Grief has a way of hollowing you out. For many, it’s a darkness we try to numb or outrun. But for a growing number of people—myself included—cannabis isn’t about escape. It’s about connection, healing, and learning to live again.
After my father passed, I found myself in a fog where life felt unrecognizable. Nothing made sense anymore. But through cannabis, I began to rediscover a sense of peace—not by dulling my pain, but by softening its edges enough to explore what was underneath it.
As more people turn to cannabis to process trauma and loss, science is beginning to catch up with what many of us already know: this plant doesn’t just change your mood. It can change your perspective on life, death, and everything in between.
Photo courtesy of Claire Kelly via Unsplash.
Grief & First Contact
I was drowning in grief, barely hanging on, when cannabis found me—or maybe I found it. Either way, it became my medicine, my teacher, and my reason to stay.
My father raised me on his own after my mother left when I was a baby. He was my world—my family, my anchor, my safe place. When he passed from colon cancer in 2016, everything fell apart. I wasn’t suicidal, but I wasn’t really living either. Grief filled every corner of my life.
Desperate for relief, I went to my doctor and was handed a list of prescriptions—antidepressants, sleeping pills, the works. Deep down, I knew I didn’t need something to numb me; I needed something to help me face the pain. I told the doctor I’d explore more holistic options and circle back.
I never did.
Because soon, cannabis would step into the waiting room of my collapsing mind …
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Author: Sasha Carr / High Times
