Common And Not So Common Uses For Cannabis

2009.05.03

 In this article, I will outline, very briefly the various uses of cannabis, both common, and not so common. It is common knowledge that cannabis and its by-products have been used for various different purposes over the centuries, sometimes for personal use, sometimes for “religious” ends, and sometimes for medical purposes.

 The religious use of cannabis has raised some eyebrows about how religion is being used as a cover for those who want to get high. Religion has been used to hide many sins or other agendas in the past and cannabis is no exception. The argument  goes that cannabis, or ganja, or marijuana don’t have any religious or spiritual effect at all, just an addictive property to it that some people just have to have, whether they call it a higher spiritual plane or raised cognizance, or the origin of life itself, the intake of those who partake is astounding.It makes one wonder what the hash bag, bong, bubble bags and roaches looked like way back when

 It is amazing how one plant can cause so much of a reaction, either for its “control” over people or for its benefits, medically. In the early 40’s, experimentation with cannabis as a truth drug yielded good results for those who were taking the psychoactive chemical THC, and using it to get information. It was noted that after spiking cigarettes with the chemical THC, it caused the subjects to be very free with information that otherwise was impossible to obtain.

Of course, when you are dealing with any controversial substance that has such a colorful past such as weed, you are bound to get those who will cheat on the quality by making a low grade product seem much higher in quality, for instance, glass particles have been used and even lead to cause the user to think it looked better or felt the right weight so that they would think that they were buying a high quality product, but this always happens to anything that has been deemed illegal. Once the criminal element is involved. Anything goes.

 However, of course, there is the other side to cannabis, and one of the reasons that such a controversy rages over it still, and that other side is medicinal. A synthetic form of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is used to treat many different sorts of ailments or diseases. Cannabis and its active chemical are used in different countries for treatment of a wide range of diseases like HIV, influenza, Alzheimer’s, and for treating the depression that goes with some cancer due to the nausea and vomiting that occur as a side effect of chemotherapy. Cannabis has also been approved by some governments for the treatment of Glaucoma, Asthma, some neurogenic disorders, and has been effective in the treatment of those afflicted with Tourette’s.

            Therefore, the arguments on both sides for the common and not so common use of cannabis will rage on for decades more, but, perhaps, a more enlightened way to enjoy the benefits of it instead of the ill effects will be found.