Tikun Olam’s strains have only been available in the United States since November, but over in Delaware, patients are already experiencing the beneficial properties of Tikun Olam strains.

Pam W is a single mother of four adult children in their twenties, who is actively involved in her local community as worship leader, activist and certified peer support specialist. She has lived in Delaware for about 50 years.

Pam began smoking cannabis in her teens. Growing up in the 70s, her mother and brother both smoked cannabis. “My mom told my brother to ‘get me high’ as a sixteenth birthday present!,” she laughs. But more recently, Pam has found relief from anxiety and intractable nausea through her medical cannabis recommendation that she received in April 2015.

Pam has been dreaming of legal cannabis since high school. “Friends would often remark, we were moving to Oregon, because it had been decriminalized!” Pam paid close attention to the legalization and decriminalization issues, and approached her doctors once medical cannabis was legalized in Delaware. Aside from the cost, she had no concerns: Being that medical cannabis is not covered by insurance, it can be pricy. For this reason, Pam still needs to budget carefully and does tend to run out each week, resorting to pharmaceuticals to control the nausea in addition to cannabis.
Overall, though, she has significantly reduced the use of anti-nausea meds such as Zofran and Phenergan. “Daily use of cannabis eradicates the nausea, eases anxiety and stress and allows me to focus. At night, it helps me to relax and fall asleep without the use of any sleep aids.”

Having suffered from chronic anxiety for many years, Pam was also able to titrate off several mental health medications including Xanax, trazadone, Lexapro and phenobarbital. She also notes other health improvements. “My liver enzymes are back to normal, and my thought processes are much clearer.”

In November 2016, Pam encountered Tikun Olam strains at her local dispensary in Wilmington, Delaware. As a smoker, Pam prefers her strains to have a nice skunky odor rather than the sour ones. “I also like a high level of THC, as it seems to really help remove the nausea quickly,” she says. She tried all three strains available – Alaska, Erez and Midnight – in flower form. “The first thing I noticed across the board was the smoothness of the flower when smoked. It was not harsh at all – a very pleasant surprise!” When it comes to Tikun strains in the US, Pam has become a fan of Erez, which helps her sleep in the evening.

As an advocate, Pam is proud of her involvement as an activist, card holder and beneficiary of medical cannabis. “I make no secret!” she says, “my pastor knows!” “I try to portray a reasonable point of view, and be educated with facts that make a difference. I am already working on reaching new legislators that were recently elected.”
“One of my passions is trauma informed care,” Pam says. “I do believe that people who have experienced great trauma would benefit from the use of medical cannabis in reducing mental stress and relaxing the physical person. Along with that goes my advocacy in mental health issues. I am so opposed to the use of the strong and deadly pharmaceuticals that have lasting negative impact on our minds and bodies. I pray that I can make some small difference for the sake of others.”

“I think that whenever a company returns the people to the products of nature, a reparation is inevitable,” Pam says. As a worship leader and mother of four, she is well-placed to understand the societal benefits of cannabis when it comes to community building. “Repair takes time, so each step we take is towards a healing,” she says of Tikun Olam, literally translated as “Repair the World”.