The Green Creates a Scene: Is Mary Jane Your Friend?

Since July 4th, 1776, there’s been a massive war on a drug—or should I say, a war on a plant. This plant is classified as Cannabis sativa.

This issue is dividing the US and has developed a multitude of clashing debates, socially and economically. Some people believe it will destroy society, others contend it won't do anything, and many argue our civilization will purely benefit from it. Although many rotten allegations about cannabis are being tossed around, the proof is in the pudding.

The science of this glorious, God-given species is emerging, and in all honesty, is quite evident.

Regardless of this objective knowledge, the green machine is being rejected by common stereotypes and ill-informed individuals. It is all in our highest concerns to promote a safe, flourishing, and productive livelihood for every American; therefore, the legalization of marijuana medicinally, in addition to recreationally, will allow our culture to wake-up in a variety of ways.

The advancement of marijuana for medical practices is far from new. It has been a prominent influence on human health for thousands of years. It improves the way of life for people with many forms of physical pain, as well as psychological (Major Depressive Disorder, PTSD, etc).

Research by the American Cancer Society shows that HIV/AIDS patients who smoked marijuana improved their appetite & soothed their nausea. This gave them the much-needed pain relief from terribly damaged nerve endings.

Today, there are thousands of individuals in dire need of treatment and are relying heavily on radiation therapy and other forms of treatment with powerful backlash effects. Most of these sick patients are doing whatever they can to avoid unnatural and synthesized medications.

Legalization will broaden access to this natural medication and make it easily accessible to these hurting Americans. Whether you believe in a "God" or not, this plant has been put on this great green ball for a specific reason. That should not be taken lightly.

Human beings discovered its potential, so why shun it away and label it useless or potentially dangerous?

Like for real America? A Schedule 1 Drug side-by-side to Heroin, Bath Salts, & Quaaludes?

No medicinal properties?

Sit down and have a nice discussion about weed with a person who was in a severe car wreck, has chronic migraines, or deals with stage IV cancer.

Or, if anything, simply chat with the hippy who wants to smoke a fluffy bowl and go on a scenic hike with his dog.

In rejection to this widespread proposition, a chunk of society blatantly says weed is bad for your brain and health.

In the article Should the United States legalize marijuana?, opponents of legalization still hold strong to the idea that smoking marijuana causes many health risks and causes "brain atrophy." Sure, that is a valid idea if you haven't done the research, but the credibility is no doubt questionable.

Based on Dr. Bill Asenjo’s analysis on medical marijuana, he discovered that there are extensive psychological effects of cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, that relieve anxiety, promote sedation, and provide an uplifting & euphoric mood which serve as major therapeutic values. These amazing & effective attributes of weed for suffering patients can help ease their severe conditions. It supports sustainable well-being.

Karen Foerstel writes in Marijuana Legalization, that “many veterans say marijuana helps alleviate depression, anxiety and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder." Cannabis is not only beneficial to the average US citizen but returning traumatized veterans can have tremendous ease for their pain & stress.

One thing that “lights me up“ more than anything is how we continue to shut-down the cultivation of the non-psychoactive form of the cannabis plant with less than 1% THC, known as hemp, in the bulk of the states.

This versatile green-machine cousin of Mary Jane provides enormous advantages to the overused resources in America today, such as cotton & wood fiber.

Sunney Fotedar writes in Analyst Insights—Industrial Hemp for Manufacturing Industry that “since it is considered a form of marijuana, its cultivation was hampered by various legal restrictions across the US and Canada."

The US government acknowledges the practicality of hemp over the current wasteful and expensive resources used, so why is it still frowned upon?

Change is too complicated and takes too long.

Hemp and marijuana are awfully difficult to distinguish based on physical characteristics, but if you ask me, that's a super lame excuse. I assume the massive corporations relying heavily on cotton & wood for resources are paying good side cash to US government officials to restrict this revolution in the industry.

We're so glued onto our traditional viewpoints. We fear change.

This governmental situation is clearly inhibiting any sort of progress.

It not only harms America's wallets, but burdens poor Mother Nature.

In addition to hemp being one of the fastest growing biomasses in global history, the 1998 study in Environmental Economics says hemp has many environmentally friendly attributes.

Hemp is easy to grow compared to cotton, corn, soy, etc and requires far less water in any grade of soil (nutrient-rich or not). It also builds up soil fertility overtime and steers clear from ecological footprints (*hemp can be grown on the same land year-after-year without severe repercussions).

Currently 19 states legalize hemp cultivation, from Hawaii, to Kansas, to OG Colorado. In 2017, America had over 25,000 acres of land for hemp. This may seem like a lot but compare this baby number to over 90 MILLION acres required for nutrient-lacking corn.

That's 3,600x the amount of land needed over hemp.

