Why Hemp Is A Cash Crop Just Waiting To Happen. Again.

Hemp is a plant that has been cultivated in parts of the world for 10-12,000 years – possibly longer – and is estimated to have between 25,000 to 50,000 uses, with 5,000 uses in the textiles industry alone. Hemp has had a bad rap in the United States, supposedly thanks to the protectionist policies of a powerful few people in government and industry who had investments in key industries including pulp and paper. Hemp was lumped together marijuana usage, and used to pass the Marijuana Tax Act, partially by misinforming Congress and leveraging racial politics of the 1930s.

The hemp plant, originating in Asia, has the scientific name Cannabis Sativa L. (Linnaeus). There are three variants of the cannabis plant: cannabis sativa sativa, cannabis sativa indica, and cannabis sativa ruderalis. The first is what is used for industrial hemp; the second associated with marijuana production. Hemp comes from a strain of cannabis that is significantly lower in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) than the strain we think of as the drug marijuana (cannabis sativa indica), and hence does not have the pyschoactive properties of the latter.

Industrial Hemp Crop Uses

Industrial hemp uses, as noted above, number as high as 50,000. A table of usage categories is shown below, taken from a document published by the University of Vermont Legislative Research Shop, as identified by the Canadian Department of Agriculture and Food in 2007. The table is split into three categories: hemp seed use, hemp oil use, hemp fibre use.

Hemp Seed Product Uses	Hemp Oil Product Uses	Hemp Fibre Product Uses
Confectionary	Cooking	Fabric
Beer	Salad Dressing	Insulation
Flour	Dietary Supplements	Carpeting
Feed	Body Care Products	Paneling
Dietary Fibre	Fuel	Pulp and Paper
Snacks	Detergents	Recycling Additive
Non-dairy Milk and Cheese	Spreads	Automobile Parts
Baking	Paint	Animal Bedding and Mulch

In addition to the table above, other uses of hemp include but are not limited to:

• Medicine: sedatives, analgesics
• Textiles, including sails for ships
• Food products: e.g. tea, snack bars, cereal, etc.
• Body care/ hygiene: e.g., creams, lotions, ointments, salves, tinctures, soap, shampoo
• Clothing
• Rope/ cordage
• Linoleum backing
• Artist’s canvas for painting. Historically, these were made from hemp. (“Canvas” is a word with French, Latin and Greek origins and means either cannabis/hemp or made with such.)
• Plastics
• Dynamite and TNT
• HempCrete (one of several building materials made from hemp)
• Livestock and pet feed: e.g., bird feed
• Oil for cooking
• Oil for lamps (sometimes in religious ceremonies)
• 
  

This is a tiny list, and given just these uses, it’s easy to understand why the paper, fuel and other industries were afraid of hemp — especially if there really are as many as 50,000 uses. In the Jan 1938 issue of Popular Mechanics was an article about hemp being a future cash crop.

Some Health and Evironmental Benefits of Hemp

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation where there’s a ban on industrial hemp farming, despite the proven benefits, both in the U.S. in the past, and in other countries. Hemp is thought of by some as a superfood. In addition to the food and body care uses listed above, here are some noted health benefits. (This is not a claim of health benefits, only a summary of outcomes documented in both studies and historic use. Please consult your health care practitioner if you have any concerns.)

