Rudy Garcia

Name: Rudy Garcia

Age: 55

Condition or illness: “I’m paralyzed from the waist down, with extreme nerve and back pain.”

Using medical cannabis since: 2010

Why did you start using medical cannabis? 

After my life changing accident in 2006, I lived in a skilled nursing facility for six years. I was given various pain medications prescribed by my doctor. Following the doctors orders over a four year period I never got comfortable with the pharmaceuticals. The side effects were awful. After doing some research I chose to try cannabis instead.

Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? 

I tried various methods to assist in my issues such as physical therapy, pharmaceutical medications and massages. Yes, they alleviated my prognosis but only temporarily. After trying medical cannabis, I found the answer to my problems. I found that there were fewer side effects then pharmaceuticals and that made me a firm supporter.

What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? 

There are many problems facing medical cannabis patients. Issues such as legality varies throughout the nation, and the ability to obtain the natural medicine they need is a big one. 

What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine? 

I was skeptical to use cannabis myself at first. My first visit to a collective changed my mind. They were knowledgeable and seemed concerned about my issues. Hopefully in the near future, patients and voters will change the current laws that inhibit the quality of life. Yes, this is a quality of life issue. If we have a medicine that can provide comfort for the ill, why not make it available to all?