A Monthly column intended to address the questions and concerns of the general public who are CannaCurious but still forced to stay in hiding about their stance because of the dangerous stigma that has plagued this nation since the birth of Prohibition.

As Maryland began to unveil their Medical Cannabis program in 2016 Joie Leigh, a Baltimore native and the daughter of a Baltimore City Police officer and Vietnam Veteran stumbled across a community of loving, caring and hardworking souls who desperately needed a voice to represent them. Joie started receiving a flood of e-mails from members of the community in need of guidance and information and she decided that she could be quiet no longer!

Armed with truth and an ability to compassionately communicate and stand her ground, the tri-state area began to affectionately refer to Joie Leigh as “G.I. Mary Jane” and the rest is history! G.I. Mary Jane has evolved from a person into a movement dedicated to educating the community & breaking the Stigma. No one should have to live in the darkness of the CannaCloset anymore!

Do you have a question, a concern or do you need some guidance down your path to natural wellness? Send your e-mails to [email protected] with the subject line “Dear GIMJ” and your questions will be answered! We will feature a different anonymous inquiry each month. #ArmedWithTruth we can break this

July 2018:

Dear G.I. Mary Jane,

I have hesitated to reach out to you because I know you're a Soldier girl out there on the battlefield doing what you Hiding do the best soldiering on Fighting the good fight And helping others, you are a true warrior

Just a little background on me, I was diagnosed with PTSD 23 years ago, I was married to a police officer and he became very abusive after marriage, hand cuffing me to our tub for hours, rationing food, taking the phone with him, and then after I had my second child he went into some kind of rage and held me in a corner for hours telling me how he was going to kill me and my new born son while holding a gun to my head a slapping me , then taking his knife and telling me how he was going to cut me up into a million pieces and no one would find my body or suspect him , he then went into graphic detail of how he was going to kill my newborn son.

Long story short!

Internal Affairs didn't do anything!!! Courts didn't believe me didn't, I got my two-year-old taken away for 6 months. There's more but too much for my brain!

I stopped therapy 10 years ago because I got highly addicted to Xanax and what a nightmare! at that time my brother had just passed away from opiate addiction and my other brother passed from opiates 4 years later, this past January I had another nephew pass from heroin and Fentanyl, ever since then I've been spiraling down and I'm trying really hard to keep it together! My present husband does not support my cannabis use ( he is an f****** hypocrite) because his best friend owns a dispensary? I got a letter from my rheumatologist she said she endorses my cannabis use for both pain and sleep I'm getting a letter from my primary care doctor also! is behind and my orthopedic doctor! All of my docs seem to be ok with it they just don't know much about it ! why am I being so f****** ridiculed by the ones who are supposed to care for me so much. They would rather me take pills and be silent .. This is really a f***** up world we live in.

I'm sorry! I didn't want to ramble!!!! I'm trying really hard to take back control but people who suffer sometimes need something more because I'm walking that fine line! I have an appointment on Monday with a therapist. Thank you #GIMJ And girl I'm sorry for putting this on you

Signed,
Hopeful in Hiding

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Let me first start off by giving you a standing round of applause and heartfelt salute for being alive and well right now to tell your tale. You my dear, are a TRUE warrior! I am so sorry those things happened to you, more times than not, life can be very cruel and it sounds like you’ve seen your share of it. It seems that for some reason, the most beautiful of souls are the ones who will stumble amongst the ugliest of souls in a lifetime. While it’s heartbreaking breaking to see so often, I know in my heart from my own hardships that everything painful comes with positive result if we can only soldier through it. Keep your light shining bright!

The effects of domestic abuse are far more out stretching than a lot of the general public realizes. As terrifying as it may sound, 24 people fall victim to some sort of domestic abuse by an intimate partner every single minute! That’s over 12 million people every year and 9.6 million of those people are women [1]. This is obviously an issue that affects the female community on a much greater scale. In all cases of domestic violence the children in the household are affected the most. Even if they aren’t victims of direct violence, they suffer the repercussions of growing up in a war zone. Often resulting in them having to live their entire adult lives with PTSD and it often goes undiagnosed. Please know, you are NOT alone. This problem is more prevalent than we realize. It’s important that women do their best to empower other women. Statistically, there’s a good chance a lot of women you know are being secretly abused.