• Hemp is numerous medical uses, as historical use in other countries as well as in the U.S. show. For example, various hemp extracts in medicine include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, epileptic fits and more.
• Once one of the largest agricultural crop in the world (including in the U.S.), until about 1883, hemp was used in the U.S. for a number of purposes, including fabrics, paper, fiber, lighting oil and medicine. In fact, according to the documentary movie “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” (available on YouTube; see references), 50% of medicines “in the last half of the 19th century (in the U.S.) was made from cannabis.”
• Over 60 molecular compounds known as cannabinoids are only found in cannabis. One such compound, THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), is the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. Another is CBD (cannabidiol), is found in in hemp strains of cannabis. CBD is considered to be an anti-pyschoactive and has been used for medicinal/ healthcare uses, including reducing epileptic seizures, amongst other users.
• Hemp seeds have up to 24% protein, a handful of which satisfies an adult’s minimum daily requirement of protein.
• Hemp seeds have all the essential amino acids that human bodies need but cannot produce. These amino acids aid muscle control, brain function, and regular maintenance of body cells, tissues, muscles, and organs, and collectively help the body’s immune system.
• Hemp seeds have a 1:3 ratio of EFAs (essentially fatty acids) Omega-3 to Omega-6. This is thought to be an ideal ratio by some health and wellness professionals.
• Hemp also has Omega-9 and other EFAs. Collectively, EFAs in hemp are good for heart health, for various reasons, including dissolves plaque in arteries and reducing blood cholesterol. EFAs also have anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Omega-3, found particularly in hemp seeds, lowers blood pressure and reduces risk of cardiovascular disease. It potential delays or reduces the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
• Omega-6 helps regulate metabolism, aids brain function, and stimulates growth of skin and hair, amongst other benefits.
• Hemp seeds contain a higher level of EFAs than any other known oil made from nuts or seeds.
• In addition to EFAs and amino acids, hemp seed oil has GLAs (gamma linoleic acids), polyunsaturated fatty acids and more — all of which are valuable to hair and skin care.
• Hemp seeds and protein powder can regulate blood sugar – due to the protein and fiber slowing digestion — and can make you feel fuller longer you feel fuller, especially when taken with breakfast.
• Smoking hemp cannot get you high as with marijuana, due to the extremely low THC levels. As well, CBD in hemp blocks the psychoactive properties of any negligible THC content that might be present. Marijuana strains of cannabis are harvested for the leaves and buds. Hemp strains are harvested for the stalk and seeds. Any attempt to extract THC from hemp plants would not be worthy the costly effort.
• Consuming hemp-based products will thus not negatively affect any drug tests for THC.
• Hemp oil can be used to produce non-toxic, biodegradable inks and paints.
• Using hemp for paper production takes less toll on the environment, which ultimately is beneficial for our health. For example, tree-based paper production generates “harmful dioxins, chloroform and over 2,000 chlorinated organic compounds,” which hemp does not. Hemp-based paper production also requires less chemicals.
• Hemp crops can be harvested around four months after seed is planted, compared to the decades or longer for trees (depending on their intended use). Thus hemp crops can help with the deforestation that ultimately affects animal and plant habitats, and the environment in general.
• Hemp fuel, turned into ethanol form, burns more cleanly than other fuels.
• Ethanol use produces energy, water vapor and carbon dioxide — the latter of which can be absorbed by plants, resulting in a sustainable cycle.

Facts and Statistics About Hemp

Here are is a relatively small list of general facts about hemp.

