Patient:
Laura Levites.
Condition/Illness:
I have really bad digestion problems and insomnia.
Home:
North Hollywood.
Using medical cannabis since:
2009.
WHY DID YOU START USING MEDICAL MARIJUANA?
To forget about my childhood—just kidding. Because I get really bad cramps. Because I am a woman [and] once a month I get crazy and really sick. I also smoke because of my digestion problems. I also don’t sleep. I don’t want to take Lunesta. That stuff scares the hell out of me. I also heard that you can wake up with a hangover, and if I wake up with a hangover it had better be because of tequila.
DID YOU TRY OTHER METHODS OR TREATMENTS BEFORE MARIJUANA?
Yes, I did. I tried sleeping pills and I tried Vicodin, but that gets you nauseous. I also tried meditation CDs, but they just made me really angry. I ended up yelling at the tape. The only time I ever was honest with a doctor was when I got my medical marijuana card. I tried probiotics but they didn’t work. I even tried going to a shaman, who told me that I had negative entities that were putting holes in my aura. He also told me to smoke marijuana, and when a Native American holy man tells you to smoke out, you smoke out.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OR PROBLEM FACING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS IN CALIFORNIA?
The card is only valid in this state. It is like having a driver’s license here, but not being able to drive in New York. My medical marijuana card is not recognized in other states. I mean, if I have a California driver’s license, and there’s a box you can check for donor, there should also be a box you can check for medical marijuana patient. It would be a little green dot on your license.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE?
They’re idiots. I don’t know if it’s because they are not informed, but it’s certainly because they are close-minded. Every medicine we take right now ends up having some side effect, which can only be treated with some other side effect. I don’t want to take more pills than I already need to. It just makes no sense to judge. The green movement isn’t just about helping the environment. It’s also about living a natural life, and cannabis helps you do that.
Our “Profiles in Courage” features are intended to highlight the problems—and solutions—that medical marijuana patients face every day.
