The Tide Has Turned

Opinion BY 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 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.

Through observation and travels, I have come across individuals who were raised, like myself, to believe that things such as cannabis are ‘no good,’ only to realize through education and experience that it may be in our best interest to reeducate ourselves. We can use this time to equip our minds, our greatest assets.

Cannabis is a plant with multiple uses, and it has so much to offer the planet. It has been found through scientific studies that hemp can be used for a process called phytoremediation, which is used to remove radioactive elements from soil and water. The vastness of uses of the cannabis/hemp plant will continue to amaze you the more you learn, hear, and discover for yourself.

In our recent past, we have witnessed several states sue Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, owned by the Sackler family. The lawsuits argued that the family was responsible for starting and sustaining the opioid crisis, according to NBC News. In October 2020, the makers of OxyContin pled guilty to federal criminal charges and settled to pay eight billion dollars in damages.

The opioid crisis is an epidemic that has cost many their lives and has seen even more lose their quality of life due to addiction. The lawsuit mentioned above is a step toward holding companies accountable for the degradation of the well being of people. As the nation strives toward wholeness, the case brings hope to those individuals and families who have been affected and impacted by addiction and is also a reminder that their well being matters. By acknowledging the benefits of organic alternatives (namely cannabis), we can offer safer options for patients currently seeking relief from medications we know to be harmful — and prevent future addiction in the first place.

In early December 2020, the legalization of cannabis appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives via the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. The House voted in favor of MORE (228-164), marking the first time in half a century that a chamber of Congress voted on a bill to end the federal prohibition of marijuana. The legislation is now with the Senate and, if passed, will decriminalize marijuana on the federal level, allowing states to set their own cannabis laws. Further, the legislation allows for the release and expungement of certain federally charged individuals and a 5% commercial cannabis tax to be reinvested into communities that have been most impacted by cannabis prohibition laws. .

The impact that decriminalizing cannabis would have not only on the American people but also on the world at large is enormous. As is known to many immigrants, where America goes, the world tends to follow. Passing this legislation would help not only those who have been imprisoned for nonviolent cannabis-related cases, but also ease restrictions on further studies into the medicinal uses of cannabis.

2020 has presented us with many changes and challenges, many for the better and in line with our well being. The tide has turned. Cannabis is slowly becoming accepted once again, as we see more research exploring the uses and properties of the herb. With these changes comes a chance to transform the way we have lived, in terms of medicine, materials, and paper, to mention a few. At a time when we could focus on all that is not going as it should, may hope be restored that soon we may live in a country where therapy and prevention are the first priority. As late herbalist Dr. Sebi said, “healing has to be consistent with life itself. If it isn’t, then it is not healing.”

What we put into our bodies is what is used to repair our cells. By giving our bodies life — clean water, regeneratively grown food, and rest — healing can take place.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW BOURGEOIS