• Hemp is thought to be the first domestically-cultivated plant, with evidence of hemp fabric dating to 8,000 years ago found in Turkey (former-day Mesopotamia). Other evidence suggests cultivation further back by two or more thousands of years.
• The word hemp has been used in the past to Europe to describe other fiber plants, including sisal and jute.
• Beer hops (Humulus genus) are a close cousin of genus Cannabis, both of which fall under family Cannabaceae.
• Hemp products are now legal in the United States, although ingredients or end products are currently imported from other countries – particularly Canada.
• Hemp was not always treated as the same as marijuana by the U.S. government.
• The word “marihuana” (now marijuana) was coined in the 1890s, but not used until the 1930s by the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics (replaced by the DEA) to refer to all forms of cannabis.
• According to the documentary “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” (available at YouTube), the first marijuana law in the United States was enacted in 1619, in Jamestown Colony, Virginia, and actually required farmers to grow hemp. Benjamin Franklin used hemp in his paper mill – one of the country’s first – and the first two copies of the Declaration of Independence were supposedly written on hemp paper.
• In parts of the Americas, hemp was legal tender and could be used to pay taxes.
• Hemp paper is stronger than wood-based paper, and can withstand more folding. In general, hemp has strongest natural fiber of any source.
• Hemp paper hundreds of years old (found in museums) has not yellowed, and is thus a high quality paper of archival quality.
• Marijuana plants cannot be hidden amongst hemp plants. The former grows wide and less tall (5-10 feet), whereas the latter is grown more densely and taller (10-15 feet), to produce maximum stalk fiber lengths.
• Hemp can grow nearly anywhere in the world, in many types of soil — even in short growing seasons or in dry regions — and helps purify soil as well as kills some types of weeds
• Hemp can grow without pesticides. The crop is also kills some weeds, purifies soil, and is suitable for rotation use, due not only to its short harvest cycle (120 days).
• Hemp is a high-yield crop. One acre of hemp produces twice as much oil as one acre of peanuts, and nearly four times as much fiber pulp (for paper) as an acre of trees.
• Hemp paper is naturally acid-free and does not yellow as quickly as tree pulp-based paper.
• Hemp has the strongest (and longest) plant fiber in the world, resistant to rot and abrasion, and was in long use before DuPont patented nylon in 1937. It was used for ship rigging, military uniforms, parachute webbing, baggage and more.
• Because of its strength, hemp fiber can be be used for composite materials that could be used to make anything from skateboard decks to car and stealth fighter bodies.
• A hemp composite material (with limestone and water) forms a type of concrete (hempcrete) that can be used for home building, at 1/9th the weight. It also acts as insulation and repels some vermin.
• Levi jeans were originally made from hemp sailcloth (and rivets), for goldminers in California, who would fill their pockets with gold.
• By the 1800s, the state of Kentucky produced about half of the industrial hemp in the U.S. The first hemp crop there was planted in Boyle County in 1775.
• Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, created a plastic car in 1941 which ran on hemp and other plant-based fuels, and whose fenders were made of hemp and other materials. Ford had a plan to “grow automobiles from the soil.” (Note: a company in France is experimenting with a similar vehicle in current day.)
• Despite the active Marijuana Tax Act and the official federal government stance on hemp and marijuana, the U.S. Army and the Dept of Agriculture jointly produced a 1942 film, “Hemp for Victory,” encouraging farmers to grow hemp for the country’s effort in World War II — particularly for textiles and rope, imports of which had been cut off by war. Over 100,000 acres of hemp was growing in the U.S., but all related permits were canceled when WW II ended.

The American Market for Hemp-Based Products

A February 1938 Popular Mechanics article (republished at Kannaway.com) titled “New Billion-Dollar Crop” was published around the same time that the Marijuana Tax Act took effect (Jan 1938), though it was prepared in 1937. The article referred to the potential for industrial hemp to be a billion dollar cash crop across numerous industries, with over 5,000 uses for the textile industry alone, as well as over 25,000 total uses including dynamite, Cellophane and more. At the time, hemp yield was about 3-6 tons per acre, and new machinery called a decorticator could harvest the crop more cheaply than ever — supposedly even more so than DuPont’s chemical process for harvesting trees for pulp and paper products. In 2014 dollars, the equivalent market potential would be nearly $17B. However, with a much larger populace now, the market could likely be much larger.

With industrial hemp crops still being illegal to grow in the United States, except in certain states, the market for hemp products here is at the billion-dollar level yet. However, hemp product use is legal and growing. The HIA (Hemp Industries Assocation) — which represents over “280 farmers, processors, manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, researchers and publishers worldwide” — published their estimates in Feb 2014, for the U.S. hemp-based products market for 2013. Here are some of those statistics.

• $581M — The total value of hemp products sold in the United States in 2013.
• Items that are doing particularly well are in the hemp food and body care market, particularly “non-dairy milk, shelled seed, soaps and lotions.”
• The total for hemp foods and body care alone is under-reported, due to retailers that do not supply sales data. Based on available sales data, the total for these categories was over $61.4M, an increase of 24% ($11.89M) over 2012 (year end Dec 23).
• 
  

Due to the growing American demand for hemp products, Canadian farmers are increasing acreage for hemp crops. “U.S. farmers’ frustration at being shut out of the lucrative worldwide hemp market is catalyzing real movement throughout all levels of government to legalize industrial hemp,” according to Eric Steenstra, Executive Director of the HIA.

A Farm Bill amendment was passed in early 2014 that allows states with their own passed hemp legislation to do industrial hemp research. Two more separate bills – the “Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013″ and a companion bill – were introduced in congress in Feb of 2013. Collectively the bills, if passed, would allow removing industrial hemp from the definition of “marihuana” (in the Controlled Substances Act) and “give states the exclusive authority to regulate the growing and processing of the (industrial hemp) crop under state law.” This refers to the “non-drug oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis.”

