RECAP: Patient Chronicles Season 2 - Episode 1 | A Ride with Lou and Larry
Patient Chronicles Season 2 - Episode 1 | Lou Rubin and Larry Smith
Medical Cannabis is often an area that is overlooked by many and explored by the brave individuals who seek to enhance their quality of life, often when feeling like nothing else works. In this revamp of Patient Chronicles, we watch the backstory of Larry Smith, a Parkinson’s patient who tries medical cannabis for the first time, and his close friend Lou Rubin, also a Parkinson’s patient who turned to cannabis to find relief.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, more than 10 million people worldwide are currently living with Parkinson’s disease. There currently is no cure but the anecdotal evidence that cannabis helps ease symptoms is in the numerous case studies such as Lou and Larry.
In many cases where medical conditions alter life as normal, a bond is formed when two individuals identify that they both carry similar symptoms, burdens, and overall life experiences. Lou and Larry were quick to become friends, and often discussed their diagnoses with Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that causes tremors, stiff muscles, and balance coordination issues. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s and the medicine that is currently available has various side effects.
Lou and Larry are amongst the most influential medical cannabis patients to have moved the needle on a global scale. The attention Lou and Larry have received for their public efforts in support of medical cannabis goes beyond how medical cannabis has helped them and into how it can help others. With global features from BBC, to Men’s Health, to global political conversations on the legalization of medical cannabis, the story behind both Larry and Lou has opened the eyes and ears to many about the power of medical cannabis.
“Lou became a big advocate of cannabis and started telling everybody that he knew what it could possibly do,” explains Jimmy Castillo, the Chief Science Officer of Jenny’s Rose. “During that time he had a friend in South Dakota, his name was Larry Smith, who was also struggling with Parkinson’s and he encouraged Larry to come out to California and try cannabis for the first time.”
Lou was not a cannabis user and had never used it recreationally or medically. As the Parkinson's disease got worse, Lou began to feel the effects and would be even found laying on his back, not able to move. Lou searched elsewhere for anything that could provide any adjustment to his condition and discovered cannabis. When Lou saw the result, he quickly conveyed it to his friend Larry and his wife Betty, who decided to explore what it could do for Larry.
“I saw that smile that he had after he sat back up, a few minutes after, it began to work. I just got this warm feeling all over because it was a facial expression I had not seen in a long time,” said Betty Smith.
Larry’s documentary, “Ride with Larry”, follows his life in more detail and how his life was improved with the use of cannabis. The documentary went on to win awards and create a movement unlike seen before. Lou and Larry helped bring light to the medicinal properties of cannabis and their stories continue to do so. To learn more about the Ride With Larry film visit / ridewithlarry or watch the full length documentary https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Larry-Smi...
“I was just in tears and just very proud that we’re able to be out here and help people.” explained Jimmy Castillo.
To learn more about Jenny’s Rose please visit https://www.jennysrose.com/
APPENDIX
Patients have been at the forefront on the battle to legalize cannabis as studies have consistently shown the positive impact cannabis has concerning certain medical issues. The level of attention that cannabis has been receiving has only grown since Oregon became the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973. The cannabis industry then exploded when California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis in 1996 with Proposition 215. The cannabis movement continued to pick up momentum as Washington and Oregon made cannabis recreationally legal in 2012. Cannabis continues to be a hot topic of discussion but as more and more studies are being done, the proof is being hard to dismiss.
“We were surprised to find out that medical marijuana relieved those symptoms very substantially and allowed him to live a comfortable life,” described Larry’s wife Betty Smith.
Families are the backbone to many support systems and both Lou and Larry’s have been there through it all.
I remember some of the early things that we discussed, was that Larry wasn't able to smile or control his facial movement. Also other parts of his body, but I think that’s one of the biggest things that stuck out to me when he came to see me…Seeing Larry take my oil, and the dyskinesias stops, I was just in tears and just very proud that we’re able to be out here and help people.”