Since medical cannabis was legalized in 2018, there have been considerable hurdles to cross for patients accessing their cannabis and around the historic cannabis stigma.

I am going to explore cannabis and investigate it a little deeper into its effects. Why do patients enjoy their medicine? Some patients prescribed it finds that they start to enjoy life again. What is it about cannabis which makes life enjoyable, and are there lessons the rest of society can learn from patients?A diagnosis of a life-changing illness, something like cancer, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, or in my case, MS, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Some ignore it entirely, and others embrace it and make the most of it in any way possible. For me, cannabis helped unlock joy again after my MS diagnosis, and I believe I am not alone.

The thing that is most misunderstood about cannabis is its mood-enhancing properties. For the most part, cannabis doesn't enhance what is not already there.  It can go both ways, sometimes being incredibly positive and, in others, leading to an onset of a psychotic episode – but why can cannabis lead to completely polarized experiences for different people? In my experience, cannabis can enhance the mood you are already in. Sometimes when I am in a bad mood, the rational fear of prohibition sets in (some call it paranoia).

I have experienced times of being anxious and nervous; this is rare for me as an experienced consumer, but it has happened and is something I feel the community should embrace and try to understand.  For us to deny someone's negative experience with cannabis is as bad as prohibitionists negate the positive effects on patients with MS and other conditions that cannabis helps. There have even been incidences where I have been having an awful time with anxiety and had some THC. It has helped me get back into the suitable headspace - this is one of cannabis's most significant aspects, the ability to switch off negative emotions for experienced consumers.

This can be a double-edged sword and mean that younger cannabis consumers that have been through childhood trauma may find they like cannabis and how it makes them feel so much that they don't want to stop and wish to embrace consuming cannabis to have some enjoyment back in their life.  This is often met with disdain from our NHS, often combined with anger and fear from a family member. But let's not forget that cannabis is now a prescribed medicine for mental health conditions, and someone experiencing depression who has tried other drugs could apply for medical cannabis. So why is this met with so much disdain by the NHS and other services?  Our health services have not even been able to untangle

the media's web of skunk hysteria, let alone consider the enjoyment aspect of cannabis as a therapeutic benefit. Being in a good mood doesn't fit the paradigm that health services are used to. This can be confusing for health professionals who don't understand how one plant can be beneficial when they're used to prescribing many different treatments.Let's talk about the rest of the population and the mood-enhancing properties that can come while consuming cannabis.

This article is called extra sensory because I want to explore the idea that cannabis can give people what feels like a 6th sense. All the senses are different; when you are medicated, things feel different. Every sense is affected by consuming cannabis. This effect is well-known, but it has been spun mostly negatively. I want to look at the positives. Firstly, music can be more exciting, and there is a willingness and openness to enjoy new music. Global music tastes have been changed by cannabis. Cannabis is never far away from the music industry; it is an industry that allows and encourages creativity, and cannabis can hugely positive impact this. The '60s was considered a cultural revolution where young people mostly eschewed their parents' traditions.

It is not always looked upon favorably by the media, but it is known for a cultural revolution and is responsible for many of the freedoms we enjoy today. Your sense of touch is altered; cannabis is a well-known aphrodisiac, but what about people with sensory problems like Autism and ADHD? I have issues eating, called a fussy eater by those that don't understand ADHD. But it is hard for me to eat because I do not like the texture of a lot of food. When I consume cannabis, I enjoy food a lot more, not just because of the "munchies" but

also because of this sense of texture. It helps me in this way, but it can help lots of people struggling to eat for various illnesses, depression, ADHD, and HIV, which can lead to a person wasting away. If you start to enjoy your food again, that is a prominent place where it is okay for a patient to enjoy their medicine, and I don't think it should be too difficult to be encouraged. Of course, the taste and appetite are affected by cannabis too; this is well known as the munchies and can make you able to eat a lot.

This is laughed at in popular culture but has vast medical implications. Cannabis is the perfect medicine to help stimulate appetite and start to enjoy food again. In certain circumstances, this can be lifesaving. I learned from Dennis Peron, the author of prop 215, the first medical cannabis law to change in California in 1996, just how life-changing. Dennis dedicated his life to helping people with HIV and aids access cannabis medicines. Cannabis can affect your vision, and colors become more vibrant and exciting. Cannabis is, in my eyes, responsible for the color explosion after the 60s and into the '80s, '90s, and now. The scenery is more beautiful in the macro, and things are more attractive in the micro. More exciting and colorful. When in nature, you feel connected to the earth more significant because it is so much more profound visually.

This is enjoyable, and it is a positive and fun experience. The term recreational is a red herring - it has been weaponized to hide cannabis's true potential, often from those that need it most. Cannabis has the effect of giving hopeless people hope - All your senses are heightened at the same time. It almost feels like a 6th sense, a deeper and more grounded connection to our planet and your place in it. So many people in this world lack purpose; embracing cannabis can bring back meaning into many people's lives. We all have an endocannabinoid system.

Without the effect of prohibition, we are starting to be free to talk about it more and allow better cannabis knowledge and understanding in Britain. This understanding and community lead to human connections, which are the most important thing for us to lead a happy life. Prohibition currently stops many people from engaging with the cannabis community. Still, as more patients get private legal prescriptions, more of us will

openly talk about cannabis and how it helps us, and we will form connections with many new people who want to understand cannabis. Enjoying cannabis responsibly is not a hard sell to the patient community that relies on it for their medicine; whether they have their prescription, it is therapeutic, and it is not up for debate anymore. It is okay for a patient to enjoy their medicine; it is okay to take a medication that helps them lead a better life, and cannabis is no different from any other prescribed drug.

Learning to enjoy ourselves responsibly is a big hurdle to climb if we get along on this planet, especially in Britain. So many people in this country are depressed. It's cold and bitter winters, and work over fun ethic does not help. Cannabis is fun but can help find deeper connections through a shared sense of enjoyment and community. With deeper relationships, humans can achieve anything. We have come so far in such a short time that let us use a plant to help us get along and forge bonds.

This more profound connection with the community is critical when you are patient and vital for all of us living on the planet. 8 billion humans are many people. I believe that for the survival of our species, we must embrace cannabis and everything it encompasses. It can't do EVERYTHING, but it can come close.  You might as well enjoy it while we are here.