Paulo Correia: “It was with weed that I left alcohol and other drugs”

At 46 years old, and after a past of addictions and two accidents that left him with serious consequences for the rest of his life, Paulo Correia found in cannabis not only the gateway to alcohol and heroin but also the relief from the pain that torment him daily. Cannabis also helps you reduce stress, whets your appetite, distracts you and gives you back some desire to smile, easing your constant suffering a little.

Paulo Correia perhaps represents those people who did not have equal opportunities in life, right from birth. The second youngest of seven children, he grew up in the Ponte de Anta social neighborhood, in Espinho, in a family with few resources and an alcoholic father, who beat him practically every day. When Paulo was 10 years old, his father died at 43, a victim of alcoholism and smoking. With no major alternatives, and no desire to go to school, he started working and at the age of 13 he was already employed by Soares da Costa, one of the largest construction companies in the country. And there began his erratic life, which included alcohol, drugs, HIV and two accidents, which left him 80% disabled at the age of 25 and permanent chronic pain.

In the apartment where he still lives with his mother and a brother, there is a lot of cold and humidity coming in through the old windows in winter, which makes his back pain worse. She often says she sleeps with her clothes on, to avoid turning on the heater, and thus not increasing her electricity bill. “When winter is coming, I already know it’s going to be cold… I even cry! I’m tired of living here, there are no conditions at all”, she laments.

Fungi accumulate on the ceiling and walls of every room, especially in the bathroom, which has no ventilation and which invariably gets clogged, because of the old plumbing and 'all the rubbish that people send down the toilet'. sanita', Paulo's mother tells us, as she shows us the house, where they have lived for around 17 years. “This is all rotten, it smells like mold. It’s sad to live like this,” he says, visibly discouraged.

Ponte de Anta is a run-down social housing complex. Last year, the president of Espinho City Council, Pinto Moreira, made “a desperate appeal” to the government about the living conditions of the neighborhood’s inhabitants, identifying them as “unworthy to live in”. on one article from Jornal de Notícias, dated February 11, 2021, the mayor stated that there are serious structural problems in the Ponte de Anta housing blocks, owned by the State – namely the IHRU – Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation -, which “put people and goods at risk” .

Without work or any romantic relationship for many years, Paulo lives depressed and often feels like giving up on life. “I only take medication to get around here, but I have no interests… If I had a job to entertain myself, earn my money, even give some to my mother and not be there dependent on her, you know? This costs…"

We spent an afternoon with Paulo Correia, in Espinho, to learn more about his story, his difficulties and also understand how cannabis has helped him throughout his life.

Paulo, how did your health problems start?
My health problems started when I got into drugs and exchanged syringes with my brother and several people. I had already been ordered to repeat some analyzes in 95 or 94 and I didn't care; then I was admitted to Hospital de Aveiro and from there they sent me to another hospital, where they told me I had HIV. My mother asked the doctor if there was any problem with me using towels or something, but no, just sharp objects (to shave and that) and with HIV I could be comfortable, that was no problem.

Paulo has an 80% disability and it is difficult for him to walk, which is why he prefers to ride a bicycle. Here, go down the street that gives access to the neighborhood of Ponte de Anta, where you live, in Espinho. Photo: Laura Ramos | Cannareporter

Where were you born and raised?
My mother came in 74 from Angola and had no residence, I was born in 75 in Porto, but I soon came to Espinho, where I grew up and have always lived. My mother had an establishment and we lived there in the neighborhood for 13, 14 or 15 years, I don't know. No, it's been 17… it's been since the bombs have been there, I don't know.

What was your parents' profession?
My father worked at the Town Hall, on the tarmac. And he died because of that, inhaling fumes and all, he smoked a lot and also drank, a lot… he died early, at 43 years old.

How old were you when your father died?
I was going to be eleven.  

How was your childhood?
My childhood wasn't good at all… I had a stepfather, too… I didn't get along with him… Then a person starts to reflect and he was even a good person, you know? My mother lived more years with my stepfather than with my father.

“My father drank a lot and we couldn't play… we were beaten up. As a child, I never had a toy.”

How many brothers do you have?
We were seven. One has already died of HIV. I was in one hospital and he was in another.

Were there seven brothers living in the same house?
Yup. Two girls and five boys.

Until what age did your father live with your mother? Or did you split up when you were still a baby?
No, my father never separated, he passed away and my mother joined later.

How was your family life?
My father drank a lot and we couldn't play… we were beaten up. He wouldn't even give us a candy, nothing… As a child, I never had a toy. The toys he received were from the Chamber, because he worked in the Chamber, and at that time they offered toys at Christmas. If we ruined the toys, we'd still get beat up. 

Did your father drink every day?
Yes.

