After losing my baby brother to an overdose, I began to look more critically at the role prescription medications play in our lives. At the same time, I was enduring my own medical journey — years of prescribed opioids following multiple injuries and major surgeries, including two back surgeries within one year that left me with drop foot. For 7 ½ years, opioids were the only tool I was given to cope.

But through lived experience, I came to understand what so many patients eventually realize: opioids may dull the mind, but they do not address the pain itself, nor do they help the body truly heal. I felt disconnected, dependent, and without long-term solutions.

My turning point came when I embraced medical marijuana as an alternative. Cannabis gave me back not just relief, but clarity, balance, and the ability to be present in my own life. It offered me a path to manage pain without sacrificing my mind or spirit.

Today, I share my story to honor my brother’s memory, to break stigma, and to advocate for safe, effective, and compassionate alternatives to traditional pharmaceuticals. My journey is proof that cannabis can be more than medicine — it can be a lifeline.