Marijuana, aka cannabis, aka hemp

There is a lot of controversy with regards to this subject. So I will attempt to clarify the meaning of each plant.

MARIJUANA – Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary describes it as: the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield cannabin and are sometimes smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect.

CANNABIS – is described in the same dictionary as: “any of the preparations (as marijuana or hashish) or chemicals (as THC) that are derived from the hemp and are psychoactive.”

HEMP – Again from the dictionary: Hemp is (a) a tall widely cultivated Asian herb (Cannabis sativa) of the mulberry family with tough bast fiber used especially for cordage. (b) the fiber of hemp; (c) a psychoactive drug (as marijuana or hashish) from hemp.

As I researched these plants – the thing I found in common in all three of them was that – as you read the above, they are all the same plant and they are all described as having an intoxicating or psychoactive drug effect. The three terms are synonymous, they are one in the same. I find this interesting and in direct contradiction as to what medical professionals, today, along with the media – written and on TV, and the gossip mongers are saying.

Further study verified that humans have used marijuana for hundreds of years for fiber (hemp), and seed oils.

In Medical News Today, it says, “Globally, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. Classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, marijuana (cannabis) is a mood altering drug that affects almost every organ in the body.”

Also worth noting is that: “In 2017, 6% or about 1 in 6 high school seniors in the United States reported using marijuana (cannabis) every day.” In a conversation I had with a high school sophomore student, I was told, that in her school, not just the seniors, but a vast number of other students were smoking the ‘vapor’ cigarettes on a daily basis, and in the school. The ‘powers that be’ are trying to curtail this problem, but only with a small amount of success. The kids know how – as it is said – to work the system. Vapor cigarettes have many flavors, one of them being marijuana as well as one being the nicotine flavor.

“Marijuana can be smoked, inhaled through vapor, brewed as a tea, applied as a balm, or eaten in products such as brownies or chocolate bars. (I wonder how many of our young Halloween participants will find some of these in their goody bags, this year).

Next question – MEDICAL MARIJUANA? What is it and how does it differ from the recreational version. Quoting Medical News Today – Medical marijuana refers to either whole marijuana or its ingredients, such as cannabidial (CBD), which forms the base of a limited number of approved medications.” (Whole marijuana is the unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts used to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine).

“Medical marijuana is not subject to governmental standardization, making its ingredients and potency unknown.”

Medical professionals want you to believe marijuana is good for medicinal purposes…but is it? There is some evidence that the marijuana (cannabis sativa (hemp), plant or some of its components – such as CBD (cannabidiol) may be useful for relieving severe pain, nausea, chronic conditions and, inflammation (a defense mechanism in the body which is recognized by the immune system, and in turn, spurs the body’s healing process into action).

Other scientific sources tell us that “one of the main differences between recreational and medical marijuana (cannabis) tends to be the amount of THC and CBD. CBD is higher in medical marijuana, and THC is the psychoactive ingredient that gets you high in recreational marijuana.

Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs in the world. With it now being made legal in some places, “some people think it must be safe…but your body doesn’t know a legal drug from an illegal drug. It only knows the effect the drug creates once you have taken it.”

The Foundation for a Drug Free World informs us, “you may have heard someone say that because marijuana is a plant, it’s “NATURAL” and so it is harmless. But, it’s not.” Inhaling it into your lungs or eating it is not natural. “Marijuana is a drug like alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, etc. And, like these other drugs, it has side effects that can be harmful.”

I interviewed a gentleman who used recreational marijuana as a young man to, “get high”. He eventually quit as it was destroying his overall health. In his senior years now, and with his body in pain from Fibromyalgia, he decided to try the medical marijuana (legal in some states). With medical marijuana not being legal (at that time) here in Florida, he had friends purchase it for him who lived in a state where it was legal. I asked him if it fixed his pain. He told me yes – for about 4 hours at a time, so he had to take it or smoke it every 4 hours. I asked, “why not just use over the counter pain killers like Aleve, etc.” He never answered me. I then asked him about the psychoactive effect – did he experience any? He said “the ‘psychoactive affect’ was the same as when he smoked recreational marijuana.” I asked him if he was going to continue taking the medical marijuana. He told me emphatically, NO! I asked him what changed his mind about taking it. He said, “it affected his brain, and his equilibrium, and he felt it was destroying his mental capacity to think normally.” He also told me; “it was affecting how he worked at his job.” Because of this – HE QUIT using the medical marijuana! After much contemplation he decided to change his lifestyle and eating habits, to see if it would combat the pain from the fibromyalgia. It did! The last I heard from him, he is still working at his job and doing so without mental stress and pain.

Again, quoting the Foundation for a Drug Free World, “Marijuana creates a severe impact on the lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that smoking one joint (a term still used as a method for using Medical Marijuana), gives as much exposure to cancer-producing as smoking 4 – 5 cigarettes.” They went on to say, “the mental consequences of marijuana use are equally severe.”

“In recent studies on marijuana smokers, abnormalities in the brain were found related to emotion, motivation and decision-making.”

Today, marijuana, aka cannabis, aka hemp, is publicized by the media, the medical field, and many people as being the find of the century. The emphasis being, because of people overdosing on the use of opioid painkillers. You will find testimonials about it being a ‘sacred plant’ and how it is wonderful for treating cancer, epilepsy, autism, dementia, anxiety and more.

Me, I am not on that band wagon. I maintain, a lifestyle change – if it applies and a change in eating habits, and the use of herbal supplementation, can “naturally” solve these many health issues. The body can, and does heal itself.

There are still too many unknowns in regards to Medical Marijuana.  I feel, if needed at all, it would be for those folks in nursing homes and hospice – given to them in order to keep them comfortable until God calls them home.

There is a lot of information on this controversial subject of ‘medical and recreational marijuana’ on your computer and/or in the libraries. Check it out for yourself.

There you have it folks. I hope this helped to answer some questions you may have, or had. DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN ‘WELLVILLE’ OR, SICKVILLE?  It is up to you!