Legalizing Marijuana

By David Dawson

Recently, with the imminent legalization of marijuana, there was a presentation in Steinbach on the medical uses for marijuana. Many people have obtained relief from a variety of symptoms when using marijuana where conventional drugs have had little or no effect. It is a very interesting subject and we, the public, have a lot to learn. Cannabis is the proper botanical term for the plant genus, while marijuana refers to any species that provides pharmacological effects. Hemp is the term used for the agricultural varieties that are grown by farmers for fibre and seed. Traditionally rope has been made of hemp fibres and currently one can buy hempseed oil or straight hemp seeds that are very beneficial health-wise.

The varieties of Cannabis that are grown as marijuana contain various chemicals called cannabinoids, the two main ones being known as THC and CBD. It is the THC that when smoked gives the well-known effects of a pleasant euphoria and a sense of relaxation. CBD on the other hand has little or no psychoactive properties and it is the beneficial effects of a combination of the two that appears to relieve various medical conditions. If you look on the Internet you will see there are dozens of varieties of cannabis that all have different properties. The most common differences are in the levels of THC and CBD. Some have practically no THC and high levels of CBD. Some are the other way around and there are many in between with different amounts of each.

At the presentation in Steinbach there was a number of people present who had a doctor’s prescription for medical marijuana and could thus obtain supplies legally from government sources. These people related their experiences with marijuana that ranged from preventing migraines, allowing a good night’s sleep, depression, reducing anxiety and panic attacks. One lady in particular related her almost reversal of her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. Many PTSD sufferers say they get enormous help from cannabis.

The question is; how do you take medical marijuana? Firstly, you don’t have to smoke a ‘joint’ in the traditional way and anyway smoking is not good for your lungs. What people do is to extract the active ingredients into oil or butter and use the resulting cannabis oil or cannabis butter to make salves or baked goods. Chocolate brownies or ginger cookies are two of the favourites. One cookie before going to bed and a good night’s sleep is almost assured. Or rub the salve on your arthritic joints. Some people are more sensitive to cannabis than others and half a cookie or even a quarter can be enough. Start small and see how it affects you. The thing is, the body produces its own cannabinoid compounds so when using cannabis we are merely adding to what the body already produces. Cannabis is not addictive like nicotine or various opiates, but no doubt, like some doctor prescribed medicines, we can become reluctant to give it up for fear of the original symptoms returning.