HEALTH
BUZZ
THE
PROOF
IS IN
THE POT
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Eryn Kirkwood, MA
Mary Jane. Ganga. Reefer.
Grass. Weed. Dope. Bud.
Herb. Cannabis. These
are but a few of the many,
many slang words and
street terms for the more
commonly referenced
“pot,” or marijuana.
32 MUSCLE MEMORY
Cannabis is the plant spe-
cies from which the flow-
ering bud grows and is
used for its recreational,
medicinal, spiritual, and
therapeutic properties.
Its use dates back thousands
of years to approximately
the third millennium, BC,
and although prohibited and
classified as a Level 1 nar-
cotic until fairly recently,
it is verifiably the most
widely used illegal drug in
the world. Globally, between
128 and 232 million people
between the ages of 15 and
65 have reported using can-
nabis.
| DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019
The 1970s saw a tremendous
upsurge in the number of
people smoking pot recreation-
ally, which went hand in hand
with the freedom of choice and
uninhibited personal expres-
sion that marked the hippie
movement. Recent science, how-
ever, has focused on the impact
of different strains of the cannabis
sativa plant on various health
conditions, widely ranging from
anorexia and insomnia to muscular
dystrophy and even cancer. The
vast amount of anecdotal evidence
encouraged most states in the US
to decriminalize the use of pot
for medicinal purposes, and the
inauguration of our prime minister
in 2015 has seen Canada recently
following suit. Canadians can now
legally purchase, and freely use
marijuana for recreational and
medicinal purposes.
Of greatest interest to health
seekers, however, is not the drug’s
capacity to invoke feelings of
euphoria, or being “stoned,” but its
ability to draw people away from
a pharmaceutical reliance towards
a holistic approach to wellness
(with arguably few or no side ef-
fects, unlike the products of Big
Pharma).