• As of the end of Feb 2014, 32 states had introduced pro-hemp legislation; 20 passed their legislation.
• 10 states have defined industrial hemp as distinct from marijuana and thus allow the crop to be farmed: California, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia.
• 3 states passed bills for “creating commissions or authorizing research”: Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland.
• 9 states passed resolutions: California, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Vermont, Virginia.
• 8 states passed study bills: Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota and Vermont.
• 2+ states, including Kentucky and Colorado, have pilot programs for hemp research starting spring 2014.

As to why hemp became illegal in the United States in the 1930s, there is evidence that hemp was perceived to be a threat to a number of industries, including pulp and paper, oil, medicine and others, and that certain powerful people had personal stakes for preventing hemp’s success. If you’re interested in learning more, search for information on hemp and marijuana in relation to the following topics/ search terms:

• Andrew Mellon, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury for five presidents (Woodrow Wilson through Herbert Hoover), and head of Mellon Bank and other companies, who had invested money in a pulp and paper operation.
• Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
• Harry Anslinger, nephew-by-marriage to Mellon, and first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a branch of the Treasury Dept — previously a deputy commissioner of the Prohibition campaign. (Alcohol prohibition was repealed in 1933, meaning that campaign staff likely needed new jobs.)
• William Randolph Hearst, owner of the newspaper and magazine publishing giant Hearst Corporation, who had also invested money in timber and wood paper mills, which would be using DuPont chemicals in the process.
• DuPont, a chemical company that had invested in a chemical process to cheaply produce pulp and paper, and who had patented nylon as a replacement material for rope / cordage and other products.
• Pharmaceutical companies, who were just starting to produce synthetic medicines to replace natural medicines.
• Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.

References

1. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-hemp-2.html
2. http://www.hempfarm.org/Papers/HempFacts.html
3. http://kannaway.com/magazine/history-of-hemp/new-billion-dollar-crop-popular-mechanics-february-1938/
4. http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/content/hemp.mj.html
5. http://rediscoverhemp.com/
6. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/05/hemp-seeds-oils-baking-eating-is-legal.html
7. http://www.thehia.org/PR/2012-09-19-Market_for_Hemp_Food.html
8. https://www.uvm.edu/~vlrs/Agriculture/industrialhemp.pdf
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT-UIe7l3-Q

9 Ways to Deepen Healing with Cannabis and Consciousness

Waking Times

The clinical cannabis experience and consciousness research have independently demonstrated 9 mechanisms to deepen our healing process. Each of these mechanisms are subject to conscious intervention, and the more we know and understand about them the easier we can achieve the kind of healing that goes beyond the mere management of symptoms, and bring about profound and positive changes in the quality of our lives.

For instance, consciousness research in cancer has discovered that the single most common trait that determined cancer survival had been a sense of emotional authenticity. Similarly, many cannabis-using patients suffering from various cancers report disease regression in connection with the deep relaxation and frame of mind that makes it easier to accept one-self in the present moment even in the presence of otherwise intolerable feeling or emotions.

Another example, chronic negative affect, or the tendency to feel constricting emotions such as fear, worry and stress have been determined to harm our well being just as the opposite has been proven true. Cannabis is broadly recognized for its capacity to diminish negative affect and replace it with a gentle attitude, an easy smile and more optimistic outlook, all of which have proven to support out natural self-healing abilities.

Forgiveness has demonstrated a powerful ability to supercharge our healing process. Cannabis has the capacity to send a pink slip to the slave driver in the back of our mind that insists on punishment and blame as tools for growth and motivation. As a result, implementing forgiveness becomes easier and more elegant, and in doing so contributes to our healing.

Whether we are choosing to work with cannabis as an ally, whether we are working with consciousness alone, or whether we use a combination of both – the more we become conscious about these 9 natural mechanisms to deepen our healing process, the more our natural healing abilities multiply. Some will appear more familiar to us, others may take a little effort to master, but all can be learned, applied, and used to deepen our health and healing.

1) Release Suppressed and Repressed Emotions

Clinical trials have shown show that chronically suppressed or repressed emotions exacerbate a variety of medical conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer and thus eventually reduce life expectancy. While suppressed or repressed emotions can make us sick and shorten our lives, they can be found, acknowledged and released.

