Ron Paul is so straightforward, so logical, so well-spoken. Stephen Baldwin is hilarious, he actually stops speaking so that he can hear what Ron Paul has to say. I think he realized halfway through the interview that he was actually on the wrong side! (This is from 2009 - still relavent. Let's all write in Ron Paul for President in the 2012 election and let him legalize hemp and marijuana, couldn't hurt, right?)



~DAZEY

This movie is available on Netflix. Real live documentary footage shows some rarely seen aspects of illegal outdoor marijuana grows. Here is the trailer:



Things I liked about this movie: seeing massive plants growing outdoors in natural sunlight. So much weed is grown indoors these days, its great to see the plant in its natural environment, outside! They showed a lot of the hard work that goes into producing this amazing product. And how tenuous the ultimate outcome is, and how dangerous it can be. I think all those aspects make a pretty good argument for why cannabis should be legal. It creates a dangerous situation (from an otherwise safe and useful plant) when laws are made against it. This movie shows some of that underside, that lawlessness, that danger. I think it is useful to shed light on the situation. More knowlege and understanding is always good, right?

~DAZEY

Educating voters on why it is necessary to legalize cannabis is very important. Perhaps equally important is convincing people who have never used marijuana to give it a try. There has been a devastatingly effective disinformation campaign in this country for nearly 100 years persuading citizens that cannabis is harmful to our health when in fact the exact opposite is true.
image from the 1937 disinformation movie, Reefer Madness

For this reason, we now need to counter-act that with information about marijuana's beneficial and medicinal uses. I think once people give it a chance, they'll come to find out how great it is. So, I propose a TRY MARIJUANA campaign. Here are some slogans that I'm working on for the campaign:

Want to have a good time with your friends? Don't want to be hungover the next day? TRY MARIJUANA

Stress and worry are bad for your health. When you need to just relax, TRY MARIJUANA

Aspirin has side effects that may be harmful to your health. Cannabis can relieve pain without harmful side effects. TRY MARIJUANA

Do you like to smoke, but know you could get cancer from cigarettes? TRY MARIJUANA

Do you embarrass yourself when you get too drunk at parties? Don't be foolish, TRY MARIJUANA

No Doctor bills, no doctor pills. TRY MARIJUANA (from @Oddest_Goddess, via twitter)

Ever sobered up the next day and regretted who you went to bed with? Weed is safer. TRY MARIJUANA

Want all the fun without the hangover? TRY MARIJUANA

Want to smoke something that is actually good for your lungs? TRY MARIJUANA

Got a lot on your mind? Want to just relax and enjoy life? TRY MARIJUANA

Need a pick-me-up in the morning without all the jitters of coffee? A great way to start your day! TRY MARIJUANA

You know that feeling when your friends won't talk to you the next day after you got drunk, but you can't quite remember why? Weed is safer. TRY MARIJUANA

Ever wonder why your prescription medications come with so many warning of serious and dangerous side effects? Cannabis is safer. TRY MARIJUANA


If you have an idea for a great TRY MARIJUANA campaign slogan, reply in the comments section or tweet it to @DazeoftheWeek.

~DAZEY

The endogenous cannabinoid system of the human body, often referred to as the endocannabinoid system governs physiological functions in all parts of the body including the nervous and immune systems, all of the body's organs, and much more. The human body and brain contain a complex system of cannabinoid receptors which are stimulated by endocannabinoids naturally produced by the human body. Plant substances which stimulate these receptors are phytocannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and also cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN). This endocannabinoid system performs a multitude of functions within the body by regulating with the goal of homeostasis: the maintainance of stable internal environment if and when the external environment changes.

THC molecule

The bodies use of these endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids to promote homeostasis within and between cells, in almost every part and function of the body, is the reason why cannabis/marijuana can be used to treat a multitude of illnesses and ailments from the physical to the pyschological.

Take this example from the article Introduction to the Endocannabinoid System "...autophagy, a process in which a cell sequesters part of its contents to be self-digested and recycled, is mediated by the cannabinoid system. While this process keeps normal cells alive, allowing them to maintain a balance between the synthesis, degradation, and subsequent recycling of cellular products, it has a deadly effect on malignant tumor cells, causing them to consume themselves in a programmed cellular suicide. The death of cancer cells, of course, promotes homeostasis and survival at the level of the entire organism." (Norml.org) This amazing discovery may allow all sorts of cancers to be treated and cured using phytocannabinoids some day in the near future.

Currently, many medical journals and organizations have documented evidence of a wide number of ailments and illnesses which can be treated using phytocannabinoids and/or have symptoms be relieved by treatment with phytocannabinoids (medical marijuana). Examples are: ADD/ADHD, Alheimer's, anxiety, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, diabetes, epilepsy, fybromalgia, GI disorders, glaucoma, Hepatitus C, HIV, Huntington's disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, arthritis, sleep apnea, and more.

"Marijuana has been a main ingredient in natural remedies for thousands of years. Marijuana products were used in China and India as early as 3000 B.C. to treat a variety of ills - from easing the pain of childbirth to relieving asthma and epilepsy, even improving appetite and disposition... In the United States, as many as 30 marijuana-based medicines were distributed as recently as 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act closed the door on further medical use of the drug." (DoItNow.org)

photo courtesy Associated Press

There is clearly overwhelming evidence for the benefits of marijuana as medicine. In the United States, marijuana is classified under the federal Controlled Substance Act of 1970 as a Schedule I controlled substance which prohibits possessing or using marijuana for any purpose. This classification is reserved for substances known to have no medical benefits. This obvious hypocrisy between the legal classification and the factual scientific evidence needs to be resolved for citizens to have open and legal access to what may be the most important medicinal plant of historical and modern times.
~DAZEY

"Melanie Dreher, RN, PhD, FAAN explains her cannabis and pregnancy research study in Jamaica. Pregnant women and their children were studied for over ten plus years, both marijuana smokers and non-smokers were included in the study. One of the first scientific studies of the effects that cannabis may have on pregnancy and the child's development thereafter."


~DAZEY

The Universe (or God, Allah, whatever you believe...) gave humanity the gift of sensimilla. This herb with incredibly diverse uses. For food, fiber, medicine, and recreation. It provides for the upliftment of our souls, for the enlightenment of our minds, and for the healing of our bodies. And then, rather than honoring the gift and giving thanks, some of those same humans make the very herb itself illegal to grow, possess, trade, buy, or smoke. How could we let that happen? What a terrible mistake! Truly a tavesty of enormous proportions.

I, for one, am heartbroken that this could happen. That we could live out our lives in denial of truth and right. It is unacceptable. The mistake must be reversed. The laws must be changed. Everything within our power to do must be done.

This is why I partake of the herb. This is why I am a fearless champion for cannabis and all its beneficial qualities. This is why I created this blog to speak out and help educate the masses.

If you don't know, or if you are not sure if I speak the truth, do your own research! Read about it. Get your hands on some and try it. Free your mind and the rest will follow.

That's my rant for the day. Thank you for bearing witness.
~DAZEY