Over the years, I’ve been on more medications than I can count; SSRIs, SNRIs, antipsychotics, sleep aids, herbal remedies and medicinal cannabis.
When I tell people I’m on Venlafaxine or Aripiprazole, I usually get a mix of confusion, pity, and occasionally empathy. These names carry weight. They’re recognised as medications for mental health, and while stigma still clings to them, at least there’s some seriousness attached.
But when I say I’m on Strawberry Glue?
People laugh… Every time.
They chuckle before even knowing what it is. And when I explain that it’s a strain of medicinal cannabis flower, the tone shifts again, the raised eyebrows, the winks:
“Ooh, Strawberry Glue, yeah?”
It suddenly becomes a joke, a drug, a buzzword, not a method of effective treatment that’s been life-changing for me.
🧠 Why Names Matter to Patients
When I go to the pharmacy, I can ask for Effexor or Venlafaxine. I can call Fluoxetine by its brand name Prozac. I’ve even shortened Aripiprazole to Aripip when speaking to other patients, and they get it. I use the name that’s easiest for me to remember, like anyone managing multiple prescriptions might do.
But cannabis flower? I’m expected to remember a rotating list of obscure formulations, product codes, or alphanumeric labels and that’s not realistic. Especially when there are dozens of strains with similar cannabinoid ratios and minor chemical differences or when you’re on multiple medications.
Why shouldn’t patients be allowed to use the names that make the most sense to them?
See an example below of the difference between unnamed and named medication.
Without Names:
🧾 Prescription: CBMP-THC20CBD05 / Batch 8127
With Names:
🧾 Prescription: Strawberry Glue (20% THC, 5% CBD)
🍓 But… “Why Do They Have to Be Called Things Like Gorilla Glue?”
I get it, some of the names may seem unserious and completely ‘made up’ and what’s become known as ‘stoner branding’ but there’s more to it than you think.
Working in the medicinal cannabis industry, I learned a lot about the entourage effect, the idea that the full spectrum of compounds in the plant (THC, CBD, CBG, flavonoids, terpenes, and more) all interact to create the final therapeutic effect. These combinations are nuanced and vary widely and the names often reflect the strain’s genetic lineage, smell, or original breeder.
In other words, Strawberry Glue might sound funny, but it means something. It’s not random. It’s not just “marketing.” It’s science, history, chemistry – and for some of us, relief.
(I’ll go deeper into the entourage effect in a future post, but for now, here’s a great resource if you’re curious: Sorse)
📦 What About Packaging?
Cannabis contains THC, a psychoactive compound which means patients may experience drowsiness, light-headedness, or even euphoria. These are side effects, not signs of abuse or indulgence.
Imagine shaming someone for feeling drowsy after taking Co-codamol.
But that’s exactly what happens to cannabis patients. The assumption is that we’re enjoying ourselves too much to be credible. That the effect is too “fun” to be real medicine.
Lately, some cannabis producers have been criticised for using colourful or holographic designs on packaging. But who are we protecting here?
These aren’t over-the-counter sweets. They’re controlled prescriptions.
And the truth is – no one without a prescription even sees these boxes.
The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) strictly regulates all medical advertising, including cannabis. These products aren’t advertised, displayed, or handed out. The packaging is for the patient, not the public.
So, if a patient connects better with a red label or a name like Diesel Fire, who does that harm?
🚫 Are We Turning Cannabis Into the Next Tobacco?
It’s starting to feel that way.
We’re treating cannabis like a substance to be black-boxed, hidden, and stripped of identity – rather than what it is: a legitimate, life-altering medication.
Children’s paracetamol often comes with cartoon animals.
Adult meds range from neon pink tablets to calm, colourful packaging.
Pharmaceuticals use brand names, flavourings, and logos all the time and no one blinks.
So why is cannabis the exception?
🧠 Memory, Advocacy & Respect
I remember my CBMPs (cannabis-based medicinal products) because of the images I associate with the names. Strawberry Glue brings a visual and emotional cue that sticks in my mind. That helps me communicate with my clinicians more confidently, and advocate for myself.
Removing names – literally just descriptive words – is a shallow attempt to “medicalise” something that already is medicine.
And to be honest, it’s a pathetic waste of regulatory energy that could be used to improve access, affordability, and education in this space.
💬 Final Thought
We need to stop shaming patients for finding alternatives to pharmaceuticals, especially when those alternatives work, and often with fewer side effects.
So I ask:
Are we going to treat cannabis like any other medicine where variation, branding, and patient-friendly language are allowed?
Or are we going to treat it like tobacco, stripping it of colour, identity, and dignity but most of all, accessibility?
Because I know what it’s done for me.
And I’m tired of trying to validate my treatment method.
Cannabis is medicine and medication should not be a reason of shame. To stop people from laughing, we have to educate them on CBMP’s, not hide our lives away from them.
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