2) Replacing Chronic Negative Emotions with Habit for Positive Emotions

Studies have shown that persistent experiences of negative emotions and stressful experiences can worsen chronic degenerative illnesses.

The opposite is true for long-standing habits (daily exercise) and entrenched ways of thinking (seeing the best in people). Being prone to expressing expansive or positive emotions strengthens the immune system, improves quality of life and contributes to longevity.

3) Taking Ownership of Where We Are – Self-Acceptance 


When we lack conscious ownership of thoughts and emotions that we have labeled intolerable or unacceptable, we spend a significant amount of energy engaged in avoidance mechanisms. For example, we may try to avoid unacknowledged emotions by bingeing on “comfort” foods that in fact make us ill.

To reverse the damaging influence of our avoidance strategies, and the loss of vital energy that comes with it, it is important to begin by accepting where we are, no matter where we find ourselves. We need to find ways to accept and honor ourselves when we are experiencing self-pity, entitlement, envy, hostility, grief, despair, loneliness, shame, or any thought or emotional state we have previously labeled intolerable or unacceptable. We don’t have to linger in this emotional state, but in order to shift our experience we must first accept where we are. Studies have shown that honest self-expression, alone or with a close and trusted friend(s), reduce both the frequency and the intensity of seemingly intolerable states of mind.

4) Conscious Choice – Healthy Choice

Every instant we are making a choice. And, these choices are not limited to the obvious, do I go right or left but include any number of perspectives each with different consequences to our physical and emotional health and well being. For instance, a fear-based choice can safe our life if we are standing near a cliff but can also prevent us from loving life or learning from new experiences. Generally speaking a choice based on unwarranted fear tends to be an unhealthy one and one grounded in appropriate love a healthy one. 

5) Gratitude and Happiness

A simple gratitude exercise in which patients at UC Davis’ Medical Center were instructed to write down five things they were grateful for every day, using no more than one sentence to describe each item. After two months, researchers noted a heightened sense of well-being, more hours of sleep, reduced pain, increases in optimism, happiness, fewer physical symptoms, positive states of alertness, greater attentiveness and determination, high energy, positive moods, feeling connected to others, increased empathy towards others, and more positive attitudes toward their family.

6) Forgiveness

Psychoneuroendocrinology, the study of the interplay between emotions and hormones, has shown that hormone profiles respond to forgiveness. In one study, merely imagining forgiving an offender produced measurable improvements in heart rate and blood pressure compared to study participants who were instructed to imagine not forgiving them.

7) Replace Unhealthy Beliefs with Healthy Ones

In the context of health and healing, it is important to understand that beliefs are not right or wrong, good or bad. Beliefs are just recipes for various emotional responses, each of which have physiological consequences.

For instance, people with significant fear-based belief(s) will often try to control their environment and the people in it. One of many expressions of a fear-based belief structure can be a type A personality, which numerous studies have shown to be involved in the genesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Fortunately, we can choose to nourish or banish any beliefs we have made conscious.

8) Disease is a Message – Answer the Demand for Change

Depending on severity diseases are a request or demand for change. In a way disease allows us to experience physically any unfinished mental, emotional or spiritual work in need of our attention.

When we are finally ready to respond to the demand for change, it is paramount to interpret and understand the message correctly. If the message indicates that we must express emotions we have labeled “unacceptable” or face memories we have repressed, then this is the corrective action required to alter the internal landscape of our psyche.

9) Overcome Resistance to Healing (and Using Illness to 
Manipulate)

When resistance to healing is present, a part of the self attributes something positive to the presence of the disease. Perhaps the most difficult thing to do in deep healing is to examine the reasons why we might not want to heal.

A reluctance to completely heal could be a reflection of our yearning for attention from others, a belief that we deserve punishment, misplaced family loyalties, fear of loss, or an idea like “as long as I am sick she will never leave me.”

If this reluctance to fully heal is not addressed and resolved, we will consciously or unconsciously nourish the disease rather than our health. By owning, forgiving and releasing the resistance we speed recovery.

About the Author

Uwe Blesching Ph.D., has written this article based on his research conducted for the book entitled The Cannabis Health Index: How to Achieve Deep(er) Healing of 100 Chronic Symptoms and Diseases by Linking the Science of Medical Marijuana with the Art of Mind-Body Consciousness. For more information visit: www.cannabishealthindex.com or Amazon.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Image Credit: AP

Now that Colorado and Washington have successfully legalized weed, others states are already wondering if they can do the same. But many are forgetting a crucial argument in favor of marijuana legalization: its health benefits.

