New Ruling Finds Cannabis to Be the Most Medicinal Plant
in the World
by Marco
Torres
More than a dozen U.S. states have
now completely decriminalized the act of possessing marijuana and both Colorado and Washington
have made it legal to possess, sell, transport and cultivate the plant. But
soon it may be legalized across the entire country following a decision
Thursday by the federal government.
In a historic and significant moment in American history,
last November, Colorado became the first US state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The impact
of the decision could soon ripple across the entire country with vast
opportunities to educate millions on the top health benefits of marijuana.
With
the passage of I-502 in the 2012 Washington State election, marijuana also
became legal in Washington–not just for medical use, but also for recreational
use–and Alaska, California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New
York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Vermont have all
decriminalized marijuana.
Consumption
and sale of marijuana is still illegal in all other states, though some cities
and towns have passed local laws decriminalizing it or making it a low priority
for law enforcement officers.
There
are also movements in many states to legalize pot, including legalization bills
introduced in many other states.
For
other states to mimic the systems in Colorado and Washington, they will first
have to get legalization laws on their ballots or in their state houses, which
could post a challenge, he said.
After
Washington state and Colorado passed laws in November 2012 legalizing the
consumption and sale of marijuana for adults over 18, lawmakers in both states
waited to see whether the federal government would continue to prosecute pot
crimes under federal statutes in their states.
Both
Colorado and Washington have been working to set up regulatory systems in order
to license and tax marijuana growers and retail sellers, but have been wary of
whether federal prosecutors would come after them for doing so. They are the
first states to legalize pot, and therefore to go through the process of trying
to set up a regulatory system.
Ruling Signals the End is Near for Marijuana Prohibition
Last
Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it would not prosecute
marijuana crimes that were legal under state law, a move that could signal the end of the country’s
longtime prohibition on pot is nearing. “It certainly appears to be potentially
the beginning of the end,” said Paul Armantano, deputy director of the pot
lobby group NORML.
The
memo sent to states Thursday by the DOJ said that as long as states set up
comprehensive regulations governing marijuana, there would be no need for the
federal government to step in, a decision that will save the Justice Department
from having to use its limited resources on prosecuting individuals for growing
or smoking marijuana.
“This
memo appears to be sending the message to states regarding marijuana
prohibition that is a recognition that a majority of the public and in some
states majority of lawmakers no longer want to continue down the road of
illegal cannabis, and would rather experiment with different regulatory schemes
of license and retail sale of cannabis,” Armantano said.
In
2011 the federal government decreed
that marijuana had no accepted medical use use and should remain
classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin. Accepting and promoting the
powerful health benefits of marijuana would instantly cut huge profits geared
towards cancer treatment and the U.S. would have to admit it imprisons the
population for no cause. Nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States
are for marijuana.
According
to MarijuanaNews.com editor Richard Cowan, the answer is because it is a threat to
cannabis prohibition “…there really is massive proof that
the suppression of medical cannabis represents the greatest failure of the
institutions of a free society, medicine, journalism, science, and our
fundamental values,” Cowan notes.
While
Colorado and Washington have not yet set up their regulatory systems, both
states will likely sell licenses to farmers who want to grow marijuana as well
as to manufacturing plants and retail sellers. The marijuana will also likely
be taxed at each stage of its growth, processing, and sale.
“In
both Colorado and Washington, legalization was done by citizens with no
participation by elected representatives until they had to pass laws to comply
with the initiative. In other initiative states I would expect such measures –
I would expect a new one in California, for instance – and roughly half the
states permit this and the rest don’t.
“In
the states that do have initiatives I expect efforts to get it on the ballot.
The other half it will be much tougher. It’s hard to get elected
representatives to do this,” Collins said.
Armantano
is more optimistic about the spread of legalized pot. He compared the DOJ’s
announcement to the federal government’s actions toward the end of alcohol
prohibition in America a century ago, when states decided to stop following the
federal ban on alcohol sales and the federal government said it would not step
in and prosecute crimes.
“For
first time we now have clear message from fed government saying they will not
stand in way of states that wish to implement alternative regulatory schemes in
lieu of federal prohibition,” Armantano said.
He
predicted that within the next one to three years, five or six other states may
join Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug, setting the stage for the
rest of the country to follow.
The Age of Deception is Ending
In
2003, the U.S. Government as represented by the Department of Health and Human
Services filed for,
and was awarded
a patent on cannabinoids. The reason? Because research into cannabinoids
allowed pharmaceutical companies to acquire practical knowledge on one of the
most powerful antioxidants and neuroprotectants known to the natural world.
The U.S.
Patent 6630507 was specifically initiated when researchers found that
cannabinoids had specific antioxidant properties making them useful in the
treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases,
such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The
cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for
example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as
stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive
cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because
they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high
doses useful in the method of the present invention.
Besides
the top 10 health benefits below, findings published in the journalPLoS ONE, researchers have now
have now discovered that marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human
immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immuno-deficiency virus
(HIV) found in late-stage AIDS.