According to the National Center for Women and Policing , at least 40% of police officer families experience domestic violence [2]. We have to consider that those statistics are only representative of the cases that go reported and a conviction is assigned. It sounds like in your case, your abuser was allowed to go free. Love, I am so sorry and it makes the dynamic even that much more extreme when the person responsible is left to walk away. Coupled with being ripped away from your son by the very person who abused you both. Some people can’t even begin to imagine the horror this creates in a mother.

To go through the battle you went through just to get to a point where you could escape with relative safety is a battle no one should ever have to experience in life. Sadly, once the victims are safe they are generally left to be harassed continuously by their abusers who will manipulate the justice system in any way they can to “come out on top” as they seem to perceive it. I know that your story will give strength to the women reading it who are stuck in a similar situation.

I’m saddened to hear of the loss of your loved ones, especially in such close proximity to your escape and wellness recovery period. Multiple private studies have been conducted that show cannabis can be an effective alternative to addictive pain medications that often lead to accidental overdose or to the use of harder street drugs. Unfortunately, with the federal classification of Cannabis as a schedule 1 drug on the DEA’s controlled substance list, many medical facilities are prevented from doing proper research.

It makes me wonder, after knowing a person lived through such an experience, is it not completely careless for a doctor to prescribe them a pharmaceutical with “suicidal thoughts or actions” to be a known side effect? It seems criminal to me! I am so happy that you were able to find relief in cannabis before it was too late. I’m happy that Maryland, along with 29 other states & the District of Columbia have take a stand to help preserve their communities by legalizing cannabis on a medicinal level. I’m elated to know that each day, more and more doctors break through the haze to see the benefits of this sacred plant. While these changes will not bring back those who have fallen victim to the drug wars, it does create hope for a brighter tomorrow centered on natural wellness for our children to live in.

You’re wrong though… you said “people who suffer sometimes need something more”... No… they ALWAYS need something more. Often times that something is simply a healthy diet, exercise, A compassionate support group of people who’ve experienced the same and a strong focus on natural remedies not limited to cannabis. Acupuncture, Massage, meditation & sensory deprivation have all been shown as being effective for a lot of people with PTSD. Don’t you think it’s time we go back to medicating with nature first and use synthetics as a last resort?

It must be very hard for you having escaped an abusive and controlling relationship to be living in a house with someone who won’t support your decision to be healthy. You can’t really fault those people, we just have to educate them. A local group in town called “The CannaLadies” runs monthly events where female medical cannabis patients can get together and share their experiences in a judgement free zone. A lot of these ladies live under the fear unfair judgement by their peers if their “secret” of medicating naturally were to get out. I know, that through public outreach efforts being made by so many dedicated individuals in the community that we are moving closer and closer every day to the end of the discrimination and fear.

Stay strong and soldier on warrior! #armedwithtruth we can break this dangerous stigma. Survival stories like yours are what fuel people to step away from the ledge. You’re sharing this may very well have saved a good number of lives! I understand why you have made the decision to stay in the proverbial CannaCloset and I know it’s dark and uncomfortable in there. Keep shining your light until you are able to break free from that prison so that you can inspire others with that light. As with any escape, you have to be strategic. The federal laws are not yet on our side. I head anyone still in hiding to air on the side of caution in any situation until we can break through this discrimination. Together we are one strong and unstoppable community comprised of people from every different race, class & background, with over 70% approval nationwide our voices are strong! Just imagine the impact once we are all safe and able to step out of the CannaCloset.

Finally, don’t EVER be sorry for writing me and finding the strength to tell your story! I encourage everyone to share theirs too, each individual story will be an inspiration to others experiencing similar hardship. With any trauma, it’s important to know you aren’t alone. None of us in this CannaCommunity are alone. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO HIDE! And to those of you who are, I understand why and it’s justified. Just know there are MILLIONS of people fighting to change things for us all!

G.I. Mary Jane

[1] http://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics/
[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/police-officers-who-hit-their-wives-or-girlfriends/380329/