Because marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, it has to be tested under the strictest of circumstances. But the few marijuana studies that we have seen show great potential for the advancement of medicine, leading prominent experts such as CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta to change their mind regarding legalization.

If you are still on the fence about marijuana legalization, here are 10 surprising health benefits to consider.

1. It can stop HIV from spreading throughout the body

In perhaps the most unexpected news yet, scientists announced last month that THC, an active ingredient in cannabis, was effective in stopping the spread of HIV in monkeys. The monkeys that received daily THC doses had higher levels of healthy cells as well.

2. It slows the progression of Alzheimer's

During his much-lauded congressional appearance as an Alzheimer's activist, actor Seth Rogen joked, "This has nothing to do with the legalization of marijuana." Well, he might be surprised to learn that it does.

A 2006 study found that marijuana can block an enzyme that is behind the progression of Alzheimer's. It also prevents "protein clumps that can inhibit cognition and memory."

3. It slows the spread of cancer cells

A 2012 study found that a marijuana compound "can stop metastasis in some kinds of aggressive cancer." Last year, a similar study found that certain non-psychoactive cannabinoids "resulted in dramatic reductions in cell viability" and "caused a simultaneous arrest at all phases of the cell cycle" in leukemia cells.

Researchers in the U.K. have already been able to use marijuana compounds to kill cancer cells in leukemia patients.

4. It is an active pain reliever

Marijuana's anti-inflammatory pain relief has shown to be effective in treating a host of illnesses and conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and migraines. The effects "are several hundred times more powerful than that of aspirin."

5. It can prevent or help with opiate addiction

Because marijuana acts as such effective medication, it can reduce dependence on opiate-based medication, which has more addictive qualities.

6. It combats depression, anxiety and ADHD

Via: Wikimedia

A 2005 study found that "those who consume marijuana occasionally or even daily have lower levels of depressive symptoms than those who have never tried marijuana." In small doses, it relieves anxiety andsymptoms of ADHD.

7. It can treat epilepsy and Tourette's

In December, the FDA gave the go-ahead to study the efficacy of medicinal marijuana in treating pediatric epilepsy. Research has shown that it can alleviate symptoms of Tourette's in certain cases as well.

A Colorado non-profit has already developed a strain called "Charlotte's Web," which they provide for free to those who suffer from epilepsy, Parkinson's and similar conditions. The strain is named after a 6-year-old epileptic patient who inspired the move.

8. It can help with other neurological damage, such as concussions and strokes

Research indicates that marijuana has neuroprotective qualities, which can limit neurological damage after stroke or trauma. There has already been talk over where the NFL could introduce marijuana to deal with concussions.

Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell signaled his willingness to consider the idea: "We will follow medicine and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that," he saidin January.

9. It can prevent blindness from glaucoma

By decreasing the pressure inside the eye, marijuana can prevent blindness for those who suffer from glaucoma. Research found that marijuana was effective in lowering eye pressure when ingested orally, intravenously or by inhalation.

10. It's connected to lower insulin levels in diabetics

"The most important finding is that current users of marijuana appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers," according to a Harvard researcher. The 2005-2010 study found that "the current marijuana users showed fasting insulin levels that were 16% lower than those of former or never users, along with a 17% reduction in another measure of insulin resistance as well."

original source viewed here : http://mic.com/articles/84675/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana

Recipe To Make Cannabis Oil For Chemo Alternative

Rick Simpson has dedicated his life to helping suffering patients (with all types of diseases and disabilities) with the use of natural hemp oil.

“Once the public becomes aware of the fact that properly made hemp medicine can cure or control practically any medical condition, who is going to stand up against the use of hemp?” 

