As of this reading 8 states have legalized the use of marijuana for adults, age 21 or older; 30 states have some variation of legalised medical marijuana. Since this may be confusing for some people my hope is to clarify what it all entails.
First, what is marijuana, briefly what's it's history, where does it come from, is it a manufactured drug or is it a plant that grows naturally??
Marijuana is a plant. It is not manufactured despite claims otherwise. Some consider it an herb, but technically it doesn't fall within that classification; it is not Rosemary, basil or thyme. It is more like a dandelion. A weed. It has a variation that's called hemp that was used for thousands of years to make rope. During those thousands of years other strains were used for medical purposes that could include simple stress reduction. The world depended on hemp until the end of WW2. At that time synthetic ropes hit the market making hemp obsolete. Problem is, we all know the difference between organic and synthetic.
Marijuana can be classified as 4 different plant species.
1) Cannabis sativa
2) Cannabis indica
3) Cannabis ruderalis
4) Hemp, any variation of the above, usually the male plant as the female generally contains THC 'Hyperlink to more about THC': LEAFLY.COM. The THC isn't desirable in hemp; tall, lanky and ropey plants are. So hemp is bred to grow like that.
More can be found about the above here: http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/types-of-marijuana/
It comes from nearly everywhere. It does favor certain environments, that I need not go into. It is grown in "housed structures", more on that in a bit.
Humans have used it for many purposes for thousands of years. Several of those purposes were medical use.
Technically I don't see how it can be considered a manufactured drug as it grows in the ground. There are those who say their God put it on the earth. However the US federal government has believed for at least 75 years that it is made from concrete. Meaning it comes from nothing, is nothing and is extremely dangerous. President Nixon hated the stuff and defied his own Blue Ribbon Committee he hand picked to study marijuana in the late 60's: Shafer Committee. Pres. Ronald Reagan described use of marijuana as being like "setting off a nuclear bomb in your head". President Jimmy Carter legalised it in 1978... (look it up :) Last less than a day before the DEA filed some sort of law-suit over turning it.
Fast forward to 2017. Happy 420, because 8 states have now legalised adult use of marijuana and 30 for medical use, according to my latest updates from NORML.
Specifics of the details of the law are mixed, where some states have finalized the regulations while others are still undergoing development. I live in Maine and our governor just vetoed the regulations for 2018 approved by the House and Senate. Won't get my vote. However medical use of marijuana in Maine goes back to the early 2000's. And new conditions like PTSD get added each year it seems.
One of the more frustrating sorts of regulations is when a state legalizes medical marijuana but with strict conditions. Like you can't grow your own, can't buy the plant or buds, can't buy edibles (candy, cookies or brownies), only pen sized vaporizers. Or they legalize CBD oil, which contains no THC. For some plain CBD works well, especially for pain. But it's been found that a blend of CBD and THC actually increases the efficacy of the product.
But what if you're here, reading all this and the real question you have is "how could this happen??"
"How could marijuana be legalized or even beneficial for anything? The federal government lists it as a Schedule One drug, which dictates it has "no medical uses and it is extremely addictive. The way the federal government, the DOJ sees it is obviously the research being quoted by so many so-called professionals must be bogus and a lie!"
Ironically, the federal government secured a patent on THC for medical benefits it can provide. patent # 6630507 - a link available HERE. If marijuana has zero medical benefit and THC is derived from it isn't that a contradiction? Doesn't that raise the spectre of hypocrisy? And what king of government governs based on hypocrisy? A dictatorship does, just like ol' England. A tyrannical government and do we really want to go there?
None of the propaganda fed to us for the past 75+ years has had any real scientific basis. It is only true that if you burn something like a cigarette or a joint that the heat from the burning ember is not good for you. It should also be noted that there is no comparison between the "tars" in tobacco, compared to the "tars" in marijuana. Their chemical make-up is completely different.
In the 15+ years that marijuana has been legal to buy and use in various states people are not jumping out of windows, eating people's faces or laughing like a total lunatic. Crime rates including major crimes like murder have gone down in states that have legalized.The black market has all but disappeared in states where it's legal.
Persons that use marijuana are not going to go berserk. Recently, in the news for the start of 2018 is Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Jeff has decided to rescind the Cole Memorandum which essentially provided for the the Justice Department to accept Article 10 of the Bill of Rights and let states regulate marijuana, as they are doing, without federal interference. AG Sessions declared he intends to begin a 2nd War on Pot.
Why? The answer in perhaps another post. Will this potentially severely impact legal marijuana in this country after all this time? We may see headlines where the feds raid and seize and arrest people at a marijuana grow facility in California. But that will be it. There are far more pressing problems in this country than going after state legal marijuana facilities.
To conclude, use of marijuana does not impact intelligence, make people stupid or cause maniacal behavior. We can accept the fact that 75+ years of propaganda leading us to believe otherwise is going to take some time to accept. Those using marijuana actually are benefiting and they are using a plant to do so, not a manufactured narcotic.
