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For more on medical marijuana, watch episode one of 'WEEDIQUETTE' below:
VICE: What benefits do you get from smoking medical marijuana?
Eyone: I need weed because it helps to keep me calm. It's helped me integrate back into society because out here in society there's a bunch of crash test dummies. If I don't have any weed, I'm going to be checking every crash test dummy I come in contact with.Jay: I smoke weed because it alleviates anxiety and stress and all the PTSD symptoms that prison afflicted me with. I had anxiety issues before I went to jail and I was prescribed Xanax, but that's horrible for you so I don't use it. I opted for weed in place of pills and it's helped me a lot.Chris: It's definitely helpful in some of the stressful situations you find yourself in as you re-acclimate back into society. Anybody who's has done any time behind the wall knows that you get institutionalized. It's all about routine [in prison] and then you get home and it's all on you. And it all costs money. It's not just putting in a slip to see the [prison] doctor. Everything can be stressful and I definitely believe that smoking weed helps with the process. There's weird shit from prison, like being in your room, that you just don't get over. For example, I was freaking out last week because I moved into a new place and this is the most space I've had since I got released. My bathroom is as big as the cell I stayed in for two years. It can be overwhelming, but marijuana helps me accept these new realities.
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Eyone: My PO was acting like he was upset that I had a medical marijuana card, but there's nothing he could do once the Department of Health issued it to me. I gave my card to the parole supervision people and they cleared me to be able to smoke marijuana. Now, if I have to take a drug test for the parole people, I'll smoke some weed on the way to the court building.
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Now, if I have to take a drug test for the parole people, I'll smoke some weed on the way to the court building. — Eyone
Eyone: If the job has drug tests for pot, I would be hit. But I don't want to go to McDonald's and make $10 an hour when I can make $10 an hour elsewhere and still smoke. I write books and do appearances and signings.Jay: Not at all. In fact, I own my own gym right now. I'm doing better than a lot of the people that did time, got out, and went right back in. A lot of the people I know have ended up in prison again.
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Eyone: I didn't really smoke a whole lot of weed before prison—probably like two to three j's a day. In prison, weed was scarce. I might have smoked 50 dollar's worth a day in the feds, if it was around. Out here now, I smoke an ounce a day. Smoking is a regular part of what we do. It's culture.Jay: Before prison I smoked a lot. I self-medicated illegally. Now I smoke less because I work out a lot. I didn't work out before prison, but inside I picked it up and that helps me manage my anxiety, as well. I smoke about an eighth of an ounce every two days.Chris: I puffed quite a bit before prison, but not at all once locked up. When I got out, I didn't puff for another four years—until I moved out to Washington. I smoke pretty moderately now because I work a lot. I like to puff when I get home at the end of the night.How does the quality of the weed you smoked before or in prison compare to the legal weed you smoke today?
Eyone: The quality of the weed that we get from the dispensaries is the best. There is no comparison to the weed I was smoking before I came home. You get the highest THC contents in the medical weed. The higher the THC, the higher the high.
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Eyone: Getting it now is like a blessing. We can walk around with two ounces. I've been locked up for a nickel bag of weed before, so to be able to walk around without the fear of the police bothering you is great. It's kind of unbelievable when I see the police jump out and a guy has weed on him and they don't lock him up. It takes a whole load off.Jay: I'm licensed to grow now. I can grow up to 99 plants. I can go buy it in the store, too. I can have 11 pounds on me. I can get pulled over and the car can reek like weed and the cop can be like, "Hey, do you got any weed in the car?" I can reply, "Yeah, I got ten pounds in the back," and there's nothing he can do about it.Chris: Before it was all black market stuff, but now everybody has weed. It's so easily accessible that it's ridiculous. Right next door to Walmart is the weed shop where I can pick up a bag of weed.Follow Seth on Twitter.