hopefully, that will be helpful for you. We do not provide any products. I recommend that you speak with your doctor about different options and then seek out the resources in your area. Best of luck.

I think this was very interested. Nowadays it is the need of every person to know about CBD Oil, Medical Marijuana, THC. Thanks, Tom

You had a great learning! My father suffered from Parkinson’s. I wish we discovered cannabis before it was too late.

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