A reflection on anesthesia's continuing evolving view on cannabis' interactions, as a decade-long MMJ patient & multiple surgery-haver.

What the title says.

My first encounter with major surgery and thus with general anesthesia as an adult was with a double laminectomy (at T10-11 & L5-S1) in June of 2021. At that Surgical Optimization pre-op, I was told to stop using THC products of any kind two weeks prior to surgery.

I went back in for some scar damage work on the L5-S1 site in October 2022, and the THC requirements before surgery were the same. When I had to go back in again in March of 2023, however, a new study had come out that had cut that recommendation down to about five days. Which was good, because I had three weeks from MRI findings to surgery with that one.

Nearly three years later, they're telling me to "try to cut back some in the days before surgery." She was very specific that I don't have to quit, just be mindful about my intake. That sounds like a plus towards legalization to me, if it's harmless enough you can use general anesthesia with some in your system.

I'm debating putting a j in my dopp kit, for the ride home...

Artist rendition of me heading home from the hospital with my new hip.

Disclaimer: I'm a Flower Girl. Sometimes I'll do wax dabs, but for the most part, I'm smoking small bowls from glass chillums. This has actually improved my lungs, my voice went from non-existent to a whiskey alto real fast after I started french inhaling. So, none of this applies to vapes. I have COPD in my family history, I care too much about my lung health to use them.