The Leaf THE LEAF May-June 2019 | Page 7

The government is taking positive steps with medicinal cannabis, however, and hopefully one day, Australia will be a leading producer of high quality medicinal cannabis. After all, Tasmania produces 50% of the world’s opium, so it’s not like it’s going to be a huge ethical leap. Interesting fact: Australia has the ideal climate for growing different varieties of cannabis. A Quick Primer On Cannabis Oil There are over 500 compounds found in cannabis, and over 85 of these are known as cannabinoids. The most commonly known cannabinoids are CBD and THC. Cannabis also contains over 120 terpenes and flavonoids which contribute to the therapeutic effect of the plant. Many people are aware of, and use, CBD oil, which is not the most medicinal part of the plant, but has effective properties for increasing energy, elevating mood, and providing peace to those who feel troubled. It’s commonly prescribed to those experiencing anxiety and depression, and is regarded as the ‘vitamin C of cannabis’. Whereas CBD is beneficial for its uplifting properties, THC has benefits for rest, sleep and pain relief. Cannabinoids can be used separately or in combination, depending on the specific problem and, if the correct dose is given, will not produce a ‘high’. Did You Know You Have An Endocannabinoid System In Your Body? Here’s an astonishing fact many people don’t know: the human body has an endocannabinoid system – a chemical communication system, just like the hormone system. Our bodies have receptors for cannabinoids – in the brain and in the immune system – just as the uterus has receptors for oxytocin, which is needed for labour to start. Surprisingly, even though the endocannabinoid system was discovered 30 years ago, we don’t hear much about it. You have to wonder why, right? Doctor David Allen is a cardiac surgeon, who changed careers to become a cannabinoid research scientist. He believes the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, and what it can do, will change medicine. He says it is the “single most important medical scientific discovery ever, and will save more lives than the discovery and application of sterile surgical technique”. More people will be saved through the manipulation of the cannabinoid system than with surgery. That’s a pretty big statement for a heart surgeon to make. Please watch the three minute video below: healthdigest.org/2018/07/09/cannabis-oil- would-you-give-it-to-your-child-if-it-took- away-pain-and-suffering/ What Doctor Allen says in the video is the tip of a very big iceberg – one that has been hidden from the public for far too long. In a brilliant opinion piece in The Mercury (a Tasmanian news publication), titled It’s Time To Regulate Medicinal Cannabis And Scrap Legal Penalties, comes this statement: “One must consider the question of why so many people turn to cannabis as an alternative to “conventional medicine”.