I have been lurking around here for a while now and I have read a lot of complaints and bitching about the MMPR, the LPs and the general state of the medical marijuana industry. I want to offer up another perspective.
I am a 55 year old veteran with PTSD and Fibromyalgia patient and no, of course my handle is not my real name. And BTW, I pay for my weed, no intention of getting the public to pay for it as long as I can work.
I have tried a panoply of traditional meds for my conditions, SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs and others such as Valproic Acid, Pregabalin, Gabapectin. you name it, it has been tried and most of them have given me worse issues than the actual illnesses. Then I found weed, a friend told me to try it and I did in a moment when I really needed it. And it worked, yes the side effect is the 3 to 4 hour buzz but the medical element is real and it is a life saver, and I am not speaking figuratively.
So, after buying the stuff on the street risking my professional career for the ability to get some relief from my ailments I finally got in the MMPR and chose Tilray as my LP as recommended by my doctor. I have read a lot of complaining and a ton of bitching on this site and others but what I have not seen is an acknowledgment of how far we have come. It is legal folks! Expensive? it can be but if your complaints are about the fact that you need to pay $13/gram for a type of weed then buy a cheaper version or go back to the street. How much does a criminal record cost you? If you are in this for the buzz and to get stoned then get the hell out before you ruin it for the people who actually need it for what the program is for. Your loud complaints about the costs of high THC weed is just giving ammunition to the Neanderthals who would love nothing else than to shut the whole thing down and go back to the dark ages.
I am not trying to take your right to complain away, I am just asking that you do it in a way that does not look like a bunch of spoiled teenagers who found a way to get an acupuncturist to get them in the program. Some of us need this to live folks.
Now on the subject of Licensed Producers, are they altruistic non-profit corporations in it to help mankind? Of course not, they are private and in some cases even publicly traded, for-profit companies reacting to supply and demand. They are blazing a path in uncharted territory in an adverse political environment and for that I thank them. If you don't like the prices or the products, complain to them and try to go to others, yes, I recognize the system tried to build in monopolies but that too will change with customer pressure. Things will get better and prices will come down, they always do but for now these companies need to recuperate their investment and they need to get stable. Once that's done we will reap the benefits. Oh and one more thing on the subject, people complaining that Tilray does not ask for signatures and Purolator leaves the package on their doorstep. Would you prefer that a signature be required so that if you are not home the package needs to get stored in the Purolator store room where the people working in the warehouse can get a whiff of whats in the box? Once again not perfect but think about the alternative before bitching.
I am not expecting to stop the moaning, haters gotta hate but I just want to make sure we recognize where we are. Getting caught with 5 grams of weed without an MMPR license is still illegal and a criminal offense in this country. The Supreme Court helped those of us who actually need this to live a normal life get access to it against the wishes of the conservative government. I for one want to say thanks and I know its going to get better.