Recent
studies have even shown it to be an effective atypical
anti-psychotic in treating schizophrenia, a disease many other studies have
inconsistently found it causing.
Top 10 Health Benefits of Marijuana
1.
Cancer
Cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana, inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals and also kill cancer cells. Western governments have known this for a long time yet they continued to suppress the information so that cannabis prohibition and the profits generated by the drug industry proliferated.
THC
that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to
endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids that are naturally produced in the
body and activate these receptors. The researchers suggest that THC or other
designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted
fashion to treat lung cancer.
2.
Tourette’s
Syndrome
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by uncontrollable facial grimaces, tics, and involuntary grunts, snorts and shouts.
Dr.
Kirsten Mueller-Vahl of the Hanover Medical College in Germany led a team that
investigated the effects of chemicals called cannabinols in 12 adult Tourette’s
patients. A single dose of the cannabinol produced a significant reduction in symptoms for
several hours compared to placebo, the researchers reported.
3.
Seizures
Marijuana
is a muscle relaxant and has “antispasmodic” qualities that have proven to be a
very effective treatment for seizures. There are actually countless cases of
people suffering from seizures that have only been able to function better
through the use of marijuana.
4.
Migraines
Since
medicinal marijuana was legalized in California, doctors have reported that
they have been able to treat more than 300,000 cases of migraines that
conventional medicine couldn’t through marijuana.
5. Glaucoma
Marijuana’s
treatment of glaucoma has been one of the best documented. There isn’t a single
valid study that exists that disproves marijuana’s very powerful and popular
effects on glaucoma patients.
6.
Multiple Sclerosis
Marijuana’s
effects on multiple sclerosis patients became better documented when former
talk-show host, Montel Williams began to use pot to treat his MS. Marijuana
works to stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms that come from the
fatal disease.
7.
ADD and ADHD
A
well documented USC study done about a year ago showed that marijuana is not
only a perfect alternative for Ritalin but treats the disorder without any of
the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical.
8. IBS and Crohn’s
Marijuana
has shown that it can help with symptoms of the chronic diseases as it stops
nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
9.
Alzheimer’s
Despite
what you may have heard about marijuana’s effects on the brain, the Scripps
Institute, in 2006, proved that the THC found in marijuana works to prevent
Alzheimer’s by blocking the deposits in the brain that cause the disease.
10.
Premenstrual Syndrome
Just
like marijuana is used to treat IBS, it can be used to treat the cramps and
discomfort that causes PMS symptoms. Using marijuana for PMS actually goes all
the way back to Queen Victoria.
Mounting Evidence Suggests Raw Cannabis is Best
Cannabinoids
can prevent cancer, reduce heart attacks by 66% and insulin
dependent diabetes by 58%. Cannabis clinician Dr. William Courtney recommends drinking 4 – 8
ounces of raw flower and leaf juice from any Hemp plant, 5 mg of Cannabidiol
(CBD) per kg of body weight, a salad of Hemp seed sprouts and 50 mg of THC
taken in 5 daily doses.
Why
raw? Heat destroys certain enzymes and nutrients in plants. Incorporating raw cannabis allows for a greater availability of those
elements. Those who require large amounts of cannabinoids without the
psychoactive effects need to look no further than raw cannabis. In this
capacity, it can be used at 60 times more tolerance than if it were heated.
Raw cannabis is considered by many experts as a dietary essential. As a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, raw cannabis may be right u there with garlic and tumeric.
Raw cannabis is considered by many experts as a dietary essential. As a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, raw cannabis may be right u there with garlic and tumeric.
About the Author
Marco Torres is
a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate for healthy lifestyles. He
holds degrees in Public Health and Environmental Science and is a professional
speaker on topics such as disease prevention, environmental toxins and health
policy.
Violent Crime Drops Where People Have Access to Marijuana, Study Suggests
Two scientific papers suggest the dire warnings we've heard about marijuana for decades don't hold water.
Opponents of
marijuana legalization, particularly members of law
enforcement,
frequently claim that liberalizing cannabis laws will lead to an increase in incidences of
criminal activity, such as burglary, robbery, and driving under the influence.
But two recent scientific papers report that just the opposite is true.
In the most recent
paper, published online in March in the scientific journal PLoS ONE,
researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas reported that the enactment of
laws legalizing people’s access to medical marijuana is not associated with any
rise in statewide criminal activity, and that it may even be related to
reductions in incidences of violent crime.
Investigators
tracked crime rates across all 50 states in the years between 1990 and 2006,
during which time 11 states—Alaska (1998), California (1996), Colorado (2000),
Hawaii (2000), Maine (1999), Montana (2004), Nevada (2000), Oregon (1998),
Rhode Island (2006), Vermont (2004), and Washington (1998)—legalized the use,
home cultivation, and (in some cases) the retail dispensing of marijuana for
medical purposes. (A total of 20 states and the
District of Columbia have now approved similar laws.) Authors reviewed FBI
Uniform Crime Report data to determine whether there exists any association
between the enactment of medicinal cannabis laws and rates of statewide
criminal activity, specifically the number of reported crimes involving
homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft. Their
analysis is the first to look at multiple offenses across multiple states and
time periods to determine whether medical marijuana legalization impacts state
crime rates.
