About the Author

Hi, I’m Roni!

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Writer + Communications Pro | Cannabis Advocate | Miss High Times – January 2016

I started this blog as a journalism school assignment in 2011, then I left it alone for a couple of years before I realized I should be using it as my personal lifestyle hub. I’m a young professional in San Diego with an appreciation for both writing and activism.

Positive health practices, and educating my friends and family about wellness, are important to me because I believe poor health represents the number one obstacle to mass awakening and social change. I’m lucky that I have had relatively good health during my life, but I have had my share of issues as well, and through my experiences I’ve realized that not everyone has the luxury of proper nutrition or medical specialists, or even the education to make health and wellness decisions.

As a child I had the privilege of playing team sports, both recreationally and competitively. Though I suffered from knee and joint pain from a young age (around 10 years old), for almost my entire life I enjoyed the benefits of an active lifestyle, until sustaining a career-ending back injury in high school. I underwent several rounds of physical therapy for both my knee and back, though it was largely ineffective for pain management. I was prescribed high-dose ibuprofen frequently, until it just stopped working entirely. The resulting chronic pain made it almost impossible to exercise, so I gained some weight, and with so much idle, sedentary time on my hands I had an extremely negative outlook on life. The weight gain continued into my freshman year of college, where I found a lot more than just 15 pounds.

My health journey truly began when I realized the value of medical cannabis (medical marijuana) in treating the symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia I had struggled with all my life. With just the casual use of a typical college student, I started experiencing an overall sense of well-being, a more balanced sleep schedule, and most importantly, significantly less noticeable knee and back pain, making it possible for me to walk, go to the gym and even jog for long periods of time – something I had really never been able to do without excruciating pain and inflammation, even in the past when I was an athlete.

Many see cannabis as a drug or narcotic, but this is not the case. Not only is it a miracle medicine for seriously ill patients suffering from fibromyalgia, cancer, arthritis, and many other diseases – it can be a powerful dietary supplement for the everyday person as well.

Skepticism is natural…most people (including most medical doctors) also don’t know that your brain already has a biological system in place to receive “cannabinoids,” the several chemicals found in the cannabis plant (including, but not limited to, THC and CBD). Your endocannabinoid system helps release and receive enzymes within the brain to regulate things like mood, appetite, and pain sensation. So for people who struggle with everyday anxiety, depression, migraines, or pain for any reason, one or more types of cannabis could be extremely helpful for you as a dietary supplement. Even cooler is that it offers a relatively healthful substitute for alcohol (AKA poison) as a recreational substance.

I’m long done being “in the closet” about this, so if you have ANY questions about cannabis please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d love to talk to you. I have created a healthy lifestyle for myself that includes cannabis, and it’s time to show others that they can do the same, with or without it!

On this blog I’ll do my best to outline my personal fitness, nutrition and health programming, while sharing recipes and great food finds for those looking to make the whole dieting thing a little less painful. Please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line on social media if you appreciate the blog or have questions about running, swimming, cooking or anything related to wellness!

I have an educational background in political science and mass media, and professional experience in the realms of PR/public affairs, digital advertising and technology. I would also love to connect outside the blog on any of those topics.

XO

Roni

25 thoughts on “About the Author”

  2. I’m always interested to know what paths people take to health and sustainable wellness, especially in situations like yours with chronic pain problems to solve. We all have family and friends who suffer from one kind or another of those, and I suspect that as longer lives become commoner, that number of people will only increase as well. Good for you that you’ve found better health and peace in a way that works for you! I hope we can all, as you say, pursue a healthier physical world in order to promote a healthier social and communal one.
    Cheers,
    Kathryn

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  3. “Kia Ora (hello) from Aotearoa/NZ” Thanks for visiting my blog.. so I return the favor.

    I’m on a ‘mission’ to change the public opinion on Cannabis (especially kiwis) that many cannot see past the whole ‘illegal drug thing’. Much of that is due to decades of misinformation & ignorance. At least in many western countries, there does seem to be a change of mindset, but our Govt. are more concerned about the impact on their political careers, rather than ‘doing the right thing’ !
    They cant even accept the the natural plant-drug does have genuine medicinal/therapeutic value & instead promote synthetics & ‘big pharma’ extracts only.

    “POWER TO THE PEOPLE”
    “Kia Kaha” (be strong) V

    Zedd

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  4. Pingback: Coming Out Green | Herbs & Spices.

    1. Thank you! I tend to prefer concentrates because they’re fast-acting and i have a high tolerance. Or just a nice indica flower. Not a vaper, I’ve had too many devices come and go that weren’t reliable, but there are some great new ones coming out including the pens!! Thanks for reading!

      V

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  8. Pingback: Coming Out Green – the hurt guru.

  9. Great Blog! For some reason I just recently started receiving your posts. Check out my site when you get a chance, I think we have similar interest! I would love to have you guest write if you’re ever inclined.

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  11. kia ora (Hi) Roni

    Thx for the ‘like’ on my recent post (End Drug War in Aotearoa/NZ) : ‘Misinformed on ‘Marijuana’ ‘

    The whole ‘War on Drugs’ (esp. Cannabis).. is fuelled by Misinfo. & Lies: eg. ’causes insanity’ & ‘gateway/leads users to HARD drugs’ etc. We (as a community) need to ‘Stand Up & Be counted’ & constantly highlight this B-S !!

    Cheers
    Zedd in NZ 🙂

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  13. I’m glad my e-wandering brought me to your blog. At age 35 I was in grad school, a small business owner, and single parent of 3 kids. At age 36 I was disabled by fibromyalgia. I’m 52 now and still mourn the loss of the life I had, the life I lost, and the life I am struggling to live. I was in New Mexico for a little over a year and began using the medical marijuana. It helped me a lot. Due to circumstance I had to move back to Arkansas and there is no medical marijuana here yet, though it is in the works. I do NOT want to go back to being a patient chronic pain patient waiting for a fix from the doctor. I want to continue what I started in New Mexico but can’t get any quality marijuana here yet. I’ve been through a lot, lost a lot, gained much perspective, but am still reeling from the loss of the medical marijuana.

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  14. I’m glad my e-wandering brought me to your blog. At age 35 I was in grad school, a small business owner, and single parent of 3 kids. At age 36 I was disabled by fibromyalgia. I’m 52 now and still mourn the loss of the life I had, the life I lost, and the life I am struggling to live. I was in New Mexico for a little over a year and began using the medical marijuana. It helped me a lot. Due to circumstance I had to move back to Arkansas and there is no medical marijuana here yet, though it is in the works. I do NOT want to go back to being a patient chronic pain patient waiting for a fix from the doctor. I want to continue what I started in New Mexico but can’t get any quality marijuana here yet. I’ve been through a lot, lost a lot, gained much perspective, but am still reeling from the loss of the medical marijuana.

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  15. Inspired by your blog, just started growing my own cannibas, best decision ever. I have learned a wealth of knowledge about cannibas, and am looking forward to learn more. Good Luck to you!!

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  16. Pingback: Cannabis is Legal in California. What’s Changed? – the hurt guru

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