The Leaf THE LEAF Sept-Oct 2018 | Page 31

“No medical value” in the U.S. Though $100,000 can go quickly in scientific research, the federal government’s generosity helped fund these incredible discoveries. So, after all of that funding, why is cannabis still seen as having “no medical value” by the DEA and other governmental agencies? In 2013, the NIH released even a study that described that the endocannabinoid system plays a role in “essentially every human disease”. The U.S. government currently holds a patent on cannabinoids as a neuroprotective antioxidant, which is helpful in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Harvard-trained, medical cannabis prescribing doctor in Colorado, explained that the U.S. doctors had no trouble prescribing the herb prior to the Reefer Madness era. He tells Newsweek, Marijuana was an integral part of American medicine for more than 100 years, from the 1830s through the 1940s, and it was used safely and effectively for all of that time. – Shackelford What gives? So, what’s with all of the hypocrisy? Recently, large pharmaceutical companies have made substantial donations to anti- legalisation campaigns. At the same time, other companies have received special permission to test cannabis-based pharmaceuticals in U.S. patients. Yet, everyday doctors who wish to prescribe the herb cannot since the herb has Schedule 1 status. All but a select few independent and pharmaceutical researchers are blocked from experimenting with cannabis on U.S. soil. Though the federal government has respected state rights thus far, patients, recommending doctors, and cannabis businesses are still shunned to remain in a grey area of the law. With all of this evidence, it’s time for real change. Already, many of the U.S. states have implemented some form of cannabis reform. With the majority in favour, why is there still a delay? https://herb.co/marijuana/news/israeli- cannabis-research/