“Cannabis helped my abortion” and people deserve safe and legal access to both

Content Warning: Abortion. Leafly was careful to exclude triggering information, while still detailing emotions and autonomy but not discussing the abortion procedure or its justification in this article.

The past few weeks have been difficult for pretty much everyone with a uterus, regardless of their family planning needs. Right now we are surrounded by unsolicited opinion and discussion on a topic that for many is not just philosophical but a reality.

“I was 42 when I had my abortion and for me it was a pivotal moment. A clear dividing line between a life with all its hopes and imagined futures and the life I have chosen for myself and my family.”

– Darlene*

Abortion is an extremely sensitive issue and a personal choice, regardless of belief, gender identity or age. The public discussion made me wonder, is there a place for a cannabis writer to talk about something as serious as abortion and treat it in a meaningful way through a cannabis lens?

Absolutely.

You see, cannabis is not a purely vice product like tobacco, or a purely medicinal product like pharmaceuticals. Cannabis lives in a space between these two places where plants meet medicine (and has done for thousands of years).

Cannabis has been a comfort to a number of women, non-binary and trans people going through the abortion process.

Whether recreational, therapeutic, or prescribed by a doctor, cannabis has helped numerous people Leafly spoke to in a variety of ways – psychologically, physically, and spiritually.

Turning to cannabis in turbulent times

“I was 42 when I had my abortion, and for me that was a pivotal moment,” says Darlene*, “a clear dividing line between a life with all its hopes and imagined futures and the life I chose for myself and my family.”

It was 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, so Darlene opted for a home abortion to avoid the hospital. She shares that her decision to use cannabis on the day of her abortion was thoughtful and intentional. Having been using cannabis for years, she knew how it could support her emotionally and physically on the day of the procedure.

“I like cannabis in my everyday life because it helps me think, ponder and admire the ordinary. I chose cannabis for my abortion for these reasons: I felt like closing the door on my youth and opening a new one into the future, and I wanted to approach the experience with the seriousness and reverence it deserved.”

– Darlene*

For Annabelle*, cannabis was an invaluable emotional support when she found out she was pregnant. It was during a particularly stressful time in her life and she hadn’t realized she’d missed her period. When Annabelle and her partner went to Planned Parenthood, they found out she was, in fact, pregnant.

“They did a pelvic exam that triggered an old medical trauma. I smoked straight away to try and get my body back,” says Annabelle, who has used cannabis to help manage anxiety, depression and PTSD for years.

She explains the entire abortion process as emotionally turbulent. Annabelle, who also performed an abortion at home, said she had been using cannabis all day and “couldn’t imagine going through without it”.

How cannabis can help with abortions

“I was in bed for a week like I smoked weed, took oil and used suppositories. It was just all hands on deck.”

Maia shares that cannabis was invaluable during her abortion.

There are numerous ways to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes before, during, or after an abortion without getting high. Cannabis products such as creams, patches, suppositories, high-CBD vapes, and flower make herbal medicine more accessible to those seeking low to no THC levels.

For Maia, the pregnancy was particularly unexpected.

After years of endometriosis, they assumed it wasn’t possible. The first thing they did after finding out she was pregnant was smoke a joint “to quell the anxiety and process a little bit of what had happened.”

“I was in bed for a week like I smoked weed, took oil and used suppositories. It was just all hands on deck,” says Maia. “The physical symptoms were terrible, I couldn’t imagine feeling like this for nine months. Cannabis has been crucial this week in particular.”

For Darlene, cannabis was instrumental in supporting the emotional and spiritual aspects of her home abortion. But she felt that cannabis alone was not enough for her pain management.

“Ultimately, the cannabis helped me focus on the experience, although I wish I had paired it with stronger painkillers. I was given Tylenol 3s for the procedure but I knew from previous surgeries I didn’t like the feel of them so I opted for regular Tylenol and cannabis instead. In hindsight, I wish I had just asked about alternative painkillers.”

Regaining autonomy through cannabis

If you weren’t pregnant, it’s impossible to understand what it feels like to split your body and grow another; not to mention the complexity of getting pregnant if you don’t want it.

For the people Leafly spoke to, cannabis not only helped with their mental and physical health; It was also a way to reclaim their bodies.

“My decision to use cannabis at that moment was a bit rebellious. I had given it [cannabis] up when I was pregnant with my long-awaited and beloved child,” writes Darlene.

“Continued use throughout this unwanted (and high-risk) pregnancy was a way to validate my physical autonomy. A way of saying, that’s what I need and that’s what matters now.”

As a non-binary, Maia shared that her pregnancy prompted similar emotions to those she experienced when labeled as female. It just didn’t feel right.

“It was wrong. I am now describing that feeling as dysphoria as it turned out to be non-binary. It was just something that felt like it didn’t belong in my body.”

Maia shares that choosing to have an abortion actually helped validate her as non-binary. Not only was cannabis a physical comfort to Maia, it also helped with the hormones and other symptoms that were undesirable in her body.

Reproduction rights are not guaranteed in Canada

In the past few weeks I’ve seen women bragging proudly that Canada has reproductive rights for all compared to the news in the United States, but that’s just not true.

Abortion is not legal in Canada, only decriminalized. Some pundits say Conservatives are watching closely as the US topples Roe vs. Wade (and could follow suit if successful).

Not to mention that the reproductive rights of indigenous women in Canada are far from progressive. There is a long history of coercion and forced sterilization of Indigenous women in both the United States and Canada.

In times like these, it’s important to remember that legal and safe access to abortion (and cannabis) is guaranteed nowhere, not even in Canada. And no matter what country someone lives in, the right to a safe abortion is the right to adequate health care.

*Names have been changed upon request

Ashley Keenan

Ashley Keenan is the Canadian Editor at Leafly and a freelance journalist, consultant and patient advocate in the cannabis industry.

Check out Ashley Keenan’s articles

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