Misconceived Medicine

The Huffington Post recently published an important pro-cannabis article at a climatic point in time. With potential Californian cannabis legalization looming less than two months away, respected mainstream medical expert, Dr. Andrew Weil (a psychedelically educated Harvard man, let’s not forget), confidently shook off the historical misconceptions of the medicinal plant in his latest Huffington Post article. Dr. Andrew Weil brought to light the long list of medical benefits the herb has to offer:

"Studies have shown potential for treating nausea, vomiting, premenstrual syndrome, insomnia, migraines, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, alcohol abuse, collagen-induced arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, bipolar disorder, depression, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, sickle-cell disease, sleep apnea, Alzheimer's disease and anorexia nervosa."

Dr. Weil also expressed that the most exciting studies have shown that “cannabinoids may have a primary role in cancer treatment and prevention.” He goes on to state that “a number of studies have shown that these [cannabis] compounds can inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animal models.”

Unfortunately, because of the legal status of cannabis, human studies have been inhibited, and the healing properties of this medicinal herb have yet to be fully explored. Hopefully, with the continued increase in cannabis endorsements, especially from such respected medical experts as Dr. Weil, legal pressure will ease in order to further develop a more “mature understanding of its immense therapeutic potential.”

Bravo, Dr. Weil. Even Ram Dass would be proud of your bodacious and timely endorsement.

Image by bixentro on Flickr Courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing