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Quoted excerpts taken from a February 2005 interview for the Chicago Reader by Stephen Young titled "Should This Woman Be Arrested?" " 'Every couple of weeks I bake a new pan of brownies, each pan containing about 14 grams (half an ounce) of cannabis.' " This comes out to average 1/4 to 1/2 cup of plant material.
1. The first step in my preparation is to grind up in a coffee grinder, the cannabis leaves and seeds. I discard stem pieces. 2. I then warm up the required amount of oil for the brownie mix in a skillet. I like to use olive oil after finding out that it also has anti-inflammatory properties. I also found out that THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol (a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant) is oil soluble, which means that to activate the THC in your body it needs to be broken down into oils (read 7th paragraph below). THC binds to specific receptors we have in our brains called cannabinoid receptors. 3. Then I add the powdered plant material to the oil and simmer for almost an hour on a low heat. This releases all the beneficial oils of the plant and assures even distribution of the oil throughout the brownie batch. 4. I typically use a packaged brownie mix (right now my favorite is Ghirardelli's Double Chocolate Brownie Mix) and I follow the directions on the package. When it calls for the oil I just add the now prepared cannabis oil. I pour this into a 8" x 8" baking pan that is about 1 3/4" deep.
" 'Eating the brownies made a big difference. 'It helped with the insomnia, It helped with leg spasticity, and it has helped with numerous side issues, including bladder urgency. It helps me deal with crowds. Out in busy places, like a restaurant, too much input seems to assault my nerves. It's like I hear every dish clinking, I hear everyone's conversation, I can hear everybody walking in and out of the rooms, I can hear the music. It's like too much sensory experience, and I just start shaking.' " "The brownies also seem to help with flu like side effects from a conventional pharmaceutical she takes called Betaseron, a drug commonly prescribed to MS patients. It's believed to slow the progress of MS in some sufferers by preventing attacks on nerve cell coverings. Falco has tried a long list of drugs for her various symptoms, each with its own unpleasant side effects.There was Tylenol 3 for pain, which caused constipation. Prednisone for flare-ups of various MS symptoms left her 'swelled up like a balloon.' Wellbutrin, which was supposed to alleviate depression, didn't work and made her lose weight. Baclofen for muscle spasticity reduced her heart rate." "In comparison, the side effects she gets from pot seem negligible.
'Sometimes I kind of get a dry mouth,' she says. 'So then I have to drink something. Actually, it helps to keep up my water intake each day. It's a benefit!'"
After making a pan of brownies, I slice them up to where one brownie is about a 1" cube size. A little bigger than a square of caramel, like the bag of caramels you get to make Taffy Apples. This batch of brownies will last me, on average, about two weeks, and it comes out to be about 80 - 1" cube size pieces. I then take one of these 1" cube size pieces three times a day, every day. I have a small, palm-sized Tupperware container that I keep in the basket of my wheeled walker. I take a cube as soon as I wake up so it is in my system before I eat breakfast. I then proceed through my morning routine. When I'm ready for breakfast I make sure to eat something with a bit of fat (again, the oils) in it, and 8 out of 10 times this will activate the cannabis to soar through my liver, providing necessary pain relief that can last four to six hours. If I go out for an appointment or know I'm going to be in a highly noisy, busy atmosphere, I will take a little more than the one cube to ensure efficacy. I always take the Tupperware container with me when I go out, so I have access to my medicine. But then I will go back to my regular titration when I'm in my home, it does not create a "gateway" situation. I have no desire to take more of the cannabis or any other drugs for that matter. I'm more about eliminating the need to be on so many medications. As of 2007 I stopped taking my last pharmaceutical and I am now off of Zanaflex, Valium, Flexeril, Betaseron, and Zoloft. I only take cannabis brownies and Tylenol #3's as a backup when I need a little extra relief booster. I have to take four at a time to get that "boost." I break up two of them with my teeth and swallow the other two whole. I only do this one time. I don't do this "every four hours" like the bottle says when taking two at a time. I take the four at a time in one day, get the boost I need, and then that's it. I won't do that again for days because I know that the Tylenol #3's create constipation, and the cannabis has actually repaired that system.
WARNING: I would take cannabis brownies while still taking the pharmaceuticals. I took my time in coming off the addictive prescription drugs. I SLOWLY lessened the dosage of the pharma I was taking. For example, I was taking two Valium a day when I started eating cannabis brownies. I would cut one pill in half, taking one and a half pills for about a week. Then I went down to one pill for about a week, then half a pill for about a week. Then I took that half a pill every other day, then every third day, etc. until I knew for certain I was pretty clear of any withdrawal symptoms. Then I moved on to the next pharmaceutical I wanted to get out of my system, while still eating the same 1" cube size brownie 3x a day.
This is the process and amounts that works for me. Since everyone is so different with different issues, it is best to use this as a guide to start. It took me a little while to find the right amount that eased the pain and also allowed me to function successfully in my life. It was extremely worth the little bit of extra time and effort to care for my body in a more gentle way. Bake on! Full story: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n267/a07.html?397 |