Rick Simpson’s Hemp Oil Proves Effective In Curing Cancer   

Rick Simpson is a medical marijuana activist who has been providing people with information about the healing powers of Hemp Oil medications for nearly a decade now. Rick cured himself of a metastatic skin cancer back in 2003, and has since then devoted his life to spreading the truth of hemp oil. He has met an absurd amount of opposition and lack of support from Canadian authorities, as well as pharmaceutical companies, government agencies for health, and UN offices. Despite that fact, Rick Simpson has successfully treated over 5,000 patients (free of charge), and believes that all forms of disease and conditions are treatable. He states that it is common to have all types of cancer and diseases cured with the use of high quality hemp oil as a treatment.

Rick has treated patients will all types of conditions including, but not limited to, cancer, AIDS, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, leukemia, Crohn’s disease, depression, osteoporosis, psoriasis, insomnia, glaucoma, asthma, burns, migraines, regulation of body weight, chronic pain, and mutated cells (polyps, warts, tumors).

“Run From The Cure” Official Video Documentary

This documentary “Run From The Cure” was made by Christian Laurette in 2008 and shares Rick Simpson’s story. The movie features interviews with people who were cured by Rick’s oil, but were refused from testifying on Rick’s behalf in the Supreme Court of Canada in his 2007 trial. This video documentary does a great job explaining the medicinal benefits of hash oil.

“I want people to know how to heal themselves.”

Rick Simpson believes that the oral ingestion of hemp oil seeks out, and destroys cancer cells in the body. When used as a topical, hemp oil can control or even cure various skin conditions such as melanomas.
However, as with any ‘drug’, too much hemp oil may cause some side effects; the most notable three are hungry, happy, and sleepy. This is an extremely safe medication compared to the hundreds of drugs that are approved with little to no study, and provided to patients that experience horrible side effects including death. Nobody has ever died from cannabis in any form.

Rick Simpson’s Hash Oil Recipe

To make the Rick Simpson’s hash oil, start with one ounce of dried herb. One ounce will typically produce 3-4 grams of oil, although the amount of oil produced per ounce will vary strain to strain. A pound of dried material will yield about two ounces of high quality oil.

IMPORTANT: These instructions are directly summarized from Rick Simpson’s website. Be VERY careful when boiling solvent off [solvent-free option], the flames are extremely flammable. AVOID smoking, sparks, stove-tops, and red hot heating elements. Set up a fan to blow fumes away from the pot, and set up in a well-ventilated area for whole process.

1. Place the completely dry material in a plastic bucket.

2. Dampen the material with the solvent you are using. Many solvents can be used [solvent-free option]. You can use pure naphtha, ether, butane, 99% isopropyl alcohol, or even water. Two gallons of solvent is required to extract the THC from one pound, and 500 ml is enough for an ounce.

3. Crush the plant material using a stick of clean, untreated wood or any other similar device. Although the material will be damp, it will still be relatively easy to crush up because it is so dry.

4. Continue to crush the material with the stick, while adding solvent until the plant material is completely covered and soaked. Remain stirring the mixture for about three minutes. As you do this, the THC is dissolved off the material into the solvent.

5. Pour the solvent oil mixture off the plant material into another bucket. At this point you have stripped the material of about 80% of its THC.

6. Second wash: again add solvent to the mixture and work for another three minutes to extract the remaining THC.

7. Pour this solvent oil mix into the bucket containing the first mix that was previously poured out.

8. Discard the twice washed plant material.

9. Pour the solvent oil mixture through a coffee filter into a clean container.

10. Boil the solvent off: a rice cooker will boil the solvent off nicely, and will hold over a half gallon of solvent mixture. CAUTION: avoid stove-tops, red hot elements, sparks, cigarettes, and open flames as the fumes are extremely flammable.

11. Add solvent to rice cooker until it is about ¾ full and turn on HIGH heat. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area and set up a fan to carry the solvent fumes away. Continue to add mixture to cooker as solvent evaporates until you have added it all to the cooker.

12. As the level in the rice cooker decreases for the last time, add a few drops of water (about 10 drops of water for a pound of dry material). This will help to release the solvent residue, and protect the oil from too much heat.

13. When there is about one inch of solvent-water mixture in the rice cooker, put on your oven mitts and pick the unit up and swirl the contents until the solvent has finished boiling off.

14. When the solvent has been boiled off, turn the cooker to LOW heat. At no point should the oil ever reach over 290˚ F or 140˚ C.

