I'm a 39-year-old law-abiding citizen. I work in banking. I don't speed, I've never gotten a parking ticket and jaywalking makes me uncomfortable. While I make no judgment of people who use marijuana recreationally, I have never been one of them -- my drug of choice has always been a nice glass of wine. So how did I get here?

The lovely, middle-aged lady on the other end of the line asked me to come in for what she called an intake session. I was told to arrive alone, with photo ID and cash if I intended to make a purchase of marijuana.

Within moments, I was flying. I felt light, giddy, and not at all in pain for the first time in what felt like years. No knives stabbing me in my neck, no vise around my back. My joints didn't ache, not a muscle felt bruised. It was awesome -- for about 10 minutes. Then I realized that I couldn't read a book, I couldn't watch TV, and I couldn't make a sandwich.