“It was a bad break. We repaired it the best we could. . .but there's nothing more we can do to help you.”

Those were the words from my orthopedic surgeon's assistant a year ago as I sat in her office again, crippled with pain.

It had been 14 months since my first ankle surgery following a fall that left me with a dislocated ankle, three broken ankle bones and several shiny new pieces of metal in my ankle to hold it together. 8 months afterwards, another surgery to remove half the hardware because it was irritating the tendon with every step I took.

I wasn't looking for a prescription—I’d found out all too well how easy it was to like the pills that numbed my body and mind during times of excruciating pain. What I wanted was an answer, but they didn’t have one.

While it's true, I'm no stranger to cannabis, I've been an avid user for 25 years always assuming it was for recreational purposes. Until I broke my ankle, I didn't see the pain-relieving properties or all the other medicinal benefits of the illicit plant.

I smoked a lot of cannabis with my prescription opioids. It helped me reduce how many opioids I was using, and I was off them completely within a month of my surgery. The best part about using cannabis instead of pain killers was that I didn't have to worry about addiction or overdose.

Let's be honest, we've all seen the news and most of us know someone who has an opioid or heroin addiction. Some even have friends and family members that have died from an overdose.

With cannabis, I control my dose and feel safer, knowing that no one has died from cannabinoid-based medicines.

I don't live in a state with recreational cannabis. We have a medical program but it's expensive, and the product selection is terrible. While politicians have been working to solve my state's legal cannabis problems, I don't have time to wait for them to fight over taxes.

I use a 250mg CBD topical application, which is legal here; it's mixed with menthol and is excellent for relieving my inflammatory pain. I apply the topical cream 3-4 times a day and it works within 30 minutes. I also use it during the winter after workouts and on rainy days when I need some extra relief.

For those days, I micro-dose regularly with cannabis oil. Two, sometimes three, puffs of my vape pen takes away the pain and allows me to work for 2-3 hours at a time. Additionally, I've found that CBD-dominant flower which is legal in my state, can provide near-instant anxiety and panic attack relief when smoked or vaped.

People, including many medical professionals that aren't aware of the benefits of cannabis, don't realize that cannabis can help people in small doses which doesn't provide a “high.” Instead, it offers relief.