Medical Marijuana: Ignorance

National- Much is to be said in the progress for medical marijuana choosers. Though accepted by the highest seat in our nation, there is still quite a bit of ignorance in opinions regarding the subject. The seriously mislead “Reefer Madness” generation seem to be under the impression that medical marijuana is illegal according to federal law. I feel as though I am a broken record destined to repeat that in 2009 President Barack Obama stated he would not use federal law to arrest medical marijuana distributors or patients, as long as you are within your state or county’s legal guidelines. Our president vowed before his candidacy he would support medical marijuana, he has held up to his word. Sheer ignorance or just lack of knowledge? What has sustained the reefer madness generation this long and why do they continue with their distorted beliefs on the issue?

Prior to the cult culture that the reefer madness generation created, our country used marijuana and its brother plant hemp as a tool in everyday use to produce medicine and a vast variety of other usable products. When this country started our first President George Washington grew fields of hemp and marijuana. He separated the male and female plants realizing that the females produced THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). Washington used the male plants to produce hemp, from hemp he manufactured every day products and sundries. Washington is not the only name in our nations history that used marijuana and hemp for its beneficial purposes. Other well known names include: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln. The history of marijuana and our nation is not only in our far past but has started to resurface in the past 40 years becoming more and more accepted as time progresses. John F. Kennedy was reported to use marijuana medically for back pain and planned to LEGALIZE it in his second term. Of course who could forget former president Bill Clinton with his famous line heard round the world “I didn’t inhale.” Clinton admitted to trying marijuana in England saying he didn’t like the high. Our current president Barack Obama has admitted to inhaling. He has also supported medical marijuana before and during his presidency. Marijuana is not confined to only names in our governments history, the list of the names of those who have supported and used marijuana would be endless. Our nation seeing the countless man hours and waste of federal and state taxes to fight the war on marijuana seems far greater to that being spent on other narcotics.  The war against marijuana has been very draining on federal and state budgets, making some of the legal states realize the benefits financially from the legalization and taxing of this plant. One state has agreed to a federal/state taxation of medical marijuana, California is the first of the nation to allow a tax on the plant. Rhode Island and Maine are said to follow suit. No other war on drugs has been so widely exploited or advertised. Marijuana has in the past been our governments scape goat for fighting the war on drugs.  No more of a distorted, irrational, waste of time and energy could have been produced from opposition to the legalization of the plant. State Attorney Generals from the past have made it their sole purpose to eradicate marijuana, without bearing the knowledge or attempting to research the truth. Those waging war against the plant have fought blindly making no headway in the war against the true vipers in the grass: Heroin, rock cocaine, powder cocaine, extacy, methamphetamines, hallucongenics, and prescription narcotics. Alcoholism also, medical marijuana has been successfully proven to help people recover from alcoholism.

The war to keep the truth of marijuana’s powers seems to be fueled by an unknown entity, whether it be one or many there is a force out there still attempting to keep the truth out of our hands. Step away from the medical benefits proven to come from marijuana. Hemp alone could wipe out major corporations in this nation. Hemp can produce many of the products we purchase every day, which include food and nutrition uses. Hempseed  oil contains essential amino acids and essential fatty acids that greatly benefit our bodies, there is a vast variety of consumable products that use hempseed oil as a ingredient. Hemp oil contains essential fatty acids, linoleic acid, omega-6 acid (LA), alpha linolenic acid, omega-3 along with gama linolenic acid, omego-6 (GLA), stearodonic acid, omega-3 (SDA). Hemp seed whole contains a highly digestible fiber that is 1/3 edestin and 2/3 albumins. It’s amino acid profile is the closest to being complete then other common known sources. Such as meat, milk, eggs and soy. Hempseed is also a sustainable source of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, magnanese. Hempseed also benefits celiac disease, containing no gluten it does not trigger symptoms.

Hemp goes beyond consumables and health supplements. Used as a building material for it’s Bast Fiber (the strongest part of the plant stalk). Hemp is used in China and Europe to strengthen concrete. Also used for its composite fiber along with fiberglass, kenaf, and flax to make composite panels for automobiles. Hemp produces more fiber then cotton or flax, though the use of hemp has slowed down considerably over the past two centuries it has found its way back into consumer living. Possibly one of most silent but controversial products from hemp is the paper products that can be produced from the hemp plant. Hemp paper is a bit more costly to produce due to the limited amount of hemp and the once yearly harvest of the plant that happens in August. Said to be better then those used with wood pulp, hemp was quickly attacked and hated by those in the wood industry.  Associated with marijuana hemp was given a bad rap prior to the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. It has been estimated that acre for acre hemp can produce four times as much paper then trees. Hemp can also be processed into material used for fabric, anything from undergarments to curtains can be made from hemp fabric. I personally was in a local Honda shop looking at dirt bikes the other day and found a motorcycle jacket made from hemp. I have purchased hemp lotion, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, shorts, necklaces, socks, bra, panties, swim suit, and a few shirts made from hemp. Animal bedding is another use of hemp, for its shives found at the core of the stem. Soil purification is another use of hemp, it is currently being used as a purification tool at the Chernobyl Disaster Site. Farmers use hemp to control weeds thanks to its tall density they can avoid using hazardous chemicles. You can also create fuels from hemp bio fuels, bio diesel, and alcohol fuels can all come from the hemp seed.

There may be no way to tell what or who exactly waged the war against the cannabis plant(s), whom or whatever it was that started the war leaped in blindly not researching or even using a pinky toe to test the waters. The war they created deprived us from reaping the medical and industrial benefits of hemp/marijuana, it has kept us prisoner to the truth to the healing and helpful benefits from the male and female Cannabis plant. What our past tells us should speak loud and clear to all who read this. Men not of perfection, but who had to survive in a much more challenging time then we do today relied on the cannabis plant. Our money today is printed on paper made partially from hemp. Ignorance is not always bliss, we as a people have been deprived from the many uses of cannabis. The truth regarding the plant is out there. Don’t be blinded or mislead by a generation that is dying as quickly as their distorted opinions on the matter.