OPINION
The Tide Has Turned B Y E . P.
Since the early 1900s, cannabis has been illegal in the U.S. and up until recently has had its name and reputation stomped on by individuals driven by greed and hunger. Hemp was grown and used by Native Americans for thread, clothing, paper, and food. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, farmers were encouraged to grow hemp. The Virginia Assembly mandated “that every planter as soon as he may, provide seed of flax and hemp and sow the same.” Hemp was also used as a legal tender to pay taxes and was shipped to England to be used for textiles and paper. Once America gained its independence in the late 18th century, the crop continued to be cultivated. (A fun fact: in 1914, the $10 bill was printed on hemp and featured farmers farming hemp.) Cannabis has met the needs of every society in each age it has found itself moving through — when the people needed sustenance, they were fed; when the people needed to be clothed, they were able to make clothing and shoes from the strong fibers of the hemp plant. In the 21st century, we as a people, in most recent times and more specifically with the current shutdown, have begun to realize how far we have moved from our natural selves. Many accept cannabis as a pathway to bring us back to what matters most — our well being and the homeostasis of our systems. As of late, the media has mainly focused on showing separation and destruction amongst people while ignoring much of the positive progress being made across the nation. Amidst these trying times, we find
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ourselves witnessing one of the greatest revolutions yet — a change in the way we see cannabis, a plant that has not only remediated but also healed individuals, a plant that can change the way we as a society take care of ourselves, mind, body and soul. Cannabis is a plant that will be the portal to balance. Light has overcome dark! I was raised in a country whose people have recently become democratic and have traditionally been led by religious customs. For some, keeping the commandments is what gives them ‘peace of mind,’ by ensuring you at least have something to look forward to one day. I was raised within a community riddled with drug addiction, and a child using any drug was the fear of every parent. It was one of the few things children were scared out of. In my childhood, it was impressed upon me how bad drugs are, especially “dagga” (cannabis), as it was the ‘gateway’ drug. But a gateway to what? I’ve found it to be a gateway to healing. When you use regeneratively grown cannabis for the purpose of healing, and you enjoy it respectfully, you are given the opportunity to create and maintain stasis within your body. Each of us has an endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for ensuring balance of the body’s immune response, communication between cells, and regulation of appetite and metabolism (see curepharmaceutical.com). Today, we have immense information at our fingertips; we live in a time where our education and self-development are in our own hands.
