This Puzzled Life is a mental health and recovery blog exploring addiction, trauma healing, LGBTQ experiences, humor, and the strange moments that shape us.
“I have the memory of a goldfish…that’s also high.”
-Unknown
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Today, I want to tell you about a nice chill strain called Sage OG.
Sage OG is a balanced hybrid cross between OG Kush x SAGE (Sativa Afghan Genetic Equilibrium). OG Kush is a cross between Chemdawg x Hindu Kush. SAGE is a cross between Afghani x Big Sur Holy. This particular strain by Southern Sky is sitting at 27.9%. However, it’s not overwhelmingly too strong for it not to be a daytime strain.
The major terpenes in this strain are Limonene, Caryophyllene, and Myrcene. Patients report relief from chronic pain, appetite loss, anxiety, and mood disorders. This strain would be good for smokers at all levels. Overall, it’s just a good chill strain. Thanks for reading! Keep blazin’.
Affirmation: I nurture myself like I’m a fresh cut clone. With tender care, lots of water, and plenty of protection.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Let the heaviness lift and the negativity fade. Today, I want to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a day to honor courage, justice, and the kind of hope that refuses to die.
In a world that still struggles with division, taking a moment to clear the air and center his message feels like the most powerful way to beg. Martin Luther King Jr. remains one of the most transformative figures in American history. It is not because he sought power, but because he insisted that ordinary people could reshape the world through courage, conviction, and nonviolence.
Born in Atlanta in 1929, King grew from a young Baptist minister into the moral center of the Civil Rights Movement, leading campaigns that dismantled segregation and expanded the nation’s understanding of justice.
What makes King so compelling today is how modern his message feels. He warned about the “fierce urgency of now,” a phrase that still echoes in every conversation about inequality, voting rights, or peace. His leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham Campaign, and the March on Washington wasn’t just strategic, it was visionary. King believed deeply in the power of nonviolent resistance, drawing inspiration from both Christian teachings and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi (The life of Martin Luther King Jr. | Martin Luther King Jr: An extraordinary life).
His Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 recognized not only his achievements but his insistence that love and justice are inseparable forces in public life. Even as he faced threats, imprisonment, and ultimately assassination in 1968, King refused to abandon his belief that America could become a more humane nation (Martin Luther King Jr. – Biography – NobelPrize.org).
Today, King’s legacy challenges us. It asks whether we are willing to confront injustice with the same clarity and courage. It asks whether we will choose empathy over apathy. And it reminds us that progress is never automatic, it is built by people who refuse to accept the world as it is. King once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That arc doesn’t bend on its own. It bends because people, ordinary people, decide to pull (Martin Luther King, Jr. | About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Living in a place where racism still lingers in the attitudes of many, admiring someone like Dr. King can feel like swimming against the current. Yet he has inspired me for as long as I can remember. His courage, his compassion, and his unwavering belief in equality are values every race and every community should embrace. He changed the world in ways that still ripple through our lives today. Each year, we honor what he did for the Black community, but his legacy stretches far beyond that. His accomplishments and his vision for humanity continue to guide us toward something better. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Affirmation: I choose courage over comfort and stand for justice, as Dr King did.
“Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.”
-Karl Kraus
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. I know that the descriptions of these sub-humans is getting old. However, I think it’s pertinent to the time that we are experiencing. This one is the last. I apologize for the length. These are some of the individuals that are responsible for the fall of democracy.
1. Pete Hegseth: Kegseth/Hogsloth/Whiskeyleaks/Pete Kegstand/a DUI hire/Capitan Morgan/Pete Kegsbreath/Triple Sec of Defense. Secretary of War. He is our government’s token alcoholic and war criminal. And though he has military experience, he “kisses the ring” of Donald Trump and not the constitution. There is no greater disgrace. He was also a FoxNews anchor, where in 2016 he criticiaed the president’s demands that “military officials should ignore the rules of war to achieve their goals.” Yet he is currently being investigated for war crimes relating to the illegal bombing of fishing boats off the coast of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Yet Donald Trump pardoned the former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, a cocaine narco-terrorist, who was serving a 45-year prison sentence for conspiring to import over 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. And Hegseth is currently being investigated for war crimes which were not “protecting America.” It was mass murder on the world stage.
