According to the documentary, a 12th century
painting found in a Sicilian basilica also
“appears to show Jesus near a pot leaf.”
The painting is titled “Jesus healing the
blind.”
Interestingly enough, “modern scientific
studies have since proven that cannabis delays
retinal degeneration,” Rice says.
The American History of Cannabis
In the U.S., the prohibition of marijuana
began to turn in 1996 when California became
the first state to legalise medical cannabis.
Since then, many others have followed.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington state
became the first states to legalise its
recreational use.
Today, the majority of Americans support
cannabis either as a medicine, for recreational
use, or both.
Surveys show at least 4 in 10 Americans have
tried marijuana, while nearly 60 percent
support full legalisation.
A 2013 survey also found a majority of
physicians — 76 percent — approve of the
medical use of marijuana.
CNN’s chief medical correspondent and
neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta even made a
highly publicised reversal on his anti-
marijuana stance after the production of his
two-part series “Weed,” which aired in 2014.
The American history of cannabis goes back
to our Founding Fathers, who cultivated the
plant for industrial purposes.
George Washington, for example, is said to
have grown more than 100 hemp plants at his
home in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Cannabis is called hemp when being used for
its fibres, which are extracted from the stem
and constructed into rope, clothing and paper.
Hemp plants are low in tetrahydrocannabinols
(THC) levels and therefore do not get you
high.
During the 17th century, hemp was viewed as
an important cash crop.
It was used for rope by navies around the
world, and as a thick durable linen ideal for
clothing and packaging heavy materials.
Hemp seed oil was used in soaps, paints and
varnishes.
The battle that has raged over marijuana is a
long and arduous one.
You can read a brief history of marijuana
prohibition in the Huffington Post.
Still, movements to legalise marijuana have
persisted throughout, starting as early as
1973, when Oregon became the first state to
decriminalise cannabis.
The most successful movement to date, and
the one that produced the first legal marijuana
market in decades, is the medical marijuana
movement.
Medical cannabis is now legal in 30 U.S.
states, the majority of which allow limited use
of medical marijuana under certain medical
circumstances, although some limit medical
cannabis to oils or pills only.
A number of municipalities have also created
their
own
marijuana
rules,
either
decriminalising it, legalising it, enacting rules
that direct city law enforcement to cease
arresting
individuals
for
marijuana
possession, or making cannabis offenses the
lowest priority for law enforcement.
What Can Cannabis Treat?
As mentioned, your body makes its own
cannabinoids, similar to those found in
marijuana, but in much smaller amounts.
These endocannabinoids appear to perform
signalling operations similar to your body’s
neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and
serotonin.
Cannabinoid receptors can be found on cell
membranes throughout your body. In fact,
scientists now believe they may represent the
most widespread receptor system.
The fact that your body is replete with
cannabinoid receptors, key to so many
biological functions, is why there’s such
enormous medical potential for cannabis.
Even though research has been limited by its
classification as a Schedule 1 controlled
substance, its list of medicinal benefits is still
quite long.