Blog Post from On the Sly

...it yielded this practical little guide for telehealth client MarijuanaDoctors.com!

As I'm vacationing in Kauai with this very article on my poolside To-Do list, waiting for some SMEs to call back with their expertise (sadly, my own joint-rolling skills, or lack thereof, weren't going to be sufficient for this assignment—this is serious journalism, people!). So, my companion/co-pilot and I decided to head to a remote beach on the island's far end to watch the sunset and spend the evening. We were just off the famous

In a rental car heading down miles of unpaved, pot-hole-strewn road, we saw this darkly bronzed, dusty man with a backpacker's pack, a pile of gear, and his thumb out. We passed him by but remarked to each other what a drag it must be trying to hitchhike in a remote place like this. We'd seen no other vehicle — nor any sign of life — for miles. In fact, we wondered if we weren't also a bit off course from our destination.

We were. One completely lost geographical circle later....we pass this man again. This time, my copilot yanks the car over and gestures to him—I'm thinking for directions. But it turns out the man's trying to get to the beach we're looking for and knows the way—inviting him to load in seems natural. I sort of can't believe this is happening, but....c'mon. In a place like the above (see photo for reference), *could* anything truly bad happen??

But grateful and good-natured, the man quickly put us at ease. He was out on a research canoe trip and was back from re-upping on supplies. We'd be the last to see him off as he was about to hike back into the jungle to his canoe.

Living in isolation must turn you into something of a conversationalist—because before we knew it, we'd learned quite a lot about this man I'll call River (who preferred anonymity). Like the research he'd been doing for the last few months on the native, DMT-like compound found exclusively in that region. Or about his many world travels and spiritual ideas.

At some point, in exchange for the ride, he also offered us some..... Well, you know. And that's when we learned of his expertise in even more herbal matters. Namely, the delicate art of rolling cannabis flower into... cylindrical perfection. Or so it appeared to me.

In other words, with this exact deadline looming (see article link below), I couldn't imagine a more fortuitous meeting. Or memorable—as I'll never forget this man, River, and our hearty conversation on topics big and small. This guide has some typos and an editor's note at the top that I'm not fond of, but here you have it: Medical Marijuana How-Tos: Rolling a Joint.

Sarah A. Lybrand

So About That Time I Picked Up a Hitchhiker...