2. Stephen Miller: aka Weird Stephen/Submissive Stephen (SS)/The hipster undertaker/White nationalist Dracula/Dead Eyes/Baby Hitler. United States Homeland Security Advisor. He wants to shut down all forms of immigration to the United States. And he demonizes immigrants, regardless of immigration status. He cares about nothing but White Power. An external White House adviser, in Vanity Fair repots said, “Stephen actually enjoys seeing those pictures at the border.” Keep in mind that the pictures are of families being torn apart in the name of immigration and leave children sometimes never seeing their parents ever again. Miller responded that the administration’s decision to implement the policy of zero tolerance was “a simple decision.” Miller also started working with far-right hate groups while studying at Duke University. He worked with David Horowitz Freedom Center, which was an anti-muslim hate group that organized the “Terrorism Awareness Project.” To him the project existed to “make our fellow students aware of the Islamic jihad and the terrorist threat, and to mobilize support for the defense of America and the civilization of the West.” And that, my friend, sounds like German propaganda from the Nazis. With his bald head if you’re looking for him, he will resemble something like a rectal polyp.
3. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Microwaved Mel Gibson/The most dangerous nepo baby in American history/Predator/ Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services.He might have the last name Kennedy. But he is not the embodiment of that legacy. He is an absolute idiot of epic proportions. He is an admitted heroin addict. Now how much healthier could the representative from the Department of Health be? In fact, he contracted a pork tapeworm that caused cognitive issues, memory loss, and brain fog. It eventually died off. However, I think we all know that the poor worm probably died of starvation from RFK Jr.’s lack of brain matter. So, I would consider that a form of animal abuse. And truly, he seems to have never recovered from that disaster after some of his absurd claims. And just for the record, he doesn’t believe in medical science. Here are a few idiotic claims to ponder.
a) Vaccines and Autism: He has repeatedly promoted the claim that vaccines cause autism. Medical and scientific consensus firmly states that there is no link between the two.
b) Covid-19: He claims that COVID-19 was genetically engineered, These claims have been condemned as antisemitic and racist.
c) Tylenol and Autism: Kennedy and Trump made the claim that women who took Tylenol in pregnancy increased the risk of autism in their children. Experts also refute this claim stating that Tylenol is one of the few safe pain relievers for pregnant women.
d) Chronic Disease Statistics: He falsely stated that the percentage of Americans with chronic diseases increased from 3%-60% since his uncle was president. Thank God for fact checkers as the actual percentage was 44.5% in the 1960s. And the current rise is attributed to longer life expectancies and better detection methods.
e) Antidepressants and Mass Shootings: He states that the use of antidepressants caused a higher rate of mass shootings. This is a claim that scientists say has “no biological plausibility.”
f) HIV/AIDS: He has also made claims that there were “much better candidates than HIV for what causes AIDS” and “African AIDS is an entirely different disease from Western AIDS.” And that is utter bullshit. They are the same.
g) Safety of Vaccines: He stated that there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective.” And also called the COVID-19 vaccine the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” Again, the only thing that stopped the pandemic was the COVID vaccine.
His claims are absolutely ridiculous. There are other claims about ivermectin, chemtrails, brainworms, fluoride and 5G technology. Why do we have someone in charge of this department that doesn’t believe in medical science? And as you can see throughout the nation, childhood diseases once thought eradicated are coming back to kill us all. Before you take anything serious coming from the Department of Human Services, do some fact checking.
And apparently he and ex-flame and disgraced journalist Olivia Nuzzi. And well, the raunchy poems and text messages indicated “felching.” This term describes a sexual term us when one sexual partner sucks semen out of another partner’s anus or vagina following unprotected penetrative sex. One of his poems read, “Your open mouth awaiting my harvest. I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth. I’ll hold your nose as you look up at me to encourage you to swallow. Don’t spill a drop. I am a river. You are my canyon. I mean to flow through you. I mean to subdue and tame you. My love.”
Oh my God! I’m going to vomit. Yep, that is the disgusting human being that is running the government’s health program. I am even more firm in my commitment as a lesbian right now. And I just can’t seem to answer the question, “What exactly qualified him to do anything with health?” In the meantime, diseases once considered eradicated are now coming back with a vengeance and our children and our families will slowly begin to die off.
4. The United States Supreme Court: This is the ultimate and most prestigious judicial court in our country. And it, for many years, has been one of integrity. It is anything but that now. They continue to make rulings based on the wants of Donald Trump with no respect for our country’s constitution. They are weakening anti-corruption laws, being paid in luxury travel and gifts funded by billionaires. And this is what is stopping the “entire administration from being “transparent. This ruling court should be ashamed at how they are making a mockery of the founding fathers and their efforts.
