ABSTRACT
Introduction: A Tale of Two Patients contrasts the stories of Dale and Karen, two Coloradoans in their fifties who are enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program. This pair of opening case studies illustrates patterns and differences among those who come to explore cannabis as a medical option at midlife. A discussion of their stories elaborates the key themes and arguments in this book and uses this as a way to introduce each chapter. Themes include medicalization, system and lifeworld, life course, and stigma as they relate to experiences of medical marijuana patients in Colorado. The introduction also poses questions about cannabis as a recreational substance and a medicine, leading us to pose questions about the nature of medicine.
