By Kenya Vardaman-Ramirez,
Contributing Writer,
Long since a source of pain relief, the ancient Chinese termed Cannabis “ma” – its Chinese etymology tracing it to mean “numbness.” In fact, THC, in the ashes of relics, has evidenced that Cannabis was first medically used around 400 AD – according to the National Geographic website – which further explains that, “in the United States, Cannabis was widely utilized as a patent medicine during the 19th and early 20th centuries, described in the United States Pharmacopoeia, for the first time, in 1850.” From that point forward, Cannabis quickly became one of the most widely used ingredients in American medicine. This leaves many, in our culture, to question: “In light of its past ‘medical reign,’ what exactly caused Cannabis’ ‘medical fall from grace’ – and its current resurgence?”
In 1910, uprising and insurgence sent the blood of revolutionaries across Mexican borders – along with its exiled citizens. And, arriving after the Mexican Revolution, indigenous Hispanic customs, like recreational marijuana use, were introduced and integrated into a then-fledgling American society. Consequentially, “recreational marijuana” began a lengthy and beleaguered life in outlaw – as an early 1900’s American media initiated assault on every aspect of Hispanic culture, amid a new and unwanted influx of immigration from Mexico. This initial assault evolved – with “recreational marijuana” being leveled with law after law, ending with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 that finally classified marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance and effectually banned marijuana, all together, in the U. S.
In recent legislation and research, however, marijuana has found its rebirth. According to MPP.org, a website dedicated to the Marijuana Policy Project, “on election day 2020, Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 65, a constitutional ballot initiative to establish a medical marijuana program for patients with debilitating conditions.” And, ABC News has reported, just lately, that marijuana has been federally decriminalized for the first time, adding that “36 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis while 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use.”
ABC News also mentioned that Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said that the legislation “would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country – particularly on communities of color.” Moreover, Leafwell – a self described, “telehealth platform” – is an organization committed to further exploring the dynamic of “cannabis versus the endocannabinoid system.” The website, www.leafwell.co, denotes that this investigation – into the cannabis plant’s effect on the body’s endocannabinoid system – has unfolded important information. The Leafwell website expounds that the cannabis plant’s “cannabinoids” can be used by our body’s endocannabinoid neurotransmitters to chemically communicate with cannabinoid receptors, in our body’s central and peripheral nervous systems, to adequately calm the aches and discomfort inherent in diseases such as cancer. The website, www.leafwell.co, will provide the complete steps that one must follow in obtaining a Medical Marijuana card in Mississippi, once the Mississippi Medical Marijuana program is entirely established in 2021.
Using its telehealth technology, Leafwell intends to actively counter today’s social distancing threats, and help patients in remote and rural areas, by providing online access to a vast network of Medical Marijuana doctors that provide support – from receiving a doctor’s recommendation letter to presenting your Medical Marijuana card in purchasing from licensed Mississippi dispensaries in 2021. Leafwell’s waiting list is open to qualified applicants possessing valid records of their identity, address and pertinent medical history.
Yes, Medical Marijuana is now legal in 33 U.S. states – including Mississippi, the District of Columbia and counting.
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