5. Fox News: aka State Regime Media. It is a notoriously very right-wing media channel that has been sued many times for falsifying information that it passed on to the American public. Fox News agreed to pay an $800 million settlement by Dominion Voting Systems where they claimed that they would have exposed how the network promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election. And the court’s rulings found “that there were certain claims about Dominion to be false.” That settlement follows a $965 million judgment issued in 2022 against Alex Jones by a Connecticut jury for spreading false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook school massacre. And in my opinion, Fox News should never be considered a credible source. And they cater to Donald Trump and his regime.
This blog series is not a complete list of horrors we face in our country at this time. I have left out for space Karo-Lying KKK Leavitt, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, and Peter Thiel who are equally corrupt. And they will all forever be known in history as the people who tried to kill democracy. They do not stand for our democracy that is defined in the Costitution. They spread hate and discrimination that is a part of the White Nationalist views. They are trying to normalize misogyny, narcissim, racism, homophobia, pedophilia, sexual assault, abuse, and cruelty. And to further these agendas they use Christianity to impose their cruelty. When all it is really is “White Supremacy in Bible Drag.” What they didn’t count on was the power of the people. Our nation has evolved through creating push-back on policies and actions that do not reflect the beliefs of the American people. I have only one statement for Donald Trump and his gestapo regime, “We the people are coming for you!” And you will be held accountable for your crimes. Thanks for reading! And Wake Up America!
Affirmation: Corruption ends where courage begins.
“I only smoke on two occasions: when I’m alone and when I’m with somebody.”
-Unknown
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Today, I want to tell you about a strain that will be helpful for this year.
Super Boof is a 50/50 balanced hybrid strain that is a cross between Black Cherry Punch x Tropicana Cookies. Black Cherry Punch is a cross between Purple Punch x Black Cherry Pie. Tropicana Cookies are a cross between GSC x Tangie. Once that citrus flavored relief reaches your brain, you will understand why this strain is an award winner.
The major terpenes are Limonene, Myrcene, and Caryophyllene. Patients report relief from chronic stress, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, mood swings, and chronic pain. And trust me this strain will give you the giggles as your mood improves. And with the current political environment, we all need a good strain to help keep our spirits elevated. Super Boof was voted Leafly’s Strain of the Year in 2024. Thanks for reading! Keep blazin.’
Affirmation: I love the many roles cannabis plays in my life. For health and for fun.
“Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption.”
-James A. Garfield
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Today, I want to tell you about a group of people known as “The Guardians of the Pedophiles.” The ones I will speak about today are Donald Trump’s cabinet members and some of the influences in the MAGA movement. “Make America Great Again” was a powerful and very uneducated movement that is now an abject failure. Our government is literally being held together by duct tape and denial. Here are some of the people that has made it what it is.
1. JD Vance: Vice President aka Smokey Eyed Sociopath/Failed Drag Queen and Eyeliner Earl, Vice President of the United States. The truth of the matter is that JD wears eye liner as a part of his daily full faced makeup routine. And when he presents himself to the public, he literally looks like a failed drag queen. He was an admitted atheist originally. But now is one of the “hell fire and brimstone” people in the White House. And there’s trouble brewing at home with his Hindu immigrant wife Usha Vance, after a questionable hug from Charlie Kirk’s widow on national television. And in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, about thrusting his penis into “an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions.” To which he replied, “I did not have sexual relations with that couch.” It was a false claim by a user on X. However, this has stuck and it is reported and my belief that Erika Kirk might just be the newest couch. He is a staunch Trump ally, despite being a “Never Trump” critic in 2016. And lastly, his is a leading voice for the “America First” foreign policy. And criticizes “woke” American institutions as the “childless left”. And as someone who really pushes the homophobia aspect, him wearing makeup is pretty “woke” if you ask me. I think that he is even more diabolical than Donald Trump.
2. Mike Johnson: aka Moses Mike Grindr Johnson/MAGA Mike/Moses Johnson/Mike ‘Little Man’ Johnson. U.S. Speaker of the House who is a strong allegiance to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement to challenge and attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results. He is also very forward on his opposition to the “wokeness” of the left. And there was a rumor that he has a habit of being on Grindr and being a “power bottom.” At the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) gala in 2023, he stated that God told him, “Now, step forward” and described his surprise at how God had chosen him to be the Moses figure leading the GOP . And he and his daughter attended a purity ball, a controversial dance event, popular among conservative Christians in the 2000s, that involves fathers and daughter in formal attire. The daughters then sign a pledge to their fathers to abstain from dating and to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. And that is just plain creepy to sign your virginity over to your father. His “wokeness” contradicts his conservative Christian values.
3. Kash Patel: Kash “Ching Ching” Patel/Cash Pedal/Make-A-Wish Director/Keystone Kash/Cashing in Patel who is the director of the FBI, is part of the corruption regarding the Epstein Files and the “whitewashing” and redacting Donald Trump’s name within those files. Prior to his current position he was a conspiracy theorist Youtuber who uses taxpayer money to go on extravagant golfing and hunting trips. And it is currently catching heat for also using taxpayer funds to take a private, governmental jet, to take his country singer girlfriend on a date and provide security for her. And currently, Congress has ordered him to release all of the remaining files via the new Epstein Files Transparency Act. He speaks of transparency, but his actions do not reflect that claim. He is in no way now or has ever been qualified to hold his current position as FBI director. One thing he will always have is that “deer in the headlight” look.
4. Pam Bondi: Bootlicker Barbie/Pedophile Protector Pam She is the U.S. Attorney General who will have a lot to answer for when it comes to vindictive prosecution of Leticia James and James Comey who have been targeted by Donald Trump and his administration that make false criminal claims against them both simply because they didn’t “cow tow” to Trump and his demands. Their cases have recently been struck down by judges. She will face imprisonment and being disbarred if convicted about her illegal activities related to her position of power and ethics violations.
5. Kristi Noem: aka ICE Barbie/Homeland Barbie/Puppy Killer/Cosplay Kristi/Kowgirl Kristi/Cruella De Vil. Secretary of Homeland Security. Kristi Noem who looks like the “Tammy Faye Baker” of the U.S. government is most notably known for being the Governor of South Dakota and the leader of ICE. During her time as governor she was criticized for the luxury mansion renovations, significant taxpayer-funded travel, and for accepting payments for fundraising from political groups. Specifically, she has spent $60k in mansion upgrades, $640, 000 in state credit card expenses in travel, including trips for book tours and hunting. And has received $80,000 from American Resolve Policy Fund. And her income was supplemented by dark money groups such as Common Cause, ProPublica and American Oversight. In her book “No Going Back” she admits that she shot her 14-month-old dog for being “untrainable.” And just for comparison Michael Vick went to prison for doing exactly what he has done. She is over the controversial ICE operations that are illegally detaining and deporting many “legal” Americans due to skin color and spoke dialect. She also spreads propaganda about “Antifa being a criminal organization.” She has gone so far as getting on the roof of a building to get a better look at these so-called dangerous protestors, only to find about ten people peacefully protesting and one was dressed as a chicken. The propaganda about the false dangers regarding the opposition to Donald Trump has led to the outright cruelty and defiance of judges and court orders. And she recently stated in a Cabinet meeting directly to Donald Trump saying, “Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane. Even you kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that.” That statement was in reference to Trump saying that “he should try stopping hurricanes with nuclear missiles.” If looking for her in the wild, she will closely resemble Jigsaw in the Saw movie series.
In this episode of “Get To Know Your Government”, I have highlighted some key figures in powerful positions that are responsible for the state of our nation. The corruption runs deep. But like most corruption, this too will fall. And people will be held accountable for their individual participation. These people are unbelievably horrible for what they have done and continue to do to the American people. Thanks for reading! Stay informed.
Affirmation: Transparency shines a light that makes corruption impossible.
“No man who is corrupt, no man who condones corruption in others, can possibly do his duty by the community.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Ok, let’s dive back in to the smelly diaper of Donald Trump. Our most harmful and morally depraved president.
8. Allowing terrorists nations, like those responsible for the 9/11 attacks, to take up residence within our country, because he was given a personal gift or a deal for a new golf course (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna241774)
9. The demeaning and name calling of female reporters by saying things like “Quiet Piggy,” for asking questions that he doesn’t want to answer. And you don’t have to look far to find out who the real McDonald’s eating “Orange Piggy” in the White House is that has been known to have a mushroom shaped penis. I can’t imagine having to be steam rolled by that nasty human
11. And, yes, Donald just got the participation medal for creating peace when he really didn’t. He was so proud of himself. And the added bonus about the medal is that if you peel the aluminum back there is chocolate underneath. So there Donald, enjoy your McDonald’s Happy Meal Peace Prize.
