Full name: Tyler Douglas Hurst
Age: 38
Condition or illness: Complex PTSD (was previously diagnosed as bipolar, depression, high anxiety, BPD and ADHD)
When did you start using medical cannabis?
In November 2012 with a medical mariijuana card from Washington, but my real healing started in January 2016 using Oregon medical weed.
Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis?
Yes, I was on 16 different psychiatric meds for 17 years, the last (Lexapro) for seven. I tried running, I tried losing weight, I tried getting a real job, I tried following a schedule, I tried eating the same things day after day . . . nothing made me feel like me. Once I started using cannabis both intentionally and regularly, my appetite changed (I craved healthier foods), my energy increased (I ran over 1,000 miles last year while losing 35 lbs), my strength/endurance increased (I was finally able to handle yoga and put on muscle), and I was able to confront a lot of personal issues that had been plaguing me for decades.
What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients?
There’s a huge lack of knowledge sharing and tracking of what cannabinoid/terpene profiles work well for which mental or physical illnesses. Much of it is done person to person, which means every new patient must experiment a bit before they get their right method of ingestion and dosage correct. It’s also tough to find a steady supply of a strain that works, and I have to constantly deal with the stigma of being an “unproductive” stoner while worrying about drug testing at any job I may want to apply for.
What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine?
I try my best to tell them that they’re sorely misguided, and have been misinformed for decades about what cannabis is and does to the human body. Then I show them pictures of me and writings I’ve published over the past few years, and they’re able to see the immensely positive effect cannabis has had on me.