Forget The Magic Beanstalk, Give Me A Magic Cannabis Plant

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It’s been another one of those days, at first, I am greeted by the pain of getting out of bed.  My back reminds me of just how mortal I actually am.  The rest of the day is no better, a trip from my office to the kitchen for another cup of coffee proves to be too much for my right knee.  The fire burning in my hands is making it increasingly difficult to grasp things with any kind of mastery. The pain that arthritis inflicts helps one remember just how mortal you are.  My kingdom for just one pain free day!

Oh, sure there are medical solutions, and doctors do not hesitate to break out that magic little pad where all of your troubles can be whisked away with the stroke of a pen.  First, they will recommend a drug which requires a blood test every thirty days to see how much your life will be shortened.  I have good news and I have bad news, the good news is your pain is gone, the bad news, your life has been shortened by 5 years.  And if you are one of the millions of Americans without health insurance, hold on to your arthritis bedeviled arse.  The cost of arthritis meds can be staggering.

You all remember Jack and the Bean Stalk, right?  He sold off the cow for magic beans, then eventually steals the giant’s gold, yadda, yadda, yadda (no offense to you lovers of literature or my son-in-law, who is Jewish).  Well, now there is something that you can trade your gold for that is just as magical as jacks’ beans—marijuana and THC products.  Now, marijuana is not a new thing, but in recent years it has become legal in many states to use for medical purposes. Some states have even gone so far as to legalize marijuana for recreational use (bless those states!).  The trend has certainly moved well through the more leftist states and those states who suddenly had an epiphany about the sales of pot products and tax revenues they can generate.

As of 2020 marijuana is legal in 33 states (predominantly medical use), most states are blue states with a few of the red states joining (again, probably for tax revenues).  Most all of the US states have provisions that allow for some medical usage of THC components (chemical extract from marijuana) mostly as a pain or anxiety reducer.  You can tell that the idea of cannabis being used for medical purposes (mostly) is an idea that is catching on.  This is happening with no thanks to big pharmaceutical companies who have done all they can to block these products.  Even states that have legalized the magic plant for medical use have run into roadblocks that have been created by drug lobbyists, politicians, and Christian political donors. 

Even after marijuana has been approved by voters, anti-marijuana groups and politicians have found ways to delay and frustrate the implementation of the new laws and distribution networks.  These groups continually decry the danger of the use of marijuana with the claim that it is a gateway drug.  They sound like the old paranoid schoolteacher you had who believed every student was using drugs and they were all going to take over the world and ruin it.  I wonder what that teacher would say now, the world is ruined and yet it was mostly done by those who oppose the legalization of pot.

With empirical data overwhelmingly demonstrating the benefits of cannabis and THC infused products, doesn’t it stand to reason that marijuana should be taken off drug schedule A?  If we could somehow get the rest of the country to cooperate with these findings, then the increase of producer permits would decrease the cost of the pot.  This would make the magical substance cost much less than that of chemically produce pharmaceutical products. 

A recent report has shown that deaths from opioid addiction have reached some 200,000 people annually.  The major cause of these deaths is linked to the misuse of fentanyl, which is being substituted for the common opioid, prescription oxycontin.  Those taking the phony pills are unaware that they are fake and contain enough fentanyl to kill them.  It has also been reported that there is enough fentanyl in the US to kill nearly all of its 325+ million citizens.  Imagine the role that cannabis could play in solving this crisis with complete legalization and the subsequent reduction in the cost of the product.

I totally get it that legalization of pot has eroded the profits of the pharmaceutical monopolies.  Boo-freaking-who, after years of making billions of dollars off of poor US citizens and opioid addicts alike, maybe it is time for our government and “Big Pharma” to step up and give something back to the people for once.  Our current president, Rip Van POTUS, has long been against the legalization of marijuana.  Maybe if he used some of it himself, it would help to ameliorate his sour-puss attitude.  Some THC products can actually increase your energy, perhaps Rip could use some and stay awake at the podium.

Being serious for a moment, I do not advocate for the use of pot while operating equipment, especially automobiles or anything on the roadways.  But when used in a controlled manner, in a safe environment, THC products have an incredible effect on arthritis, anxiety, or any other kind of pain.  For myself, a serious arthritis sufferer, the substance is something of pure magic.  Oh sure, there is a buzz factor, but fuck, who couldn’t use that today?  The world around us is collapsing into a steaming pile of societal dung.  Anxiety is one of the top ailments for which THC is a blessed cure, and right now I think we all are suffering from some form of anxiety.

With so many varieties of marijuana-based products available for so many ailments, we have to get serious about the total inclusion of THC in our healthcare world.  With most drug costs skyrocketing doesn’t a more natural substance (instead of corporate chemicals) make better sense to help with the endless pain and suffering?  Approved home growing kits would make a great hobby to grow your own pain relief.  Hobbies are proclaimed to reduce stress and improve your overall health.  Imagine a hobby where you can further release stress by partaking in the finished product—brilliant?

For decades, the resistance against cannabis has waged on, yet with each passing year, we discover how many benefits a magical little plant can give us.  Those of us who support the use of pot and related products need to become more vocal about law changes and the hope of easier access.  I can totally attest that I am in no way addicted to it.  But on the days of severe arthritis pain, you bet your sweet arse that I reach for one of those blessed, miraculous gummies.  I set back and wait for the pain to disappear into a realm of sweet sensation and relief.  With this opioid crisis that plagues us isn’t it time to turn to a more natural and less-lethal alternative?  As always, this is just my opinion!

The Grumpy Old Fart Citizen

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