Patients painting

Last year, after the tragic loss of her husband, Jacqueline Stone was physically and emotionally shut down. But after encouragement by family to move past the grief, Stone turned to medical cannabis—and her new medication not only helped her become a better mother to her 6-year-old son, she says, but also nurtured her creative side, healing her heart through painting.

“I shut down for a few months, really hard-core,” explained Stone, dabbing tears from her eyes, “and [medical cannabis] helped me get up. It helps you get past that pain.

“I’d go crazy if I didn’t paint. It’s a stress reliever and a way to let everything in my head out.”

Last week, Stone and a dozen other Sacramento-area artists and medical-cannabis patients gathered at J Street Wellness Collective for the first Second Saturday Medical Marijuana Patient Art Exhibit, showcasing their relationship with cannabis and artistic expression.

J Street Wellness Collective’s director, Ron Mullins, organized this year’s event, encouraging all patients with artistic capabilities to enter works into the show. Mullins candidly acknowledged his battles with prescriptions like Zoloft and Wellbutrin and how the medications directly inhibited his motivation to create.

“It wasn’t until I got away from those meds and actually medicated with cannabis that I actually had this flurry of artistic energy,” Mullins said, “and got back into all the arts that I loved. [Medical cannabis] doesn’t just allow for you to be well and do your art. It actually encourages your art; it gets your brain firing.”

Proceeds from the show will benefit the artists as well as three charities, including the House of Trust, which provides housing and food for orphaned children; Safe Access Sacramento; and also nonprofit organization Golden Rule Services, which provides resources for those living with HIV and AIDS.

Golden Rule executive director Clarmundo Sullivan, although not a medical-cannabis patient himself, understands that chronic illnesses such as HIV and AIDS intersect with the cannabis community. “[J Street Wellness Collective] was one of the only cannabis clubs that gave back to the community,” Sullivan observed. “[Mullins] gives me the impression that he is somebody that’s really concerned with health issues and health challenges for people living with HIV and AIDS.”

Patient and artist Stone’s painting, called “Rebirth,” remembers her late husband through acrylics and mixed media. “I actually had a dream about him before I even met him,” she recalled. “When I woke up, I painted this painting, and a week later, I met him. [“Rebirth”] is all of the elements of who he was, all in this painting.

“I’ll love him forever.”