JANUARY 26, 2011 CALL IT WEED, POT, OR SMOKE

~ A little wine sometimes, that's all. Spirits are bad. Alcohol wrong. Herb does grow. ~

~ Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction. ~

~ When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself. ~

All three quotes on the 'herb' are from Bob Marley. From the three I get the feeling that Mr. Marley was not a drinker but a smoker. I feel that every baby boomer has tried marijuana at least once. Every one gets a different effect from this herb. I know individuals who still smoke marijuana daily. I know people who haven't smoked since their college years. I know people in their late 80' and 90's who enjoy puffing a joint for their glaucoma. Is marijuana as addictive as alcohol or cocaine ? Does it help with the introverted personality? Do people ever get paranoid after smoking? What about the munchies?


Cannabis, also known as marijuana (sometimes spelled "marihuana" ) among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug. The major psychoactive chemical compoundin cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (commonly abbreviated as THC). Cannabis contains more than 400 different chemical compounds, including at least 66 other cannabinoids (cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), etc.) which can result in different effects from those of THC alone.

Cannabis is one of the earliest cultivated plants. Cannabis has much versatility. It has been used as food, fuel, fiber, medicine and as a religious sacrament. Today, cannabis is used by inhalation. All other routes of administration have been used from anal to oromucosal delivery. Historically, cannabis has been used in various ways. There are three main forms and named by their Indian names

1. Bhang - seeded mix of flower tops
2. Ganja - seedless unfertilized female flower tops
3. Charas - resin from sifted flowers ( also known as hashish)

The use of cannabis has been found to have occurred as long ago as the third millennium B.C. I did not find any mention of marijuana in the Bible according to James Duke's book, Medicinal Plants of the Bible. In modern times, the drug has been used for recreational, religious or spiritual, and medicinal purposes .

The question is should cannabis be legalized? It is legal in 13 states. I am undecided on this issue. I need to study the literature in detail and listen to the pros and cons about its use. One name that always surfaces in the use of cannabis is Ethan Russo, MD. Dr. Russo is a board certified child and adult neurologist in Montana. He also is a researcher in migraine, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, cannabis and cannabinoids in pain management. I have seen web sites touting the good effects of marijuana. In the 1990's, Dr Ethan Russo spent two months in Peru's remote Manu National Park, researching use of medicinal plants by members of the Machiguenga tribes. His boundless energy based on his work, books and teachings makes me look like a snail. I admire his dedication.

Russo jokingly calls himself a "renaissance dilettante" because he is an expert participant in an eclectic variety of scientific and socio cultural endeavors. He has written a book about the medicinal uses of psychotropic herbs. Although this Handbook is more than 10 years old, it is a good foundation if you want to learn about psychotropic herbs.

He is the founder of the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics. I have seen the journal and even read a couple of articles. I am not well versed on cannabis but was very impressed. The journal is the most scholarly, comprehensive and timely compendium of cannabis research available to date. It contains scientific, historical and interpretive reports on medical marijuana, cannabis lore, legal issues, cannabis literature, and social/cultural aspects of cannabis use and regulation. He is a pioneer. He states, "My opinion about the efficacy and relative safety of cannabis is widely known, since I've made no secret of my feelings the last few years." He is clear and concise about his opinions.

Cannabis used medically does have several well-documented beneficial effects. Among these are: the amelioration of nausea and vomiting, stimulation of hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, lowered intraocular eye pressure (shown to be effective for treating glaucoma), as well as general analgesic effects (pain reliever). There are other studies to document medicinal use. One study on cannabis discussed improvement in night blindness after ingestion of cannabis while another study cited effective improvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis. We do know that cannabis smoking is detrimental to periodontal health.

Cannabis was manufactured and sold by U.S. pharmaceutical companies from the 1880s through the 1930s. Unfortunately the lack of documented information on the frequency and effectiveness of its use during this time period makes it difficult to evaluate its medicinal value. There are more studies today which can answer the question.

The first President and the sixteenth president of the United States said this about marijuana:

"Make the most you can of the Indian hemp seed and sow it everywhere." - George Washington

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abe Lincoln

SHOULD MARIJUANA BE LEGAL IN ALL STATES?

Top photograph: Ethan Ross, MD

Until tomorrow...