15. Keep your oven mitts on and remove the pot containing the oil from the rice cooker. Gently pour the oil into a stainless steel container

16. Place the stainless steel container in a dehydrator, or put it on a gentle heating device such as a coffee warmer. It may take a few hours but the water and volatile terpenes will be evaporated from the oil. When there is no longer any surface activity on the oil, it is ready for use.

17. Suck the oil up in a plastic syringe, or in any other container you see fit. A syringe will make the oil easy to dispense. When the oil cools completely it will have the consistency of thick grease.

At The Dawn Of A New Age In Medicine

Rick Simpson states that hemp oil rejuvenates vital organs, and that it is not uncommon for people to report the oil making them feel 20 to 30 years younger a short while after beginning treatment. In a message from Rick on his website, he proclaims, “Once the public becomes aware of the fact that properly made hemp medicine can cure or control practically any medical condition, who is going to stand up against the use of hemp?”

“We are at the dawn of a new age in medicine and a new day for mankind. Not only can hemp save the world, it can eliminate a great deal of human suffering and can even put an end to starvation. What are we waiting for?” – Rick Simpson

5 Must-Know Facts About Cannabidiol (CBD)

CBD, or cannabidiol, is quickly changing the debate surrounding the use of cannabis as a medicine.

(Photo: Colleen Danger/Flickr)

Most people have heard of a chemical called THC, which is the ingredient in marijuana that gets users high. But recently, attention has shifted to another marijuana compound called CBD. And for good reason.

Because while doctors can’t seem to look past certain side effects of THC, CBD doesn’t seem to present that problem. On the other hand, evidence of CBD’s vast medical potential is mounting.

Here are 5 facts that you need to know about this unique compound:

1. CBD is a key ingredient in cannabis

CBD is one of over 60 compounds found in cannabis that belong to a class of molecules called cannabinoids. Of these compounds, CBD and THC are usually present in the highest concentrations, and are therefore the most recognized and studied.

CBD and THC levels tend to vary between different strains and varieties of cannabis. For example, by using selective breeding techniques, cannabis breeders have managed to create varieties with high levels of CBD and next to zero levels of THC.

2. CBD is non-psychoactive

Unlike THC, CBD does not cause a high. While this makes CBD a poor choice for recreational users, it gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since health professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects.

The reason why CBD is non-psychoactive is due to its lack of affinity for CB1 receptors. CB1 receptors are found in high concentrations in the brain, and are the pathways responsible for the psychoactive effects of THC.

3. CBD has a wide range of medical benefits

Despite a different pathway of action, CBD seems to possess many of the same benefits of THC. According to a 2013 review published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, studies have found CBD to possess the following medical properties:

Medical Properties of CBD	Effects
Antiemetic	Combats nausea and vomiting
Anticonvulsant	Combats seizure activity
Antipsychotic	Combats psychosis disorders
Anti-inflammatory	Combats inflammatory disorders
Anti-oxidant	Combats neurodegenerative disorders
Anti-tumoral/Anti-cancer	Combats tumor and cancer cells
Anxiolytic/Anti-depressant	Combats anxiety and depression disorders

Unfortunately, most of this evidence comes from animal studies, as very few clinical trials have been conducted using the chemical.

4. CBD reduces the negative effects of THC

CBD seems to offer natural protection against the marijuana high. Numerous studies suggest CBD acts to counter the intoxicating effects of THC, including memory impairment and paranoia.

Both CBD and THC have been found to present no risk of lethal overdose. However, to reduce potential side effects, medical users may be better off using cannabis strains with higher levels of CBD.

5. CBD is still illegal

Even though CBD shows much promise as a medicine, it remains illegal in many parts of the world. CBD is classified as a Schedule I drug in the U.S. and a Schedule II drug in Canada.

On the other hand, the U.S. FDA recently approved a pharmaceutical version of CBD for clinical trials in pediatric epilepsy. The trials began earlier this year.

A patent awarded to the U.S. Health and Human Services in 2003 (US6630507) also covers the use of CBD as a treatment for a variety of neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.

CBD or Cannabidiol is a natural constituent of the hemp plant that has shown significant health and wellness benefits – CBD promotes and supports the dietary and nutritional health of aging bodies (US Government patent # 6,630,507).

View Original Source here: http://www.leafscience.com/2014/02/23/5-must-know-facts-cannabidiol-cbd/