Authors reported
that the passage of medical marijuana laws is not associated with an increase
in any of the seven crime types assessed, but that liberalized laws are
associated with decreases in certain types of violent crime. Authors wrote:
“The central
finding gleaned from the present study was that MML (medical marijuana
legalization) is not predictive of higher crime rates and may be related to
reductions in rates of homicide and assault. Interestingly, robbery and
burglary rates were unaffected by medicinal marijuana legislation, which runs
counter to the claim that dispensaries and grow houses lead to an increase in
victimization due to the opportunity structures linked to the amount of drugs
and cash that are present.”
They concluded:
“In sum, these
findings run counter to arguments suggesting the legalization of marijuana for
medical purposes poses a danger to public health in terms of exposure to
violent crime and property crimes. To be sure, medical marijuana laws
were notfound to have a crime exacerbating effect on any of the seven
crime types. On the contrary, our findings indicated that MML (medical
marijuana legalization) precedes a reduction in homicide and assault. While it is
important to remain cautious when interpreting these findings as evidence that
MML reduces crime, these results do fall in line with recent evidence
and they conform to the longstanding notion that marijuana legalization may
lead to a reduction in alcohol use due to individuals substituting marijuana
for alcohol. Given the relationship between alcohol and violent crime, it may
turn out that substituting marijuana for alcohol leads to minor reductions in
violent crimes that can be detected at the state level.”
Commenting on
the findings in an accompanying
news release, the study’s lead author, Robert Morris, associate professor
of criminology, said, "The results are remarkable.… It takes away the
subjective comments about the link between marijuana laws and crime so the
dialogue can be more in tune with reality."
The paper’s
results, specifically the notion that cannabis liberalization may lead to a
reduction in alcohol-induced criminal activity, are similar to those previously
documented
in a study published last year in the Journal of Law and Economics. In
that study, researchers at Montana State University, the University of Oregon,
and the University of Colorado assessed whether the enactment of medical
cannabis laws was associated with a reduction in incidences of alcohol-related
traffic fatalities for the years 1990 to 2010. It was.
Authors wrote:
“[T]he legalization of medical marijuana is associated with a 13.2 percent
decrease in fatalities in which at least one driver involved had a positive BAC
level. … Why does legalizing medical marijuana reduce traffic fatalities?
Alcohol consumption appears to play a key role. … Using individual-level data
from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …, we find that
MMLs (medical marijuana laws) are associated with decreases in the probability
of [an individual] having consumed alcohol in the past month, binge drinking,
and the number of drinks consumed.
“The negative
relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic
fatalities involving alcohol lends support to the hypothesis that marijuana and
alcohol are substitutes,” authors concluded.
Separate studies
have also failed to link the establishment of marijuana retail dispensaries
with any alleged increases in criminal activity. A 2011
study of crime rates in Los Angeles published by the Rand Corporation
"found no evidence that medical marijuana dispensaries in general cause
crime to rise." (Disturbingly, Rand
withdrew the paper shortly following its publication because its
findings were publicly criticized by the Los Angeles city attorney's office,
which had long claimed that these operations were magnets for various street
crimes.) A followup study commissioned
by the federal government in 2012 similarly reported that the proliferation of
cannabis dispensaries is not associated with elevated rates of either violent
crimes or property crimes.
It concluded:
"There were no observed cross-sectional associations between the density
of medical marijuana dispensaries and either violent or property crime rates in
this study. These results suggest that the density of medical marijuana
dispensaries may not be associated with crime rates or that other factors, such
as measures dispensaries take to reduce crime (i.e., doormen, video cameras),
may increase guardianship such that it deters possible motivated
offenders."
Most recently,
localized crime data from Colorado once again reinforced the notion that pot
legalization isn’t
associated with increased criminal activity. According to a report in Vox.com,
incidences of both violent crime and property crimes have dipped slightly
during the three-month period following that state’s enactment of full-scale
marijuana legalization. Yet members of law enforcement are still continuing to
publicly claim otherwise. Some things never change.
Paul Armentano is the deputy director of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and the co-author of Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink (Chelsea Green, 2009).
From Alternet @ http://www.alternet.org/drugs/increased-access-cannabis-associated-reductions-violent-crimes?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark
For more information about marijuana/cannabis see http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com/search/label/cannabis
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Weed is also one of the greatest pacifiers the world has ever known... And this is the real reason why it's being decriminalized... The heads of the bogus private government want the radicals to be pacified as they awaken to how badly they're being screwed by them.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to alcohol - a class 2 carcinogen that makes people dumb, fat, lazy, reactionary and short-lived? Stop providing more lying anti-cannabis propaganda for the big pharma in dust realists, you sap!
Delete