Even as a school child, I knew that I was different from the others and that 'something wasn't quite right' with me. Inside I was always tense, couldn't calm down, was always running in turbo mode. You can probably imagine how difficult it is to concentrate in such a state. Nevertheless, I completed secondary school and did an apprenticeship as a metal presser. I came into contact with cannabis for the first time when I was around 18 years old. My boys and I got flowers from the “Hanflädeli” that still existed back then. Even back then, my goal wasn't to get stoned, but rather to just relax a bit. Not always feeling “like I’ve gone 180”.
A cannabis aha moment
During a trip to the Netherlands in my early 20s, I had a real aha moment. From one of the local coffee shops where you can legally consume cannabis, I caught the scent of a previously unknown type of cannabis: sativa. It has a relatively high THC and a low CBD content. Something clicked in my brain and I knew: This is it, this can help me. I asked for flowers of this variety in the coffee shop and after the first few puffs I felt better than ever before in my life. Everything was normal, I finally didn't have any stress.
Because the Sativa strain was not available in Switzerland in the form I needed, I became self-sufficient from then on and cultivated my own Sativa cannabis plants at home. Until one day the police came to the door, searched my apartment and confiscated my plants.
My second cannabis aha moment
As a result of my hemp cultivation, I had to pay a fine and received a criminal record. And I was required to have a traffic psychology report because I was still driving a car and motorcycle regularly at that time. The psychological evaluator responsible for me was suspicious when he saw my blood values. He said: “You have one of the highest THC levels in your blood ever measured in the canton. But you still seem completely normal to me.” And he formulated a suspicion: “Could it be that you have ADHD?” He ordered me to do further clarifications and was proven right. I suffer from ADHD. I finally knew what I had. I am still grateful to the traffic psychologist for that today.
Conventional ADHD therapy discontinued
I was less grateful that I was subsequently prescribed Ritalin - the best-known but also very controversial medication for ADHD. From 2018 I took the drug for around 1.5 years, otherwise I would not have been allowed to keep my driving license. The side effects were terrible: for example, while driving, I suddenly had severe heart palpitations and had to stop. So I ask myself: Is this supposed to be a safe medication? Due to the side effects, I stopped taking Ritalin and have since resumed using cannabis when necessary. The effect sets in after just a few minutes and my condition “normalizes” and I find peace.
New friendships at Medcan
After stopping Ritalin therapy, I read many studies about the effects of cannabis. And I began to be interested in whether there were people in Switzerland who also self-medicated with cannabis. That's how I came to Association Medcan. There I not only found professional support, but also new friends. The community and the knowledge that I am not alone are very good for me. It is very important to me that the legislation regarding cannabis consumption for sick people who self-medicate with cannabis is changing quickly. I think it would be ideal to have official hemp shops like the ones that existed in Switzerland in the 90s: where you could get professional advice and “clean” cannabis with tested ingredients. Because things are far too slow for me in Federal Bern, I regularly write letters to the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) and also to the Federal Council responsible for health personally. One thing is certain: Even though I'm much more calm inside than I used to be thanks to cannabis, I'm not giving up on this issue so easily.
