As the country discusses the effects of addiction, violence, and social issues at large, it is important to take a step back and discuss our own addictions.
Addiction is a serious topic that deserves discussion and preventative measures. There are many resources available to help you stay healthy in this regard.
This has been true for drug addiction treatment, too. Many people who use drugs are suffering from mental illness or chronic pain , making access to quality drug treatment important.
It is time we discuss our addictions. What causes them, where they’re found, and how they can be prevented. Addiction is a serious matter that deserves discussion and preventative measures. Treatment centers have standards that they must meet in order to offer their services.
This article will talk about some of the pioneers of drug addiction treatment in California .
Amanda Reigel
Amanda Reigel is the co-founder and executive director of the Green Revolution, a group of cannabis entrepreneurs and advocates that are changing how California marijuana businesses operate.
The Green Revolution was founded in August 2016 by Amanda Reigel, a well-known cannabis advocate who heads up one of California’s largest cannabis advocacy groups. She wanted to create a legal system in which businesses could flourish, but she also wanted to protect small businesses from large corporations that may be looking to profit off their work.
She knew this would take years to achieve, so she started her group with the goal of developing successful business practices for her marijuana companies. She believes this will help them grow their brands and get more recognition, which will help them gain more customers.
Max Mikita
Max Mikita is the man responsible for California’s first crop of cannabis. In 1983, he founded a company called Germinando, Inc., to develop a marijuana breeding program.
Germinando was successful at creating cannabinoid plants that were large, CBD-rich leaves. These plants were then tested to see if they contained another compound called THC. If they did, these cannabis plants were classified as a drug and could be illegal.
After law enforcement became aware of Germinando in the 1980s, they raided the company and all of its labs. However, they failed to find any THC-bearing plants and only confiscated CBD compounds.
Dr. Floyd Steele
Dr. Floyd Steele is a pioneer in the movement to legalize cannabis in California. He has worked tirelessly to bring awareness and support for his New Cannabis Experience (NCE) program to the community.
Dr. Steele created the NCE program in 2000 as an alternative to drug treatment. He knew that young people at risk for drug use were not ready for traditional drugs, so he developed the NCE program as a safer alternative.
The NCE program has three main components: education, treatment, and follow-up services. Treatment includes both informal meetings with peers and formal education through lectures, forums, and conferences. The goal is for people to learn about how cannabis can be used safely and what services are available if needed.
Following treatment, people are given an exit interview where they are asked about their plans for life since leaving treatment. If they were treated for substance abuse, they are also asked if they have any mental health or social problems that might hinder their ability to maintain sobriety.
Dana Naifleh
Dana Naifleh, a Canadian immigrant, founded the first cannabis club in California in 2012. The club is an underground network of people interested in the same things but who don’t necessarily trust each other to access or use marijuana safely.
These cannabis clubs meet as a group, but also as individuals, to learn more about marijuana and create communities where they can support one another. Most members are over thirty, living with their families and educated about the risks and benefits of pot.
As a former police officer and educator at heart, cannabis has been very important to this group. They feel like members of an protected class that need access to pot to help them handle PTSD, chronic pain, and other conditions.
Dr. Richard Cheng
As a family doctor, Dr. Richard Cheng believes that treating patients with compassion is his top priority. As a doctor, you can use your medical license to help people, even if the topic is not your main concern.
As a father and doctor, Dr. Cheng is passionate about providing healthcare to his patients with confidence that they are getting quality care. He believes that starting off treatment with a short wait time and using quality care protocols are the most important parts of treatment.
He founded a non-profit organization called The Doctors Office that provides healthcare to low-income patients in downtown San Francisco.
Jerred Hallmark
Jerred Hallmark was a young man in 1992 when the Berlin Wall came down. He was immediately contacted by several members of the military who were discharged for using cannabis to ease their pain during chemotherapy treatment.
The men he spoke with were THP veterans, and most had used cannabis to help relax and maintain an erection during their treatment.
He became obsessed with researching the effects of cannabis on sex, and soon began conducting hundreds of experiments on himself and his partners. Many reported changes in body sensations, increased temperature, increasedmoisture, and increased depth of speech and penetration.
He even observed cases where people claimed that marijuana had relieved pain without any pharmaceuticals, which suggests that we may have been missing out on this for years before this research.
Alyx Wright
Alyx Wright is the current Republican nominee for Pennsylvania state representative in the 29th district, making him one of the most influential people in Pennsylvania politics today.
He has made national news for his staunch opposition to cannabis, but that is not a position he took lightly. In fact, he had two stints in jail for marijuana charges until he became a political crusader for it.
His first arrest came at age 19 when he was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana. He was released after serving about a year in prison, but two years later he was arrested again for the same reason. This time he spent about six months in jail and lost his job as an electrician after being exposed as a criminal by media attention.
He did not take that lying down, however. After going to court and proving his innocence, Wright was let off with only probation due to media attention at the time.
Zara Snapp
Cannabis is more widely accepted as a plant-based drug than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. This is likely due to increased media coverage of cannabis use and abuse, as well as greater public support.
Since 2014, when California became the first state to legalize medicinal marijuana, several states have followed with recreational laws. Recent reports indicate this may be changing again, as President Trump signals he may allow more access to medical marijuana.
For now, cannabis is completely illegal at the federal level, which has had a significant impact on where people like Zara Snapp are able to cultivate their own cannabis.
Snapp is a successful entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to make money by growing her own cannabis in her spare time. She did so by converting her garage into a small production facility, where she could control every aspect of the cultivation process.
