[420 Girl]

Everyone knows about THC- it's the chemical in Cannabis that gets you high, and has a number of documented medical uses. However, because it makes you feel "much too good", many politicians and some doctors are against it. But there is more to Cannabis than plain old "get you high as a kite" THC. There are hundreds of chemicals in natural Cannabis. CBD, cannabidiol, is one of them.

As a psychoactive, get-you-stoned chemical, CBD is one great big flop! Almost no bounce to the ounce! A gentle "mellowing" effect is about the most you can expect even from a massive dose of CBD. But because it comes from the Cannabis plant, our government has banned it.

As a Cannabis plant grows, it produces a chemical that changes into either THC or CBD, depending on the plant's genetics. The recreational/medical strains are high in THC, but are usually very low in CBD. Fiber hemp plants tend to be the opposite- high in CBD with little or no THC.

CBD has many medical uses, and next to THC, it is the most studied of the natural cannabinoids. A 2005 study used CBD and delayed the onset of a form of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in mice. In 2007, neuroscientist Dr. Mary Abood used a THC/CBD mixture and conducted a similar experiment. To her amazement-

"The treatment delayed disease progression by more than seven days and extended survival by six days. In human terms, this would amount to about three years. That's a significant improvement over the only existing ALS drug, riluzole, which extends life by two months."

Three years versus two months! If you had ALS, and were given the choice, would you choose the "conventional" treatment of riluzole, or would you try Cannabis? Could the two medicines compliment each other giving even better results? What would a larger dose of CBD do? Why are there are no studies on this?

Way back in 2001, in the Journal of Palliative Care, Drs. Carter and Rosen stated- "Marijuana is a substance with many properties that may be applicable to the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These include analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction. In addition, marijuana has now been shown to have strong antioxidative and neuroprotective effects, which may prolong neuronal cell survival. In areas where it is legal to do so, marijuana should be considered in the pharmacological management of ALS."

"In areas where it is legal to do so..." If you have ever seen anyone ravaged by ALS, you should be outraged that CBD is not available for all ALS patients. CBD won't get you high, but it may hold the key to ending the misery of ALS. It is time to reschedule cannabis so all the facets of this amazing plant can be freely researched.

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