MARIJUANA

    The Wellness Theory was developed by our Executive Director Hilary Doping in a series of speeches and articles, some of which can be found below. The basic premise of the theory is that the vast majority of consumers use cannabis as a wellness aid, to enhance the things that are most important in their lives-- not as an intoxicant, to escape from life. These wellness uses certainly include the treatment of serious illnesses like cancer and epilepsy, and the chronic diseases of modern life like insomnia and anxiety and depression, and preventing Alzheimer's and alleviating chronic pain. But this precious plant provides many other less obvious wellness benefits—like extending patience, promoting gentleness and forgiveness, inspiring creativity, improving the appetite and enjoyment of food, making jokes funnier and sex more satisfying, enhancing our sense of play and wonder, and countless other ways of making us both healthier and happier. These too are all legitimate wellness uses for cannabis.

    Hilary and others explore The Wellness Theory in the articles listed below. In some cases, events that took place after their original publication—like the victory of adult use initiatives in CO and WA—suggest that some of the ideas expressed here need to be reexamined and reinterpreted. Come back to this page to view those updates and more thoughts on the wellness benefits of cannabis.