Back in the 1930s, the United States government made marijuana illegal -- both for recreational use and for medical use. And in the 1970s, the Nixon administration doubled-down on that by declaring a "war on drugs" (and made marijuana one of the primary drugs they attacked).The reason they gave for making marijuana illegal was that it was a dangerous drug. At the time, many people accepted that, but we now know it was just a lie to get people to accept the law. Marijuana is probably the safest drug known to man -- a drug that cannot cause death by overdose, and is much safer that almost every legal drug.
The truth is that the law wasn't passed because marijuana was dangerous. It was passed as a tool for social control -- first for the control of Blacks and Hispanics, and then later for White counter-culture young people. Fortunately, people are starting to realize that the government lied to them. More now know marijuana is not dangerous, and should never have been labeled as a dangerous drug.
But that was not the only lie the government told about marijuana. They also claimed there was no legitimate medical use for marijuana. That laughable, because marijuana has been used for medical purposes for thousands of years. And most doctors today will admit that marijuana has properties that can be used to treat many medical conditions.
Now we learn that marijuana may be even more medically useful than even its supporters knew. The federal government now admits that marijuana may well be useful in the treatment of cancer -- a vicious disease that afflicts far too many people in this country (and the world). Take note of this quote from a report by the National Institute of Health's National Cancer Institute (a U.S. government agency):
Antitumor activity
- Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studieshave shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells.
- A study in mice showed that cannabinoids may protect against inflammation of the colon and may have potential in reducing the risk of colon cancer, and possibly in its treatment.
- A laboratory study of delta-9-THC in hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) cells showed that it damaged or killed the cancer cells. The same study of delta-9-THC in mouse models of liver cancer showed that it had antitumor effects. Delta-9-THC has been shown to cause these effects by acting on molecules that may also be found in non-small cell lung cancer cells and breast cancer cells.
- A laboratory study of cannabidiol (CBD) in estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells showed that it caused cancer cell death while having little effect on normal breast cells. Studies in mouse models of metastatic breast cancer showed that cannabinoids may lessen the growth, number, and spread of tumors.
- A laboratory study of cannabidiol (CBD) in human glioma cells showed that when given along with chemotherapy, CBD may make chemotherapy more effective and increase cancer cell death without harming normal cells. Studies in mouse models of cancer showed that CBD together with delta-9-THC may make chemotherapy such as temozolomidemore effective.
Personally, I think marijuana should be legalized for possession and use by any adults. But one thing is becoming very clear -- that denying sick people the medicinal benefits of marijuana is unethical and immoral. Marijuana should, at the very least, be legalized for medical use in every state. And the federal government should investigate much more thoroughly the medical uses for this wonder drug.