First, what is marijuana, briefly what's it's history, where does it come from, is it a manufactured drug or is it a plant that grows naturally??
Marijuana is a plant. It is not manufactured despite claims otherwise. Some consider it an herb, but technically it doesn't fall within that classification; it is not Rosemary, basil or thyme. It is more like a dandelion. A weed. It has a variation that's called hemp that was used for thousands of years to make rope. During those thousands of years other strains were used for medical purposes that could include simple stress reduction. The world depended on hemp until the end of WW2. At that time synthetic ropes hit the market making hemp obsolete. Problem is, we all know the difference between organic and synthetic.
Marijuana can be classified as 4 different plant species.
1) Cannabis sativa
2) Cannabis indica
3) Cannabis ruderalis
4) Hemp, any variation of the above, usually the male plant as the female generally contains THC 'Hyperlink to more about THC': LEAFLY.COM. The THC isn't desirable in hemp; tall, lanky and ropey plants are. So hemp is bred to grow like that.
More can be found about the above here: http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/types-of-marijuana/
It comes from nearly everywhere. It does favor certain environments, that I need not go into. It is grown in "housed structures", more on that in a bit.
Humans have used it for many purposes for thousands of years. Several of those purposes were medical use.
Technically I don't see how it can be considered a manufactured drug as it grows in the ground. There are those who say their God put it on the earth. However the US federal government has believed for at least 75 years that it is made from concrete. Meaning it comes from nothing, is nothing and is extremely dangerous. President Nixon hated the stuff and defied his own Blue Ribbon Committee he hand picked to study marijuana in the late 60's: Shafer Committee. Pres. Ronald Reagan described use of marijuana as being like "setting off a nuclear bomb in your head". President Jimmy Carter legalised it in 1978... (look it up :) Last less than a day before the DEA filed some sort of law-suit over turning it.
Fast forward to 2017. Happy 420, because 8 states have now legalised adult use of marijuana and 30 for medical use, according to my latest updates from NORML.
Specifics of the details of the law are mixed, where some states have finalized the regulations while others are still undergoing development. I live in Maine and our governor just vetoed the regulations for 2018 approved by the House and Senate. Won't get my vote. However medical use of marijuana in Maine goes back to the early 2000's. And new conditions like PTSD get added each year it seems.
One of the more frustrating sorts of regulations is when a state legalizes medical marijuana but with strict conditions. Like you can't grow your own, can't buy the plant or buds, can't buy edibles (candy, cookies or brownies), only pen sized vaporizers. Or they legalize CBD oil, which contains no THC. For some plain CBD works well, especially for pain. But it's been found that a blend of CBD and THC actually increases the efficacy of the product.
But what if you're here, reading all this and the real question you have is "how could this happen??"
"How could marijuana be legalized or even beneficial for anything? The federal government lists it as a Schedule One drug, which dictates it has "no medical uses and it is extremely addictive. The way the federal government, the DOJ sees it is obviously the research being quoted by so many so-called professionals must be bogus and a lie!"
Ironically, the federal government secured a patent on THC for medical benefits it can provide. patent # 6630507 - a link available HERE. If marijuana has zero medical benefit and THC is derived from it isn't that a contradiction? Doesn't that raise the spectre of hypocrisy? And what king of government governs based on hypocrisy? A dictatorship does, just like ol' England. A tyrannical government and do we really want to go there?
None of the propaganda fed to us for the past 75+ years has had any real scientific basis. It is only true that if you burn something like a cigarette or a joint that the heat from the burning ember is not good for you. It should also be noted that there is no comparison between the "tars" in tobacco, compared to the "tars" in marijuana. Their chemical make-up is completely different.
In the 15+ years that marijuana has been legal to buy and use in various states people are not jumping out of windows, eating people's faces or laughing like a total lunatic. Crime rates including major crimes like murder have gone down in states that have legalized.The black market has all but disappeared in states where it's legal.
Persons that use marijuana are not going to go berserk. Recently, in the news for the start of 2018 is Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Jeff has decided to rescind the Cole Memorandum which essentially provided for the the Justice Department to accept Article 10 of the Bill of Rights and let states regulate marijuana, as they are doing, without federal interference. AG Sessions declared he intends to begin a 2nd War on Pot.
Why? The answer in perhaps another post. Will this potentially severely impact legal marijuana in this country after all this time? We may see headlines where the feds raid and seize and arrest people at a marijuana grow facility in California. But that will be it. There are far more pressing problems in this country than going after state legal marijuana facilities.
To conclude, use of marijuana does not impact intelligence, make people stupid or cause maniacal behavior. We can accept the fact that 75+ years of propaganda leading us to believe otherwise is going to take some time to accept. Those using marijuana actually are benefiting and they are using a plant to do so, not a manufactured narcotic.