Our country is in the throes of “Sundowner’s Hour” with our dementia ridden president. He is literally the embodiment of an escaped patient from the memory ward of a nursing home. And basically, the situation has gotten to where he’s being allowed to decorate with a cheap Hobby Lobby look in a place that had so much beautiful history of our country. He is also clearly deteriorating and just straight up rotting in real time. And even his full face of makeup and the makeup on his hand from infusions of Leqembi which are not from frequent handshaking, can’t hide the fact that he is a deeply unstable man. He is in one of the most powerful positions in the world, where he is selling out the America freedoms and democracy, as a whole, to billionaires and a Russian dictator. But the fissures within the MAGA movement are happening, and it’s all starting to crumble. The question is “how much total damage will be done by the time he is officially out of power?” That remains to be seen. I will be talking about his cabinet and important figures within this movement to destabilize democracy in the next few blogs. Stay informed and fight to take down this regime. Thanks for reading!
Affirmation: A blatant lie, the most amazing lie ever.
“When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”
-Barack Obama
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Today, I want to tell you about a strain called Obama Runtz by River Remedy/The Sipp. I don’t know about you, but after a year of the current administration, I needed to see some hope. And this strain makes me miss the days of former president Obama.
Obama Runtz is a 70/30 indica-dominant hybrid. It is a 3-way cross between Afghani x OG Kush x Runtz. Afghani is another landrace indica strain found in the mountains of Afghanistan. OG Kush is a very popular indica-dominant hybrid strain that is a cross between Chemdawg x Hindu Kush. Runtz is a very popular hybrid that is a cross between Zkittlez x Gelato. These three strains are some of the first ones that I tried when I first began using medical cannabis. So, a combination of all three has made for an enjoyable experience.
The top terpenes for this are B-Caryophyllene, a-Humulene, Caryophyllene Oxide. The medical benefits include relief from depression, chronic stress, anxiety, nausea, appetite loss, insomnia, and other sleep conditions. And when the political environment gets too heavy, this strain is perfect for taking you down a few notches and help you chill. Thanks for reading! Keep blazin.’
Affirmation: I am manifesting more cannabis into my life.
“Donald Trump is a disaster. He is a bully who doesn’t have the curiosity to understand the issues; he contradicts himself repeatedly; his views of the world are an unmitigated disaster for America and for the American people, and I believe that all of this will become clearer with time.”
-Haim Saban
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. This month I thought that I would focus on Donald Trump and his administration since this year will be the mid-terms. And since we all barely made it through 2025 having to deal with our “Pedo-In-Chief”, we still have a lot of work to do before the mid-terms. But have you ever really noticed who we have running our government? This blog will completely dedicated to Donald Trump, his dementia, cruelty, and stupidity.
1. Donald Trump-also known as Cankles McTaco Tits/Felon-in-Chief/TACO/Agent Orange/Don the Con/Dementia Don/Dozing Don/Orange Mussolini/Old Queen/Marie Antoinette/The Other Woman/The Orange Turd/Bubba’s Girl/MAGA Daddy/President Snowflake / Tangerine Toddler, Captain Bone Spurs, Mango Mussolini / Pumpkin Spiced Stalin, The Donvict / President Felon, Humpty Trumpty and others are famously known for being best buds with convicted pedophiles and sex traffickers Ghislane Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. They got some luscious exceptions on doing prison time by being allowed to continue their abuse towards children. And recently transferred to Camp Bryan where Ghislane is allowed to do whatever she wants. However, Epstein was mysteriously “murdered” instead of claims that he committed suicide. And oops! The guards just happened to be asleep and the cameras quit working. Convenient, eh? All I can say is, “Jeffrey didn’t hang himself.” And it has also been confirmed that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files as told to him by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. In fact, his name is mentioned 1500 times throughout the evidence that links him to this pedophile and sexual abuse of minors ring. This case will likely take several years to get to the bottom. But Trump’s administration is actively conducting an unprecedented cover-up of a horrific pedophilia ring involving royalty, billionaires, and very powerful people of the world that affected over 1,000 children. And several people who were involved as victims or those who pushed for the release of the Epstein files are now dead. Donald can claim that it’s “fake news” or a “democratic hoax” which are his “go to” answer with anything he or his supporters don’t agree with. (https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU08/20250227/117951/HHRG-119-JU08-20250227-SD006-U6.pdf.).
