This Is What Weed Really Did to My Body

Yasu + Junko/Trunk Archive2 min readIn November 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis. (Many) politics and (some) physicians promised us breakthroughs in better health. Thirty years later, how are we really doing? Men’s Health decided to find out in this special report package. Read more here.THREE REAL GUYS. Three dramatically different mental health conditions. Here’s how a weed card works for them.Cannabis Helps Me Stay ActiveTHE GUY: TJ, a 47-year-old data insights professionalTHE CONDITION: Multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous systemTHE EXPERIENCE: TJ was diagnosed with MS at the age of 25. Doctors prescribed him Rebif, a drug that helped his symptoms but made him depressed. “I was immediately suicidal on that medicine,” he says. Years before medical marijuana was legalized in his state, a friend suggested pot. TJ was desperate, tried weed, and says he felt immediate relief. In 2022, he obtained his medical card. Today, TJ struggles with nerve pain and migraines but says cannabis helps him play volleyball, travel, and stay active. “I don’t know that I would have a productive and happy life if I were not treating myself that way.”Pot Restored MeTHE GUY: CJ, a 32-year-old postdoctoral researcher of addiction neurobiologyTHE CONDITION: Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that causes collections of immune cells, called granulomas, to form in the body. Depending on the location, granulomas can result in fatigue, joint pain, nausea, and swelling. CJ has a rare form located in his brain stem.THE EXPERIENCE: CJ’s symptoms began in his early 20s, starting with skin issues and leading, eventually, to debilitating nausea. After doctors diagnosed him with sarcoidosis in 2021, he went from using cannabis occasionally to using it daily for nausea control. Through self-experimentation, he learned the combination of cannabinoids that worked the best. Because the ratios were harder to find in OTC products, CJ got his medical card in 2023. “This brought down my overall symptom load a huge amount,” CJ says. Along with an off-label Crohn’s disease medication, medical marijuana has brought him back to 90 percent of his old self, he says.Weed Clears the FogTHE GUY: Jonah, a 41-year-old bookstore managerTHE CONDITION: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a mental health condition that causes excessive fear and worry and interferes with day-to-day functioning.THE EXPERIENCE: Jonah says he was always labeled “the weird kid.” He ran away at 16 and experienced problems with drugs, alcohol, and homelessness in his early 20s, until his mother convinced him to talk to a therapist, who diagnosed him with anxiety and recommended medical marijuana. After using cannabis for a few weeks, Jonah says, the dark fog that had made him want to act out or isolate himself began to lift. “Conversations with people became a lot easier; decision-making, especially good decisions, became a lot easier.” Sixteen years after that therapy appointment, he’s happily married and life is good, he says.There’s so much more going on in the world of weed and health. Read more here.Lauren Vinopal is a writer based in Chicago whose work has been published in GQ, Slate, Mel Magazine, and more.