Wow, what a fantastic entry! It's so beautifully put together with personal stories and photos and a legit argument for the legalisation of marijuana. The war on drugs in America was - is - insane, and I still can't believe people are in prison for it. It doesn't make sense at all.

I'm feeling like I have control over my life in a new way - simply by naming the symptoms and facing them dead-on

As someone who suffers intense anxiety myself, I can relate to this a lot and know that this is an amazing way to deal with it - labelling is so helpful, and avoidance only makes things worse.

I'm so glad this powerful medicine has been your ally all of these years. How powerful the natural world is!

You ask about personal experience - I'd always had it around in my early life and used to grow it for personal use, but these days I avoid it. It seems to have the opposite effect on me and make me worse! I guess it's good to know our own limits, and recognise that sometimes what is an ally for some is not necessarily one for another. Your article did make me want to go home and light up a spliff though!