And did your mother protect you?
Ever. As of today, I have nothing to say about my mother, she helps me in everything. Whatever I need, my mother helps. And she knows I smoke. Sometimes she calls me a junkie, but it's not… deep down, she knows it's for my own good. 

Did Paul go to school?
Yes, I took 4th grade. I still went to the Ciclo, but I missed more times than I went to school.

Didn't like going to school?
No, I wanted to work. I wanted my money, but the money, after all, wasn't for me, was it? I gave it to my mother when I was twelve or something, but then, when I was fifteen, I started to keep a lot of money for myself.

At what age did you start working?
Twelve years old. He was a car upholsterer at Manuel Cavadas, here on Rua 20. And then I went to Soares da Costa, as an apprentice locksmith, when I was thirteen. From thirteen to 16, 17, because then I left, and that's when I started getting into hard drugs. I walked in the works and there was never any boss who sent me away because I was a crook, I simply left Soares da Costa because I promised a beating to a supervisor (which I shouldn't have done, because of gloves), but there was never anyone who send me away for being a crook. 

Paulo Correia started working at the age of 12, as a car upholsterer, and says that at 13 he already had a contract at Soares da Costa, one of the largest construction companies in the country. Photo: Laura Ramos | Cannareporter

So, your work was going well…
Yes, yes, when I was 13, 14 years old, I already had a hundred or so stories. I only earned twenty-odd contos as a salary, and then I worked overtime, working, for example, from seven in the morning to midnight, two in the morning, three in the morning…

Did you have a work contract?
At Soares da Costa he had a contract.

At 13 years old? And wasn't it considered child labor? Shouldn't you be at school...?
I don't know… They got me.

How do you use cannabis? Is it always smoked?
It's smoked. I don't have a vaporizer, I've never tried it, but I'll buy a vaporizer to try, to see… They say terpenes feel better, everything… I'll try to buy a vaporizer.

Do you have money for that?
I don't, but I'll have to get it.

And are you saving, too?
Yes.

How much do you earn per month?
I get a pension of €275,30, it's no use. If you're going to buy a pack of tobacco every day, that's €275.

But do you smoke a pack of tobacco a day?
No, I mix it with weed.  

So you only smoke cannabis?
Virtually. And I have a CBD oil vaporizer there. Social Security has been helping me with the medication. I take the receipts there and she sends me the money. 

Does your mother help?
Help, she helps. But my mother is going to be 79 years old… to tidy up the house… my sister is going there, only she had to help clean there. The house is so full of dust, you see? It's a bit screwed up.

“My mother once told me to get into alcohol, it was cheaper. But deep down, she knows alcohol is not good at all…”

And does she mind that Paulo has the plants there?
No, so, when they robbed me, she also got screwed... in the shack... When she saw how I was, oh Jesus, I walked for a few months when I couldn't see the guy, my neighbor, I couldn't see him... When you go upstairs, I'll show you my shack. Only the door of my shack was broken down, the one outside was not broken down. And I would really like this to be legal, even for recreational purposes, a person goes to the store, here on 19th Street and what do they sell there? CBD herb. Relax, but it doesn't have that THC that a person is used to smoking. Drugs… in my neighborhood, that looks like Aleixo. And underneath my building it's always “stone” people, you know?

Is there a lot of drug dealing in your neighborhood?
Of course there is. Heroin, coke… and it's people who don't consume it, they're just making money. 

And they offered him heroin when Paulo wanted to buy cannabis?
That was.

Paulo Correia's mother is 79 years old and worries about her son's future. Photo: Laura Ramos | Cannareporter

How old were you?
There was something… I started smoking cannabis too… I started drinking early and then I also smoked. There was a person at work who introduced me to a joint and I smoked it and liked it… “Oh, why not?”… I tried it and I liked it. And then I got into alcohol, right? But I didn’t drink much… I drank! He drank, he drank a lot. I always drank a lot. Then I got into drugs… heroin. I worked on the bridges, there in Lindoso and Ferreira do Zêzere, and my mother had bottles of whiskey in the store to sell and I already stole bottles of whiskey when I worked at Soares da Costa, on the bridges. And those people from Alentejo, those people brought bottles of wine and were like a “crutch”, oh Jesus… They drank beer there at 10 in the morning and I started drinking too, I ate egg sandwiches too… those were different times at that time. The egg sandwich tasted good.

So, in Civil Construction, do you think there is a lot of alcohol and drug consumption?
Mostly alcohol, there is. And even on the beaches, there are still a lot of vi, there are no police. If it's forbidden to consume alcohol on public roads... I still saw people go to Pingo Doce to get beer and go to the beach. There would have to be inspections on the beach, because on the beach you can't consume alcohol, I think, I don't know... 

