Pot full of goodness

With the recent rescission by Attorney General Jeff Sessions of orders by the Obama justice department to limit cannabis prosecution on the national level (in states which had legalized it), this writer decided it would be good to revise and republish an article from back in 2015

Back in 2014, the conservative world was somewhat stunned by an article published in Yahoo News and several other publications written by one of my favorite conservative writers Michelle Malkin, titled “My Trip to the Pot Shop”. In her article, she describes her surprise and apparent satisfaction from the visit. It was a very informative and interesting article. I encourage you to read with both an open heart and an open mind as her article was then and remains my inspiration; conservatives can and should get behind National Cannabis legalization. Since this article increasing numbers of conservatives are becoming pro legalization; in fact, it is possibly the one thing which might help to restore our badly divided country.

As a conservative Christian Republican (as wells as an ordained pastor, a PhD Psychologist and Certified Drug Rehabilitation Counselor), I had always been on the side of anti-marijuana. I thought I knew everything about it. Little did I know I had been misled and lied too; I found I actually knew very little about the reality and goodness of Cannabis.

Now, after years of research, I have completely reversed my thoughts and opinion and have become an advocate for full national Cannabis legalization. Hundreds of thousands of conservative people have also reversed their opinions. Things are indeed changing.

I am also an epileptic, YES as an epileptic and I agree completely with Michelle Malkin.

Like most epileptics my current medication metabolizes in my liver and long term use will ultimately destroy my liver but Cannabis does not. Cannabis not only prevents seizures (if taken correctly),it also prevents the dreaded pre-seizure auras which sometimes last for days or even weeks.

Any epileptic (especially Grand General Epileptics like me) will tell you the pre or post seizure aura is usually worse than the seizure itself. The seizure is there and gone within a few seconds to minutes and most of the time the patient is even unaware of what happened. With the aura, however, the patient has various negative experiences from seeing stars, weird colors, enhanced sound and smell and often the dreaded déjà vu experience or a sense you’ve been there before or you’re in two places at once (which often just doesn’t go away).

At the time of my original writing of this article, I had not yet used cannabis in any form with regard to my epilepsy, but other epileptics I spoke with told me the aura experience totally disappears and seizures are either reduced or disappear as well. After using, it turns out they’re correct.

For me, this alone seemed reason enough for legalization.

In my research, I found the aura experience also shared by other neurological disorders almost completely disappears when medicinal cannabis is utilized properly.

European epilepsy is almost non-existent in countries like France and Germany where epilepsy medicine created from cannabis is available.

In my original article, at the time Americans were not free to obtain these products on line or through Canadian pharmacies where they are sold. Viagra is available and sent freely through the mail from Canada without a prescription but if the epilepsy medicine is going to an American address the Canadians are not allowed to send it. This however has gradually started to change.

European, Asian, Central and South American countries have known of the medicinal value of cannabis for decades. There are numerous neurological medicines produced in those countries made from cannabis and prescribed by doctors there every day. It is only in the United States that the medicinal use is vastly restricted.

Only in those states where cannabis has been made legal (in the past) can those patients in need feel safe to access the medicine they need. Thankfully since the original publication of this article, there are now 46 states and the District of Columbia which have some form of legal Cannabis use. As such, it seems somewhat senseless for the Attorney General to rescind previous laws and executive orders relaxing Federal prosecution of Cannabis use.

There are so many neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and epilepsy of every kind from which variations of cannabis become one of the best drugs “not on the market” can help significantly.

There is even increasing evidence that cannabis is effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke and paralyzed persons. It should also be noted that there are some studies which show many seniors using recreational cannabis have no signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s as they grow older.

One of the little known benefits of cannabis is that it “naturally” lowers blood pressure; of course the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t like the legalization of cannabis because proper use both medicinally and recreationally could destroy the pharmaceutical companies.

Most prescription drugs are synthetic (made in the lab) and “temporarily” arrest or mask the problem.

Natural and alternative medications including cannabis (which is an herb) actually provide both long term and permanent solutions.

Cannabis can be substituted for high blood pressure medicine, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, ADD and ADHD, OCD and many more prescription medications.

Some European studies have even shown Cannabis can lower blood sugar.

Everyone is well aware of Cannabis use increasing appetite but few realize it also helps many lose weight.

Also well-known is the effectiveness of Cannabis in fighting nausea and pain in cancer and aids patients and its ability to help reduce pressure in the eye of glaucoma patients.

How I wish I could have obtained some Cannabis legally for my mom as she lay dying in pain and unable to eat for nearly two years instead of having to remain on morphine and other opiate derivatives.

Most doctors will not admit much of this information and in many cases even deny it because of their financial relationship to the pharmaceutical companies.

The argument to decriminalize Cannabis doesn’t just end with its effective medicinal uses.

States who decriminalize the drug can gradually reduce prison sizes and also allow their police departments to focus on more serious crime.

Full legal use States like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and now California which chose to regulate and tax Cannabis are making money big time off the legalization just like alcohol since prohibition days ended. These states are also creating new jobs and businesses.

The greatest benefit however, is to the patients which are now able to obtain their medication legally.

In short, as more states show a profit from the legalization, more states will legalize this beneficial drug.

Here in Texas many people were surprised by former Governor Rick Perry’s call for the decriminalization of Cannabis.

After this writer’s research and personal experience with epilepsy, many of us began calling for full legalized marijuana use in the state of Texas. Mere months after my original article was written, the Texas State Legislature made Low THC/CBD legal for epileptic use and Governor Gregg Abbott signed it into law September 2015. Not long after that, I was able to begin utilizing CBD oil and my life has been forever changed.

My epilepsy meds have been reduced to one dose per day and supplemented with a minimum of three doses of CBD oil weekly. I remain seizure free and my auras have been all but eliminated. Once we are allowed the higher dosages of THC/CBD, there is the strong possibility that I can eliminate my pharmaceutical medication completely.

Unfortunately, therein lies the problem; once legalized, the pharmaceutical companies stand to lose billions of dollars which they simply don’t want to relinquish resulting in their continued propaganda of lies and misinformation.

It’s time to stop the foolishness and fully legalize Cannabis at the national level.

President Trump stated many times in his campaign that “he (like everyone) was in favor of medical cannabis” and that he would not stand in the way of states’ rights. That said, you have to wonder if the Jeff Session’s rescission order is either a ruse to force congress to fully legalize or just a rogue act which might force the President to replace him.

Either way, it appears full legalization will continue to move forward as Americans increase their desire for the “Pot full of goodness”.

© 2018 The Outlaw Observer and Opinion