Arizona Evolves....

But for the opposition, "devolution" is probably the dominant perspective....

It's apparently official, Arizona has become the 15th state to enact new legislation regarding the medical use of marijuana. I care about this for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that my wife, Diane, was diagnosed with MS in 2001 - 1 year after we met.

Within that time period, while I didn't know much about neurological diseases, I remarked that based on the symptoms she was exhibiting, that I thought some type of neurological disorder was apparent and this was later confirmed by an MRI (one of the few ways MS can be diagnosed).

The affects of THC (the active chemical component in marijuana) are astonishing to "view" in Diane's case. The effects run the full range of physical to cognitive improvements - pain reduction, balance, speech articulation, etc.

It's strange, really, to think we "know" so little about a plant that has been used by human beings for so many thousands of years! I am looking forward to the development of further scientific data that will continue to be accumulated as more and more states adopt this stance, because to my knowledge, and in my experience, most, if not all the negative effects of marijuana's use can be significantly, if not entirely, eliminated by "vaporizing" and/or, inclusion in various foods - from butter to brownies.

Imagine.... a naturally occuring plant that requires minimal processing to use, can be 100% orgainically grown, has few if any significant negative side-effects; when "properly" used.... Alleviates pain, increases libido, increases appetite (chemo-therapy patients), and, at least for some, precipitates creativity. Hmm.... do you think that "big pharma" might have a vested interest in at least limiting it's dissemination?

Also, it is long past time for us all to begin to speak out about our drug laws and prison systems, and thus present a truly "integral" view of the barbarism, immorality, and ignorance of the present conditions.... When human beings are in prisons for drug infractions and some of these prisons are privately owned; (welcome to corporate America) profit motives are inescapable, there is something that smells, and it's not herbal in origin....

Enough for now....

Let's make a world that "works"....

JM