CHILDREN & MEDICINAL CANNABIS
There are certain rights and privileges given to us by the universe that human lawmakers have deemed illegal. Being deemed illegal by human laws does not negate the rights and privileges given to us by the universe. Deeming something legal or illegal does not make it moral or immoral. The legality of something is not a true test of right or wrong. Right and wrong are issues that are better addressed by an inquiry into whether or not the illegal act does any actual harm to anyone. Does breaking a particular law harm either the individual or society as a whole? The list of such laws is countless, but here I am referring to the use of marijuana.
Anti marijuana laws are based solely on unscientific and untrue propaganda stemming from the 1930's. The purpose of the anti marijuana laws was to diminish the competition with leading corporations at the time that produced inferior products ranging from pharmaceuticals to textiles and fuel. Despite the fact that all of the propaganda was false, the anti marijuana stereotypes still persist today. These anti marijuana laws have the effect of making otherwise law abiding citizens hailed as criminals. This is especially true of parents who choose to utilize medicinal marijuana to treat their child's illness. Rather, parents are expected, even pressured by doctors, to utilize the more "traditional" (using the term loosely) methods of medical treatment.
Traditional methods include, but are not limited to, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplants, prescription pills, experimental drugs and of course, general anesthesia to undergo some of these treatments. Since traditions are passed down over time, it is actually more sensible to consider medicinal marijuana the traditional treatment and to consider these newer and deadly treatments and their life draining side effects more experimental in nature. If nothing else, these newer methods are extremely profitable to the healthcare industry in ways that medicinal marijuana could not be. The healthcare industry is a 2.6 trillion dollar a year industry. That allows for more than enough lobbyists and politicians to benefit from anti marijuana laws than is possible with marijuana legalization.
In spite of this obvious motivation of financial gain that keeps anti marijuana laws on the books, lawmakers continue to insist that the only real motivation for anti marijuana legislation is to protect the public from the supposed harms of marijuana use. But those alleged harms from marijuana use are unfounded and untrue. Anti marijuana laws are what is harmful to individuals and society. Medicinal marijuana is harmful to no one, not even children. Parents facing such a decision have to sum up massive amounts of courage in the face of being arrested, charged, jailed and worst of all, the possibility of having their child taken away from them based on alleged child endangerment.
Medicine is supposed to be based on facts, test trials and their outcomes. Propaganda and lies are neither medicine nor fact. The medical facts about medicinal marijuana and children have proven that marijuana is safe for use with children and that there are no long term side effects. The only side effects noted were dizziness and disorientation that lasted only a few hours. Such side effects are nominal at most and allow parents to give their child the best possible medicinal option without the life draining side effects of the more profitable options available through the more common and dangerous medical treatments listed above.
There are countless anecdotal stories of children being treated with medicinal marijuana. Most had already gone through the current medical treatments and the agony and side effects of those treatments prior to turning to medicinal marijuana. Story after story recounts the tragedies of current methods and the life saving effects they finally obtained with marijuana use. Children as young as 8 months old have been successfully treated with medicinal marijuana where all current treatments had failed. I could recite them all, but instead I refer the reader to articles such as US NEWS AND WORLD REPORTS article entitled "Medical Marijuana is Safe for Children" and GROWING MEDICAL's article entitled "Studies Show Benefit of Medical Marijuana for Children" as well as ABC NEW's article entitled "Marijuana as Alternative Treatment with OCD and Autism" just to name a few.
The medical facts about medicinal marijuana are that, "The cannabinoid acids in cannabis have been found to have anti-proliferative, anti-neoplastic, anti-inflammatory, anti-epileptic, anti- ischemic, anti-diabetic, anti-psychotic, anti-nausea, anti-spasmodic, antibiotic, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant functions. The anti-neoplastic action of cannabis (inhibiting development of malignant cells) was recognized in the 1970's and patented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2003". (cited from William Courtney M.D.)
The gist of the various articles is that medical peer reviews that reject medical marijuana are profiting from the current 2.6 trillion dollar healthcare industry. Parents who chose cannabinoid concentrates or other medicinal marijuana options for their child were able to spare their child the horrifying experience of currently accepted treatments. The healthcare industry lost out on a million dollar sale each time a parent chose medicinal marijuana over the million dollar treatment options. The outcome in each testimonial was the same. Medicinal marijuana is safe for use with children. Tumors shrunk, epilepsy became manageable, cancer and scar tissue disappears, OCD evaporates, and the list goes on.
People once believed that the earth was flat. Time and experience have proven that theory to be wrong. Slavery was once legal and helping a slave run away for freedom was illegal. Today we know that breaking such a law was the right thing to do despite it's illegality. The anti marijuana propaganda that supports anti marijuana laws was once commonly accepted as true. People believed marijuana was dangerous to both body and mind. Today we know that propaganda is untrue and unacceptable.
It is not enough to rely on propaganda and lies in order to secure monetary profits. It is not enough to say it is wrong because it is illegal and therefore inappropriate for medical use. It is not enough to say that the doctor said it was dangerous or wrong. What is enough is to educate one's self on the real medical benefits of medicinal marijuana and if it is right for your child, to choose that option over all others. No one will protect your child more ferociously and more lovingly than you will. If medicinal marijuana is right for your child, use it. It could be the one thing that will change their life for the better and could even save their life.
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