Slowly, but surely, we are witnessing the re-emergence of one of the greatest medicinal plants known to man. Some simply call it weed and it’s now being legally distributed through recommendations written by leading edge doctors, who are bold enough to defy the stigmatized nature of it.
Since 1942, cannabis was been completely defamed and has been kept from mainstream healthcare ever since. That’s right, from 1850-1942, cannabis was legally prescribed by doctors. There are several theories as to why it suddenly became an illegal substance, but what matters now is that it’s making a comeback!
As of May 18, 2021, 36 states and at least 2 U.S. territories have put a comprehensive medicinal marijuana program in place. Only a few states remain with dark-age laws that fully criminalize the use of marijuana whether it be for medicinal or recreational purposes. So, if you’re thinking about relocating and your health is a concern, you may want to steer clear of Kansas, Nebraska and Idaho!
Although many states have taken progressive measures to allow their residents the freedom to choose, still blanketing this country with a dark, lingering cloud are the menacing federal laws. As of June 25, 2021, the U.S. Federal Government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance. Whether it be due to the funds funneled from Big Pharma or their desire to retain a level of control, the use of the substance is still a punishable federal offence and contrary to evidence, the Federal Government continues to claim that there is no accepted medical use for cannabis!
Obviously, we could dive into why our government remains in this position due to the overwhelming amount of funding that lawmakers receive via campaign contributions from large pharmaceutical companies, but instead, let’s look at the major health benefits that have been studied and empirically proven. As Dr. Uma Dhanabalan explains, “cannabis is not an entrance drug, it’s an exit drug from narcotics and pharmaceuticals, “and “not only should it be a first line option, but not the last resort!”
Dr. Uma, as she goes by, is a Cannabis Therapeutics Specialist providing Medical Marijuana authorizations at her practice in Massachusetts, likely for a vast array of conditions. She is a pioneer, well respected in her field, who is ardent about educating the public and patients while empowering them with knowledge about cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. She has traveled the country helping to overturn restrictive legislature and when she addressed the South Carolina State House in 2017, she brought to their attention U.S. Patent 663507, which is now assigned to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Under the patent, it is clear that cannabis holds some miraculous properties.
On October 7, 2003, U.S. Paten 663507 was issued and it disclosed that cannabis held a newly discovered antioxidant property that could prove to be immensely valuable to patients who have suffered from various forms of ischemic insults, which are defined as any reduction in blood flow resulting in decreased oxygen and nutrient supplies to a tissue.
The Abstract concludes that, “(t)his new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases,” such as those which are, “…age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune… (t)he cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage … in patients who have experienced, stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.” The scope of this invention comprises pharmaceutical compounds and compositions that can be used as tissue defense, “and put to use in the treatment of acute ischemic neurological insults or chronic neurodegenerative diseases.”
From this we can gather that for those suffering from neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, stroke or Alzheimer’s, a doctor’s recommendation of cannabis could be the answer to regaining quality in their lives. Interestingly enough, patients suffering from Alzheimer’s are likely already receiving doses of cannabis in the form of THC, although not the way nature intended, but from a synthetic called dronabinol, which was patented in 1998 by Unimed Pharmaceuticals, and go figure, to treat people with dementia,
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s! Are you scratching your head along with me? Clearly this in itself is evidence that THC works on these diseases. Furthermore, dronabinol is distributed as a medication by the name of Marinol and is also used to treat loss of appetite, severe nausea and vomiting, all well-known symptoms treatable with cannabis in its natural form! Suffice it to say, the pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the medicinal benefits of cannabis and there’s no reason whatsoever that it should be illegal, let alone banned from the patients who need it.
Mary Ann Merriman for bepainfreeglobal.com
