Breaking the Stigma / Episode One: Alyssa
Finding New Life Through Cannabis
Alyssa Glaser was diagnosed with Wasting Syndrome in 2016 after a long, exhausting battle with a debilitating gastrointestinal disease. With nowhere left to turn, and having tried all other treatment options to no avail, Alyssa looked to medical cannabis for hope. A tip from her doctor gave her the confidence to step into a world unknown, although fear of the stigma still loomed over head. She had used cannabis minimally in the past, but the regimen she was about to dive into was unlike any experience she had had before. Alyssa was accepted into the Connecticut Medical Cannabis Program via her doctor’s prescription, chose a dispensary (The Healing Corner), and set off on a life changing journey.
“In 2016, after a period of medical crisis filled with tests, surgeries, lifestyle alterations, failed treatment attempts and more questions than answers, I was left hopeless. I was losing weight, had no appetite, and struggled to keep any food or water down. ”
Her first purchase was a 360X Syringe and a few disposable vape cartridges so she could test the waters and see what worked for her. 360X is a highly potent form of cannabis extract that many refer to as whole plant extract. One of Alyssa’s main goals in adopting a medical cannabis regimen was to increase her appetite and this was the product that changed the game:
“I would use the 360X sublingually, squirting a small pea sized amount onto a toothpick and rubbing it onto my gums at least a half hour before any meal to stimulate my appetite. Through discussion with the dispensary pharmacists I learned that a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD was best for the symptoms I was looking to treat. Every dispensary visit I would ask for recommendations of what would make me the hungriest and quickly built an arsenal of strains that gave me “the munchies”.”
In the beginning, she had worried about how conservative family members would view her decision to use medical cannabis, but as she gained confidence in this new medicine, so did her family.
“To my surprise, my family immediately noticed the benefits of my new treatment regime, becoming my (and the program’s) biggest supporters. Encouraged by my improvements, they spoke openly with their friends-some of them even becoming patients themselves. The recognition that this was something good, even though it went against their preconceived notions was a powerful testament to what this medicine is capable of.”
This transformation is an aspect of the Connecticut Medical Marijuana Program that many of us can relate to. Breaking stigma can be challenging. Whether it’s internalized stigma that you have learned through life that needs to be broken down in order to fully reap the benefits of medical cannabis, stigma ingrained in loved ones that can disrupt your path to healing, or the deeply rooted stigma that exists in our society, we all will likely have to face this issue at some point in our MMP journey. Luckily for Alyssa, the results of her cannabis regimen spoke for themselves.
Alyssa has now been a patient for 4.5 years and while her condition has drastically improved, she still actively uses medical cannabis to alleviate daily symptoms. Alyssa’s go-to products consist of THC/CBD blends such as the 1:1 Theraplant Oil Syringes, 1:1 360X, and 1:1 Oral Solution. She also frequently crafts her own concentrate combinations of YCBD CR with either the Daybrid CR or Rootica CR in addition to utilizing a wide variety of Theraplant flower in her regimen.
If you would like to share your CTMMP story, please click the link below to submit an application to be considered for our next patient story share!