The Human Element of the Hemp and Cannabis Industry: A Heartwarming Story From My Dispensary Days and Why I Continued the Journey
Real patient story from Detroit to Hawaiʻi showing how cannabis and hemp bring relief, comfort, and life-changing support when people need it most.
Years before I founded Oahu Dispensary & Provisions, before the delivery service, and even before I moved to Honolulu — I managed one of Detroit’s very first medical marijuana dispensaries, Green Cross Detroit. Settled on the west side of Detroit, our dispensary was the first to be accepted under the new program at the time.123 Those early days shaped everything I know and believe about cannabis — not only because of the nature of the business itself, but also because of the people. Working there was raw, real, and unforgettable.
Detroit in those days didn’t have the polished, corporate cannabis world we see now. For patients across the state, the ability to now purchase medicine at their own will without legal risk was an absolutely wonderful and magical thing. It felt like the flood gates were opened to the fountain of life. The energy was indescribable. It was the community. It was the desire to survive and thrive. It was people trying to live one more week, one more day, one more moment with dignity and relief. For many, cannabis and hemp products make them feel normal. In this article I am going to share a short but impactful story that forever changed the way I perceive this plant, these products, and this industry as a whole.
The Woman With Terminal Cancer Who Changed My Life Forever
I cannot remember her name — and that still bothers me — but I will never forget her face. She walked into Green Cross with tears streaming down her cheeks. Not because she was scared and not because she was in pain — although she was. She cried because she found relief with our products , and she always explained how blessed she was that we were open. Unfortunately, she was terminal. Her doctors had run out of options. Her treatments were brutal, her appetite was gone, her weight was dropping too fast, and her sleep barely existed. After only a few weeks taking some rick simpson oil, the entire rythym of her last chapter changed. She told me word for word: “You’re giving me my life back.” She didn’t say cannabis was the cure. She didn’t claim it reversed her disease. She said it simply helped her eat, sleep, stay calmer, and handle therapy without breaking down. To someone with cancer, those things are not small. They’re everything.
People can debate the tumor-shrinking properties of cannabis — and yes, some swear by them and report them — but relief is undeniable. Being able to hold food down, manage pain, get rest, and reduce suffering is its own form of healing most people will never understand until they need it.
That woman made me realize me the true meaning of this plant. It’s not all about intoxicating effects. It’s about pain relief, sleep assistance, and enhancing the overall quality of life.
We’re Not Just Selling Products — We’re Helping Heal the World
This experience, from Detroit’s early dispensary days to Honolulu’s busy streets, taught me something that guides everything we do at Oahu Dispensary & Provisions: People don’t come to us for “weed.” They come to us for relief. For comfort. For hope. For a chance at a better day. Even if cannabis never cures a single disease — the relief itself is healing.
What we provide makes life bearable for thousands of people.
And we take that responsibility seriously.
This is why we fight unjust laws.
This is why we stay open.
This is why we advocate.
This is why we push back against overreach.
We’re not just running a business.
We’re serving humanity.
We’re helping people survive.
We’re making lives easier.
We’re offering the tools and relief that medicine sometimes can’t.
After all these years, one truth remains:
We’re helping heal the world — one person, one story, one moment of relief at a time.
And that’s something we will never stop doing.
https://mjbizdaily.com/detroits-medical-marijuana-market-upheaval-new-rules/
https://www.bridgedetroit.com/recreational-marijuana-a-path-to-black-prosperity-in-detroit/