Alcohol can be consumed everywhere… it's common, isn't it? It's accepted.
Alcohol is the most accessible drug there is for a person. A lot of people say no, but it's the cheapest drug there is. My mother once told me to get into alcohol, it was cheaper. But deep down, she knows alcohol isn't good at all...  

“With cannabis I can be more distracted, not think as much, it relieves the pain and I can laugh more, I don’t suffer as much.”

But what about heroin, so how did it happen? Did you already drink alcohol, at what age did you start using heroin?
Then at 16, 17 years old… Smoked. But that was all of a sudden, I smoked and started injecting right away. I had a brother of mine, too… He was in Porto, he wasn't with me, then he came to my mother's house and I shared needles with him… and he must have already been infected… that's when. And it wasn't just him, it was more people that I shared syringes with. At that time, there weren't those syringe exchange vans or anything, a person had to go to the pharmacy and as he was having a hangover, a person wanted to get out of trouble. I even with water from the river “sent”.

But in the meantime, halfway through, there was an accident and you got a problem with your leg, didn't you?
Yes, I had an accident, which was when I was working in Ferreira do Zêzere, on the bridge. I and my officer came. I was going to sleep, of course… My officer, I don't know if he fell asleep, impaled himself against a pole next to me and I was in a coma for two weeks. I was in a hospital in Coimbra and then I was transferred to Espinho to have my leg operated on.  

Was it a long recovery?
It wasn't very long, it was new and I recovered well. But now I put my hand here and it feels like I feel a pain here. I have spasticity due to a fractured spine. 

Paulo says he doesn't have many reasons to smile, but he did so at the PTMC – Portugal Medical Cannabis closing party, aboard a catamaran, on the Tagus River, in Lisbon. It was the first time he visited the capital and went on a boat. Photo: Renato Velasco | PTMC/Cannareporter

And how was that other accident?
The column was when I quit hard drugs… I got into alcohol, so I wouldn't use drugs I was always drunk. I fell asleep on top of a wall, fell and went to the hospital. They sent me home with a fractured spine, I went to Espinho Hospital, from Espinho I went to São Sebastião Hospital, from São Sebastião they sent me to Espinho, from Espinho they sent me home wrapped in a sheet and I had the fractured spine and told my mother that I didn't want to stay at home, that I wanted to go to the hospital and I went to Monte da Virgin and only after two weeks did they send me for an MRI. He accused two “grated” cervical links and I had to be operated on in São Sebastião. And I was there for a while, with the irons stretching the spinal cord, and then I had an operation. 

How old were you?
I was 25.

And at 25, he was left with sequels forever...
Yes, I glued two links to the cervical. It paralyzes my entire right side. I don't have muscle mass on the right side, nor can I open my hand wide. I'm doing physical therapy and I can't lift her, she doesn't have the strength.

And spasticity?
Yes, a lot, on the leg. 

How did you then create this relationship with cannabis?
Because I got to a point and I turned to myself: “If I keep drinking, I'm going to die. If I smoke a few weeds, I'm fine and it just makes me feel good”. It relieves me of stress, pain, opens my appetite and I feel very good. 

And how did you manage to quit alcohol and heroin?
It was with the weed. With hash too. But it was with weed that I left alcohol and other drugs. I was going to buy it in the neighborhood, because I hadn't planted it, but now I have it, for myself, for my consumption, and I don't need to spend money anymore. It's money I put in my pocket. 

“I got to a certain point and I turned to myself: 'If I continue drinking alcohol, I'm going to die. If I smoke a few joints, I'm fine and it's only good for me'. It relieves me of stress, pain, opens my appetite and I feel great.”

What would you like to say to those who have the responsibility to legalize? Paulo has no money to buy…
I don't have 150€ to give for 15 grams. Where? Never in life…

Where do you usually get your cannabis?
My cannabis? I'm the one who plants, a few feet for me.

You know this is illegal...
It's illegal, but I have to plant it, it's not my fault it's illegal… I have to look after my life!

What if the police show up at your door?
Oh, it's only going to hurt me! It's going to take me all and I'm going to get to the judge and he's going to send me home... I don't have a problem with that, I never have I'm not a dealer, it's for my consumption.

And also for your right to health…
It's my right and it's to treat me... 

Did Paulo realize that cannabis is good for you?
Yes, yes, and a lot… 

And when you mentioned it to your doctor, what did she tell you?
“O Paulo, if you come here because of cannabis, I will release you!” And I was like… I stopped. I am forced to be dependent on the pills. Tears came to my eyes. I was amazed.

Do you think she lacked empathy for your suffering or do you think she still doesn't have the information to realize that cannabis would be best for her?
Yes, I think she must not have information yet, the doctors still don't have much information... even with my family doctor, she had a meeting with the other doctors about cannabis and said “Hey Paulo, I'm going to send you to a pain consultation, they take care of it.” And when I went to the pain consultation, the doctor said, “If you came here just for the cannabis, I'm going to release you. There are more drugs to try in addition to Tramadol and Paracetamol, we will try and see later.”

