The word ‘marijuana’ – said to come from the Spanish name Maria Juana – conjures up images of shady Mexican drugs cartels, headed by even shadier drug czars, of vicious street fights in seamy Colombian neighbourhoods and finally, of long-haired, outlandishly dressed American hippies of 1960s. Fast forward to 2011 – Mexico is still struggling to win its war against drug cartels; the Colombian President is considering the legalization of drugs to put an end to the country’s drug-related crimes and the American Hippie Movement is long dead. But I digress. Marijuana, the most popular recreational drug in use today, has proved to be the bête noire of many a government around the world and any bill, proposing to legalize it, stirs up controversy as soon as it is introduced into the parliament.
Although a handful of European nations and as many as 15 states in the US have legalized marijuana, illegal possession of marijuana, in India, is a crime under the NDPS (Narcotic & Psychotropic Substances) Act that can earn you ten years in prison.
But long before it earned its ill-repute, the marijuana plant (Cannabis Sativa) was widely known for its curative powers. Its healing properties have been well documented in history as the plant finds its mention in the ancient Vedic texts of the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda, where it is referred to as ‘soma’. Traditionally used by the Ayurvedic healers to treat a wide range of illnesses, marijuana (a.k.a cannabis) was considered medicine for more than 500 years.
Judging by the recent spate of research being conducted on the drug, it is apparent that today, many centuries later, researchers are rediscovering its therapeutic properties. Cannabis is a powerful painkiller and can, reportedly, alleviate neuropathic pain in conditions (mainly multiple sclerosis and spine cancer) where even morphine fails to do so.
According to a research conducted by Institute of Medicine (IOM), cannabis administered on AIDS patients or patients undergoing chemotherapy, has shown to improve appetite and reduce nausea. (In case you are wondering, cannabis-based medicines are not smoked but delivered via an under-the-tongue spray.)
While anti-drug campaigners may liken the legalization of cannabis to opening the floodgates of hell itself, but at a time when doctors and researchers are hard-pressed to find a suitable drug to treat debilitating diseases like AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc, its legalization may prove to be a boon for the thousands of chronically ill patients who continue to languish in hospitals throughout the country. However, a change in the laws requires a significant change in the mindset of the people and decades may pass before the government actually recognizes the remarkable therapeutic potential of the once holy hemp plant.
Is India closer to legalizing cannabis than ever before? Speak up, nation!
Comments
One would think the DEA and ONDCP has doctors or scientists on staff. Sadly this is not so – we would like to see that changed and believe it is a step to
change.
It makes no sense that the DEA and ONDCP are run solely by law enforcement officials. These individuals have no medical or scientific training. It is
obvious they do not take any scientific studies into consideration. Someone in charge of a drug policy should have scientific knowledge about drugs or at
the very least medical training in medicines and drugs. The science done over the last 40 years needs to be taken into consideration, not simply ignored.
Drug policy should be based on science not idealogy.
Please read and sign the letter petition to appoint a doctor or scientist to the DEA and ONDCP.
http://www.change.org/petitions/appoint_a_doctor_or_scientist_to_the_dea_and_ondcp
From all those still fighting for Medicinal Use – Thank you!
To understand medicinal cannabis and adverse effects of prohibition check out
http://activistcat.com/
An easy place to sign petitions
Now includes – Granny’s List – 420 pages of cannabis studies free to download
Marijuana has been repeatedly proven to NOT cause cancer, heart disease, brain damage, liver disease, emphysema, or overdoses, and its addictive potential is about on par with coffee. The DEA is 100% misinformed when it calls marijuana “extremely harmful”!
The marijuana prohibition empowers drug dealers and cartels, and makes our children LESS safe! Because of the failings of the prohibition, our children now have easier access to marijuana than to alcohol! We parents have been patient long enough, we must speak up and demand that marijuana be legally sold to adults in gas stations and supermarkets just as beer and wine are today!
We need laws based on LOGIC, not ideology! We need to Legalize Adult Marijuana sales!!
Marijuana is the safest drug with actual benefits for the user as opposed to alcohol which is dangerous, causes addiction, birth defects, and affects literally every organ in the body. Groups are organizing all over the country to speak their minds on reforming pot laws. I drew up a very cool poster for the cause which you can check out on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/01/vote-teapot-2011.html Drop in and let me know what you think!
Your art is awesome! It’s both original and unique! And yes, I agree, alcohol is worse than marijuana. I think, we need to create more awareness among people about the potential benefits of marijuana as a medicine – you do it through art, I will do it through my writing…
Oh just legalize it already and get it over with.It never was and never will be considered anything else besides a harmless herb to anyone who has actually opened up to it.Its a win win situation for all.
I would like to know exactly WHO started the brainwashing that made it OK to declare a God-made plant illegal, and put folks in cages because they touched, grew, smoked, ate, or touched it. Come on people, wake up! The evil drugs are manufactured by humans…hemp is a revered flowering herb with endless benefits…but it would be bad for the big corporations who profit on our vast supply of pain and illness and depression..especially the PHARMACEUTICAL corporations…THINK ABOUT IT
India will be the last country in the world to look at changing marijuana policies. The rest of the world will have already moved on and in India, people will still be drinking down low quality whiskey and thinking its great and watching Bollywood movies and believing that the nation has real entertainment. North Korea and China are probably the only countries in the world with more mass control and brainwashed citizenry.
I think given that over a million people die in india every year due to tobacco itself and more than half of it due to alchohol, when the figure of deaths is set to rise atleast 5-7% every year due to more and more people getting addicted to tobacco. it will be smart to compare that with marijuana which has killed Zero people in the past 5000 years of its discovery, in time… it has 50,000 uses, ranging to medical to industrial and social benefits… how naive are we humans to ignore so many important things abt the plant for centuries, startles me… Cannabis has now discovered to not only prevent cancerous growth but also reverse or sometimes Cure them…not only this, it can give relief to upto 250 different diseases and prolong the life of a patient even during fatal diseases like epilepsy, tumour, alzeimer, cancer, and 18 other life threating fatal diseases which yet has no cure been found…Not only is it a wonder drug, it is an excellant source of protein both in kids and adults, as well as over all life expectancy and healthy body. I wonder what more has the plant to offer and this exactly should be the motto of all the scienctists to come together in india (like many other countries eg USA, EU, UK, Australia, etc) and start researching in this field of health care to help humanity, help india… Please I urge all of you to study the cannabis plant in greater detail before throwing unsubstantiated opinions about the plant, when the case should be abt discussing the facts… Best of all, it is completely non addictive unlike smoking cig, alcohol or any other drug.
the world is a hopeless place, as long as there are dumbfucks in this world, they wont let good things happen.