I couldn’t fit everything on one blog. So, there will be two just on Donald Trump. He has a terminal case of “Blame Biden Syndrome.” I will look at his horrifically, incompetent cabinet members and also an emphasis on key figure in the MAGA movement. But one thing I think that most of us can agree on is that the only time he lies is when his mouth moves. There is so much information and other areas of our democracy that are being effect in terrible ways. And sadly, I couldn’t cover them all due to space. But I thought that I would hit some of the main areas. Thanks for reading! And stay informed.
Affirmation: I make great deals. The most incredible deals-like a genius.
“You cannot look away when human beings are bought and sold.”
— Unknown
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Today, I want to talk to you about human trafficking prevention month.
Human trafficking is a serious crime and a violation of human rights. It involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit.
It most commonly takes two forms:
Sex trafficking: When a person is forced, tricked, or coerced into performing commercial sex acts. Any minor involved in commercial sex is considered trafficked, regardless of force or coercion.
Labor trafficking: When a person is forced to work through threats, debt, or manipulation in jobs such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, factories, or hospitality.
Human trafficking can happen anywhere homes, workplaces, online, and across borders. Traffickers often target vulnerable individuals, including children, migrants, people experiencing poverty, and those facing abuse or instability. There are several myths that circulate about this type of crime.
Myth: It happens only overseas. Reality: Trafficking occurs in all 50 U.S. states and U.S. territories. (Department of Homeland Security).
Myth: Victims will simply ask for help. Reality: Fear, debt, threats, or trauma may prevent victims from seeking assistance.
Who Are the Most At Risk?
Human trafficking can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, nationality, or background. But certain factors can increase vulnerability, including:
There’s no single indicator, but the FBI and other authorities list red flags such as:
Victims lacking control over their own identification or finances
Restricted freedom of movement
Excessive work hours with little or no pay
Signs of fear, control, or physical abuse
Living where they work or in isolated conditions
Limited ability to speak for themselves or interact freely with others FBI
Not all victims will show obvious signs, and every situation is different. It is not the same as human smuggling. Smuggling involves consent and ends once a border is crossed, while trafficking is about ongoing exploitation and does not require movement. If you or someone you know may be at risk in the U.S., the National Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting 233733 (BEFREE).
I have personally spent time with women who survived sex trafficking. I have listened to their stories, and the cruelty they endured is beyond words. No one should ever have to survive what they are forced to do. This must be a top priority for law enforcement and our communities. While rescues do happen, freedom is only the beginning. The wounds both visible and unseen run deep, and the scars left behind are so profound they leave you stunned, struggling to comprehend the depth of what was taken from them. Thanks for reading!
Affirmation: Every person deserves safety, autonomy, and acceptance.
“It’s CBD. It helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that…it’s make your life a better place.”
-Nate & Nick Diaz, MMA fighters
Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy go away. Light the charcoal. Sprinkle the sage. Negative energy, go away. Today is National CBD Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about cannabidiol (CBD).
By now, millions of Americans have learned about the benefits of CBD. However, there are still individuals who choose pharmaceuticals over this natural aid. That is why it’s imperative to clearly state the advantages of using CBD, so others around the world can gain access to it.
CBD has helped many people with both physical and mental health needs, yet it continues to carry a stigma. The main reason for this is the long-standing legal ban on cannabis, since cannabis and CBD are derived from the same plant. When the 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized all hemp products, it clarified that hemp is a part of the cannabis plant containing less than 0.3% THC. With CBD, individuals can experience the benefits of the plant without getting high.
In 2019, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that CBD ranked fourth in the U.S. for wellness-related Google searches. This demonstrates CBD’s growing popularity and the public’s desire to learn more. Despite this, 35% of Americans were still unfamiliar with it at the time. In 2020, CBDMD founded National CBD Month to celebrate the availability of CBD products and to expand access to them. Their mission has helped highlight why CBD is sometimes prescribed to cancer patients when traditional medications fall short (https://nationaltoday.com/national-cbd-month/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
Unfortunately, as if recent legislation hadn’t caused enough harm, a clause has been introduced that would ban these products starting in November 2026. While it’s true that some companies produced dangerously unregulated hemp products that were sold to minors and some consumers became sick, the response should have been regulation, not an outright ban. Instead of protecting consumers through oversight and safety standards, lawmakers chose to eliminate access altogether, which is one of many questionable decisions they’ve made.
My hope is that lawmakers will reconvene and recognize that banning this substance entirely will do more harm than good. Proper regulation would protect consumers while allowing people to make healthier choices for their medical and mental health needs.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for updates on this issue.
Affirmation: I choose informed, mindful wellness that supports my body and nervous system.
This Puzzled Life 