Keep in mind that corn is not as versatile, it degrades soil, its loaded with fertilizers/pesticides (over 90% of corn is genetically modified), and corn production contributes to over 40% of nitrogen pollution. This causes an uprising in ammonia and ozone in the air which impairs our ability to breathe, trashes climate stability, and disrupts normal plant growth.

Legalization of this valuable industrial product would ensure ample production of goods, ranging from paper, biocomposites, construction/thermal insulations, geotextiles, to efficient biofuel.

Hemp is not only grown to be used in helpful products like these, its seeds can be cultivated as a complete protein food, containing all 9 essential amino acids.

“Few seeds can match the nutrient profile of hemp seeds as a rich source of the omega-3 precursor ALA and hard-to-find beneficial GLA. Together, these health-promoting nutrients quell inflammation, enhance cardiovascular protection, and ease eczema symptoms."

Because of this, I consume 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts daily in my smoothies. It’s also a filling snack on the go... No need to go “nuts” over these seeds!

This widely versatile plant should not be questioned solely because of the legality issues of marijuana. Hemp horticulture would construct a more progressive and improved way of life, nationally and globally.

My last point is that America’s economy isn’t flourishing as well as everyone thinks. Especially when you compare our aggressive attitudes to other successful nation’s laws & standards. A substantial amount of economic relief awaits, that is once the marijuana industry expands outward.

William Wanlund in “Marijuana Industry” notes that sales of both medical and recreational marijuana reached $3 billion in 2015 and is projected to hit $35 billion by 2020. That’s if you acknowledge all 50 states including the District of Columbia. A boost in revenue is exactly what we need to accelerate the economy and prevent a probable future collapse. US national debt record has hit a nasty $22 trillion and federal deficits are averaged at $1.2 trillion (far higher than any average in the past 50 years). This alone should wake us up.

It’s clear that marijuana is the fastest growing industry in America, so why does congress continue to shut down a potential escape from the debt we carry?

A frequent worry about this issue relates to the president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Kevin Sabet. He declares that the revenue in the industry doesn’t satisfy the social costs, such as children being targeted from marketing and car accidents from impaired driving.

I agree that this is an important factor to take into consideration; however, there is no causation to these dangers occurring... whatsoever. That is absolute nonsense. Furthermore, there’s no proof that there exist business tactics in attracting innocent kids to smoke this “drug”.

Cannabis needs to be promoted in such a way that an economic increase can be made efficiently, safely, and under proper regulation by the federal government. The government should tax it, present it, and sell it in approved ways.

Like the tobacco and alcohol industry, kids—no matter what—will be enticed to these substances when underage (shit, I certainly had my time). Therefore, false propaganda will cease to exist in the media and marijuana will only be advertised directly to legal adults.

Think about all those commercials of people slugging down beers or sipping whiskey with friends with the final message, “Drink Responsibly.”

Or the fact that the US & New Zealand are the only countries worldwide that influence the public via tv and other ads to take some medications/prescription drugs, that only mask their symptoms.

That's twisted logic.

Weed, Mary Jane, Devil's Lettuce, Pot—whatever you call it—is classified as a Schedule I drug, regardless of its many benefits. The government says that it has no medicinal properties, it can be extremely addicting, and can cause serious health-issues.

Psilocybin in mushrooms, LSD, Mescaline in Peyote, & MDMA also fall into this category even though they all have been researched extensively for their psych-boosts.

Clearly, the current display of antidepressants isn't helping people long-term. Go with the third-eye-chakra-uplifters, not those life-disruptors.

Marijuana is a green photosynthesizer within the herbaceous plant family. The pros significantly outweigh the cons and there hasn’t been any effectiveness in prohibition relating to drug use. People will still get their hands on this herb illegally in some way or another.

Since it’s discovery, Marijuana has played a baffling role in human evolution. With it's effective healing properties, versatility, and major economical contribution, there should be no reason to stand against this health-promoting plant.

Citations

Asenjo, Bill. "Marijuana." The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, edited by Gale, 2013. Credo Reference, http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galegnaah/marijuana/0?searchId=d13bfea1-9f87-11e6-958e-0aea1e3b2a47&result=7.

Foerstel, Karen. "Marijuana Legalization: Will More States Decriminalize the Drug?” 23 Aug. 2016. CQ Researcher, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqr_ht_marijuana_2016.

Fotedar, Sunney. "Analyst Insights--Industrial Hemp for Manufacturing Industry." Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 15 Jan. 2013, p. 1+. Academic OneFile, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=morenetsccol&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA338525545&inPS=true&linkSource=interlink&sid=AONE.

Gamonski, William. "Harness the Nutritional Power of Hemp Seeds." Life Extension, July 2014, p. 93+. Academic OneFile, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA378248915&docType=Article&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=AONE&contentSet=GALE%7CA378248915&searchId=R1&userGroupName=morenetsccol&inPS=true