Sierra is a very talented hair stylist in Phoenix. She spends long hours on her feet all day, everyday causing her severe sciatica pain. Sierra has been utilizing CBD for the past few years, totally changing her opinion on cannabis. Once a skeptic, she now uses CBD everyday for pain relief. She also enjoys using cannabis recreationally. This is Sierra’s CBD journey…
Why do you use CBD?
"For health reasons, pain and inflammation."
Does anyone else in your family use CBD?
"Yes. My sister does for sure. She uses a disposable vape pen or tincture."
How did you discover CBD?
"Through the marijuana industry. One of my friends helped opened a dispensary here in Phoenix recommended CBD when I kept pulling my sciatica."
Was CBD hard for you to acquire?
"No, I have my medical card and I don’t trust the CBD necessarily sold at smoke shops. I’m sure it’s fine but for me its just weird to buy it there."
How has it affected your relationship with friends/family?
"People were weird about it at first but it really worked for me and you know the fact that there no psychoactive effects nobody knew unless I told them. You know what I mean? I was able to do more things and be more active."
Has it affected your career in anyway?
"Yes, I can work longer hours, more days a week without being in excruciating pain if I use CBD. I do have an issue with pulling my sciatica a lot. But since I’ve been using CBD regularly I have not had those issues as bad. I did get them badly on vacation because I didn’t bring it. It was terrible to not have CBD with me."
Do/did you take any pharmaceutical drugs with/before CBD?
"No and No. When I got my wisdom teeth out they gave me pain killers and I only took three. They gave me twelve pills and I had nine left because I just used CBD and THC oil -It was the only thing that helped. It fucking saved my life. I hate prescriptions."
Do you feel like there is a stigma associated with CBD?
"Yes. I think no matter how much research and science comes out on it there are still certain generations of people that still look at it as like hippies in the 70s who used to get high. When cannabis has really come so far in the sense of CBD abilities and all the healing properties we know of now. All the science and information that we have now is crazy. But, my dad is one of those people who will not take it. He just will not do it. He’s part of that generation where only hippies used cannabis. So, if it comes from a cannabis plant its just a “no I don’t do it,” with him."
How has CBD made a difference in your everyday life?
"I take it daily. Every single day. I’m not burnt out by a certain time anymore, if I want to go out after work I’m not in as much pain and I want to go. I’m not as tired or grouchy."
Tell me about your life before CBD.
"It was a lot of chronic pain. I had way lower energy levels in general. I just feel better all over now."
Tell me your CBD journey in a few words.
"Well I was anti cannabis until I was 23 years old, very “anti marijuana” and then I dated somebody who really believed in all the healing benefits of it, not just to get high. He had a lot of chronic pain because he had screws in his ankles. So he would smoke, get high, and go to work and he worked 40 hours a week, so I started being more open to that journey of THC and CBD and then it just kind of went from there. I realized I was able to do more things. At that time I was relying heavily on alcohol to help with depression, low energy, chronic pain, so I was drinking a lot. I realized I could use CBD as a part of my everyday life and it’s not a destructive habit that actually helps me."