The original drafts of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written on paper derived from it. The sails of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria, were made of fabric spun from it. Even early U.S. currency was printed on material extracted from it: hemp, a.k.a. cannabis, the most versatile plant in the world that, despite its significance as an early Americana, is still prohibited from being grown in most of America. - Natural News
It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics, dope, and all that stuff. It is a thousand times better than whisky. It is an assistant and a friend. - Louis Armstrong
By any of the major criteria of harm, mortality, morbidity, toxicity, addictiveness and relationship with crime, cannabis is less harmful than any of the other drugs, or than alcohol or tobacco. - Report of the British Police Foundation March 2000
People who genuinely need help can't get it. Neither can people who need medical marijuana to treat terrible diseases. We are spending billions, filling up our prisons with non violent offenders and sacrificing our liberties. - Sting
The movie Koyaanisqatsi shows non commented time lapse footage and focuses our attention on the very rhythm of our civilized modern life and nature. A marijuana high can do something for a user similar to what this time lapse footage does. The enhancement of episodic memory and the acceleration of associative streams of memories can alter and enhance our recognition of patterns in our lives in various ways. If we are presented with quick associative chains of past experiences, we can see a pattern in a body of information that is usually not at once presented to our inner eye. - Sebastian Marincolo
Many artists and writers have used cannabis for creative stimulation. From the writers of the world's religious masterpieces to our most irreverent satirists. - Jack Herer
Cannabis has been used as a medicine since around 2700 B.C. when Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, the Red Emperor, discovered its healing properties. He included it in the pharmacological book, The Herbal, where cannabis was prescribed for gout, rheumatism, malaria and memory loss. After being widely used in China, the popularity of the plant spread throughout Asia and the Middle East.
Despite Cannabis' illegal status, sick citizens of the U.S. still need to use it as a medicine. For certain illnesses, such as Glaucoma, no pharmaceutical alternatives are available that deal with the symptoms as well as cannabis. The Compassionate Investigational New Drug Study program began in 1976 when Robert Randall won a court case against the federal government. He suffered from Glaucoma and used that fact as a medical necessity defense when arrested for cultivating his own marijuana. The Compassionate IND was then extended for other applicants to participate. In 1992, the Bush Administration closed the program to new participants after receiving a flood of HIV/AIDS patients' applications. There are four remaining members of the program that still receive medical marijuana from the federal government. Their names are, Barbara Douglass, George McMahon, Elvy Musikka and Irvin Rosenfeld. Each receive between eight and nine cured ounces per month.
In the late 18th century, Doctor William O'Shaughnessy popularized the use of cannabis as medicine in England and America. O'Shaughnessy was a doctor with the British East India Company and first learned of cannabis' healing properties while abroad. Doctor O'shaughnessy was the first to conduct clinical trials and present case studies with cannabis and rheumatism, hydrophobia, cholera, tetanus and convulsions. Cannabis remained a popular medicine in Europe and the United States until the 20th century.
On remote ridges, down dusty roads, behind locked gates, in a county where pot is the only industry, three generations of growers have built a thriving alternative culture, complete with their own radio station, off grid homesteads, organic gardens, art and music festivals, community center and alternative schools. After enduring decades of pressure from law enforcement and being stigmatized by much of society, the community now faces a bigger challenge, the possibility of marijuana's legalization. If left solely to bureaucrats and entrepreneurs, the emerging legal pot industry threatens to exclude organic, outdoor family farms and the rural communities they support. - Humbolt, California
Many people are unaware that the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, the Mormons, had several methods of utilizing hemp such as clothes, ropes and paper. Brigham Young made use of industrial hemp by creating paper and clothing for his followers. Obviously hemp was critical in the survival of early Mormons as they were able to recognize the many benefits of hemp and use it to their advantage. One must question why the State of Utah continues to disallow the cultivation of hemp as it is such a useful plant. Perhaps by contacting Utah lawmakers, the tide can turn towards the legalization of industrial hemp, much like the pioneers. - Examiner
People who consume marijuana are less likely to get their brain tissues damaged as compared to those who consume alcohol. A research was conducted by neuroscientists at the University of California, San Diego on 92 people beltween the ages of 16 and 20, having a history of alcohol and marijuana consumption. This research almost took a year and a half, where the brains of the participants were scanned before and after the abstinence of the restricted drugs of both the groups. The research showed reduced white matter, essential for brain tissue health of the participants taking 5 or more alcoholic drinks two times a week as compared to the participants taking marijuana 9 times a week. Moreover, brain scans of marijuana users did not show any change in their brain tissue health.
With more than 60 percent of Americans believing weed will be legal in ten years, is it time to start talking about how to protect America's small pot farmers, who could be wiped out by corporate agribusiness?
Industrial hemp is not used to get high. It does contain some Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, but it's a very small trace amount and is usually less than 0.3%. Instead, it has a wide variety of uses, such as fabric, paper, biofuel, and building materials. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked and they can be ground up and added to foods such as flour, milk, tofu and butter. Hemp seeds are very healthy adding protein, carbohydrates and fiber. - Examiner
There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox. Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers. - Huffington Post
When Hershey's had a plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario, you could smell chocolate from miles away. But not a single chocolate bar has rolled off the line since the plant closed in 2008. Now, Smiths Falls, a working class town of about 10,000 in Eastern Ontario, has a new industry, medical marijuana. Health Canada is changing its medical marijuana rules, and Tweed, a licensed marijuana production company, has just received its license to grow medical cannabis there. Some are hoping the new plant will bring much needed jobs to an area that's had it tough for the last few years.
If California voters approve an initiative on the November ballot legalizing possession and use of small amounts of marijuana, thousands of new workers could be unionized, a Local 5 organizer said. They would include retail clerks at dispensaries, cannabis processing jobs, agricultural work for growers and security positions at dispensaries, to name a few. - United Press International
In Gilpin County, for example, which begins at Nederland's doorstep, almost one in 20 residents qualify for cannabis treatment, the highest level in Colorado and more than three times the statewide average. State law, passed by voter referendum in 2000, allows marijuana treatment for a list of maladies, from cancer to chronic pain, if a doctor verifies the need. - The New York Times
