fulloflife
By TERESA HAMMOND
T
he cannabis plant produces much more than a recreational drug. For decades many have utilized the plant for medicinal purposes and while not completely embraced by medical professionals, research has shown that the CBD cannabinoid can have positive impact on those with health issues. The cannabis – more commonly known as marijuana – plant hosts two cannabinoids which are most prevalent. The first being CBD (cannabidiol), known as a non-psychoactive and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is a psychoactive and solicits the “high” feeling which is the common perception of feeling from marijuana. Studies have shown that proper usage of CBD can help treat a number of ailments including: Alzheimer’s, cancer,
Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, anxiety, inflammatory disease, epilepsy and seizures. Some in the 209 might say, no one knows this better than the 209’s medical marijuana pioneer Jason David, a father and founder of Jayden’s Journey, a Modesto-based dispensary. First and foremost, David is a father and it is through the love for his son, Jayden, that he found himself not just learning but positively affecting the lives of others through medicinal marijuana. “Jayden is a little 15-year-old angel; I now thank God he’s alive, I’m very blessed,” David said of his son. “It’s beautiful. All he wants to do is hug, kiss and dance and eat a lot. He’s just something very special.” At the age of six months old, after receiving a vaccine, David shared his son began having uncontrollable seizures. He was later diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form 209MAGAZINE.COM
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of epilepsy developed in the first year of life. “That’s the day I lost my son,” David said. “He’s non-verbal but one of my things I’ve always wanted was I want to hear him say I love you.” While that is a dream not yet realized, through taking matters in his own hands versus relying on doctors, David has had many memorable moments with his son, most especially in the past 11 years. The single dad shared he didn’t believe Jayden’s problems were from Dravet Syndrome, but rather the thousands of pills used to treat him. “Taking a child to a doctor is like taking a car to a mechanic. You go to the mechanic 40, 50, 60 times and they’re not fixing the car,” he said, “it’s time to find a new mechanic. Or it’s time to get tools and get an instruction book or seeing people that did fix their cars. Ask them how they fixed theirs.” That would prove to be the path for the former manager of Fred Meyers Jewelers. As his feeling of helplessness grew and his son’s seizures never sub-
OC TOBER/NOVEMBER 2021
9/30/2021 9:05:40 AM