Some of the medicines that Paulo used to take. Now, he says he only takes HIV and Diazepam, which he still hasn't managed to stop. “I'm stuck,” he said, about the benzodiazepine, which the doctor ordered to take at lunch and dinner. Photo: Laura Ramos | Cannareporter

And how did you get on with these drugs?
Bad. Vomiting… I would go to the cafe and I looked like I was all silly, all drugged up, I didn't feel well at all. Even in my stomach, fig tree, everything, I didn't feel well. Headaches, lots of them. I don't need Tramadol… the pain I had is the pain I have, taking Tramadol or not, they are the same. With cannabis I can be more distracted, I don't think so much, it relieves my pain and I can laugh more, I don't suffer as much.

Do you have another state of mind?
Yes, yes, I have another state of mind, it has nothing to do with Tramadol. Who says Tramadol says Diazepam, those drugs I'm taking. 

What medications are you taking?
I don't know the name of all the medicines, I know that I'm taking the antiretroviral for HIV, which has nothing to do with it, I take Diazepam, Pregabalin, some for spasticity, a belly protector and now also Amoxicillin, because I caught a cold, but I feel much better already.

“It’s illegal, but I have to plant it, it’s not my fault it’s illegal… I just have to watch my life!”

The plants you have at home, do you know what you grow? Does Paulo choose his varieties?
Yes, some with high THC levels, but they also have 1% CBD, CBN, CBG, they have terpenes… it's a good herb. 

And it doesn't use chemicals?
No, I only use fertilizers, but then at the end I wash the land, for the last two weeks, only with water.

So you know what you're consuming, don't you?
Yes, of course, it's something I plant and I know what I'm consuming. There's nothing here with animals, with pesticides… I don't use any pesticides. The insecticide I make is with Super-Pop and vinegar. And it works.

Is there a lot of traffic in your neighborhood?
Yes, a lot. If you want to buy heroin or coke, it's at the door. 

And they don't offer you?
They don't offer it, because I don't want it either.

Do they already know?
Clear. They always see me smoking, they know I don't want to.

And now at 46, what goals do you have?
I'll see if I can get the license, see if I can buy a car, because I'm not going to ride a bike all my life. I ride a bike, it's rare to walk, I ride a bike more.

From time to time, Paulo takes the risk of growing his own plants at home. Photo: Laura Ramos | Cannareporter

What would you like to do in the future, besides getting your license?
I would like to have a job, to entertain myself, as well as a computer, a computer job. I can handle a computer, I know how to send emails, I even took an Office course, I took Powerpoint classes, Excel, all that, I know how to create a document, I know how to create a folder, I know how to handle a lot of things on a computer. They gave me 79% disability. They said 80% and the doctor said “79%, for what it is, it works”. At the time, it was to see if the rent of the house would go down, and besides, when I took the multi-use certificate, I didn't have a holiday and Christmas allowance, because I received a pension with these allowances. Now the inclusion pension has passed and I am not entitled to it. It's a little more, a little, but I'm not entitled to subsidies. Also, I was refused a supplement for 100% dependency (there was an additional €400), just because I was living with my mother, because my mother is obliged to support me… They didn't give me. I had to be living alone to get that money.

Did you lose that right because you live with your mother?
Yes, I still have the papers at home. 

And if he lived alone, would they already give him the money?
They gave. Or if my mother only got a pension of €200, but she has a pension from my father… They did the math and it’s more than the threshold of I don’t know, poverty, something like that…

“I could have a life, right? But I don't. It's also HIV, I've thought about that my whole life, I don't know. I have little interest.”

And how does it feel to live almost on the poverty line?
I feel bad, I feel sad, I have no joy in life. And my mother is supporting me, my mother is 79 years old, it's a little complicated to be living on my mother's expense.

Do you get along well with your mother?
I get along well, but I annoy her a lot… but I get along well.

I'm sorry you were unlucky...
I was like this at 25 years old. I've been like this for 21 years... I've never done anything again. I have no interest in life. I only take medication to get around here, but I have no interests... If I had a job to entertain myself, earn my money, even give some money to my mother and not be there dependent on her, you know? This costs…

Paulo, on several occasions, said that he had no reason to live… Do you often feel that way?
Yes, because I'm not looking for a woman, because I don't have a job either, I don't have anything… Also, who is the woman who is going to support a man like that? I could have a life, couldn't I? But I don't. I also have HIV, I thought about it all my life, I don't know. I have little interest.

But you have to fix it… you can fix it, on a day-to-day basis, don't you? Going to physical therapy...
Yes, I do my physiotherapy, I ride a bike, I like to go see the sea… if no one is there, better… at sea, if you're alone, better.