Just Legalize It

One of the reasons why I push for more freedom when it comes to cannabis is because I’ve experienced it firsthand and read the science behind the capabilities of cannabinoid medicine. Do I think it’s a cure all? Absolutely not. What I will say is that there are certain conditions that can take advantage of the anti-inflammatory, calming, pain relieving, and immunomodulatory properties these plant compounds have when interacting with our cannabinoid receptors.

Correct me if I am wrong, but our purpose in medicine is to improve one’s quality of life, lessen suffering, and optimize a patient's chance for a happy and productive life.

After seeing some holes within our medical system in my personal life, I want to bring change to our medical system. I want to show others what this plant is capable of. For the first time in over 80’s years we are now going to see cannabis used again as a medicine, but I think eventually it will become a standard in our medical model, especially with alternative medicine on the rise and insane rates.

You see, they told us all before that mArIjUaNa kills our brain cells (when it actually has neuroprotective properties LoL), that it was a gateway drug, and that it would destroy our lives. Were they hiding something? Did they know something about this plant that we didn’t?

Early studies suggest yes because there were published papers on the medicinal value of cannabis, and at one point it was even a part of the American pharmacopoeia (2). To make it even more interesting, between 1840 and 1900 European and American medical journals published over 100 articles on the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis (2). We could split atoms since 1919, do you think they didn’t know of the potential of this plant? Of course, they did!

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) had cannabis listed as a medicine until 1942 when it was officially removed. But why would they remove a medicine from the USP?

Some suspect that John D. Rockefeller played a big role here. According to folklore (lol), Rockefeller saw cannabis as a threat to his medical model, similarity how the AMA viewed chiropractic medicine. He was interested in patenting medicine to make money and anything herbal related was of no interest to him regardless of effectiveness, with the exception of extraction and isolation so he could acquire a patent.

Currently the FDA recognizes cannabinoids for anxiety, inflammation, pain, epilepsy, muscle spasticity, nausea reduction (really useful when taking chemotherapy), and appetite stimulation (also very useful when discussing chemotherapy) (3). (Side note: the benefits associated with chemotherapy is how I got started in cannabinoid medicine!) Because the FDA recognizes those benefits, you see other states that have medical access to cannabis, but I am here to tell you it’s much more than that. It all comes down to an understanding of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and this is my jam (LoL).

When we understand this receptor system and all that it controls, we can understand how we can use this plant as medicine to help fill in the holes in our medical model. I am a true believer in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM Therapies). CAM Therapies utilize conventional medicine and alternative therapies to best suit an individual’s needs. The goal is exactly what it has always been, to improve one’s quality of life, lessen the suffering, and optimize a patient's chance for a happy and productive life. I intend to do just that using this versatile medicinal plant.

Curious to see what all the ECS regulates? Check out our previous blogs.

Bee Well,

Brandon Farless

*This information is for educational purposes only and I am simply sharing information pertaining to these studies. No medical advice or claims are being made on my behalf.

References

Leinen, Z. J., Mohan, R., Premadasa, L. S., Acharya, A., Mohan, M., & Byrareddy, S. N. (2023, September 25). Therapeutic potential of cannabis: A comprehensive review of current and future applications. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/10/2630

Report on Medical Cannabis Research History - americans for safe access. (n.d.). https://www.safeaccessnow.org/medical_cannabis_research_what_does_the_evidence_say

Bridgeman, M. B., & Abazia, D. T. (2017). Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, And Implications for the Acute Care Setting. P & T : a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 42(3), 180–188