by Sue DeGregorio-Rosen, RN, CLNC, Contributing Editor
In October 2021, Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren requested that Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, initiate proceedings under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to deschedule cannabis. The letter to Garland says, “decriminalize cannabis”.
I have always thought that there were medicinal benefits and many more to be discovered. As a Registered Professional Nurse, my activism belongs to the patient. Just from the sheer knowledge and study of herbal qualities, it has been well-known for many years that it is beneficial for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, for the glaucoma patients, it is a well-known fact that cannabis reduces ocular pressure, and for the stressed, the knowledge that the US patented cannabis for its neuroprotective benefits. As of the recent knowledge, autism, Dravet syndrome, the fact that children are finding relief from these terrible and tragic anomalies, how could I, as a Professional Registered Nurse, ignore this proof, and as a patient advocate, I advocate for the safest care which I truly believe and have witnessed without any doubt.
The US Government has known since 1974 that Cannabis cures Cancer. In 1972 Richard Nixon wanted a larger budget for his war on drugs. He thought that if he proved Cannabis caused lung cancer like cigarettes do, he would get the support he needed. He gave the Medical College of Virginia 2 years to do a study on the effects of THC on the body. In ’74 the study was completed. It turns out, THC when ingested in highly concentrated forms (such as eating Cannabis oil) will attack any mutated cells in your body while strengthening and rejuvenating the healthy cells. They found the PERFECT cure for Cancer. It worked fast, it worked well, it worked on many different forms of Cancer in ALL stages and it had ZERO harmful side effects. (Unlike Chemo which deteriorates your entire body and kills 1 in 5 patients. Not only that, but it dissolves ALL forms of tumors and can even combat superbugs like MRSA.) When Richard Nixon saw the results of the study, he was FURIOUS. He threw the entire report in the trash and deemed the study classified. In 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out — unsuccessfully — to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the “high.” We only found out about the study a few years ago thanks to dedicated medical and law professionals who filed Freedom of Information Requests. The Govt lied for many reasons. One of the main reasons is Pharmaceutical Companies. They spend billions every year lobbying to keep Cannabis illegal because they make TRILLIONS off Cancer drugs and research. They are already well aware that Cannabis cures Cancer. They have a great con going at the moment. Cancer patients and their loved ones will spend their entire life savings or even sell their houses and businesses in order to pay for Chemotherapy and other Cancer treatment drugs.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791145/
MAPS PTSD Studies. http://www.maps.org/research/mmj/marijuana-us
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.5% of the children in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism as of 2014, so this is a huge patient population. They are using CBD or cannabidiol, which can be derived from marijuana and hemp plants. Jun 10, 2015
Desperate Parents Of Autistic Children Trying Cannabis Despite Lack …
www.forbes.com/…/desperate-parents-of-autistic-children-trying-cannabis-despite…
http://www.biocbdplus.com/top-20-documentaries-on-cannabis-you-must-seehttp://citiva.com/dravet-syndrome-medical-cannabis/
http://labiotech.eu/uk-cannabis-drug-epilepsy-gw-pharmaceuticals-dravet-syndrome/http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq
Nursing is based on holistic care. If we have the capacity to provide care and relief to our patients with the least amount of side effects, then why are we not doing so? I believe it is criminally negligent to withhold safe access to our patients. Cannabis should have never been a schedule one illegal drug. It is an herb. It is a plant, it is nature.
” As one who has been involved in the medical marijuana movement from literally the very beginning and who brings to this issue 40 years of perspective, I can say with certainty that we have never been at a more opportune time to effect dramatic and positive change. Everyone is aware, however, that changing the federal […] Source: The U.S. Must Create a New Schedule for Cannabis: An Open Letter the U.S. Congress | Cannabis Now”
A holistic view means that we are interested in engaging and developing the whole person. We can view this as different levels, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. It’s the concept that the human being is multi-dimensional. We have conscious and unconscious aspects, rational and irrational aspects. That is the definition, that is the practice I follow.
No one should have to suffer needlessly. We have human rights, patient rights, a bill of rights and we have constitutional rights.
The right to privacy often means the right to personal autonomy, or the right to choose whether or not to engage in certain acts or have certain experiences. Several amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been used in varying degrees of success in determining a right to personal autonomy:
The First Amendment protects the privacy of beliefs
- The Third Amendment protects the privacy of the home against the use of it for housing soldiers
- The Fourth Amendment protects privacy against unreasonable searches
- The Fifth Amendment protects against self-incrimination, which in turn protects the privacy of personal information
- The Ninth Amendment says that the “enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people.” This has been interpreted as justification for broadly reading the Bill of Rights to protect privacy in ways not specifically provided in the first eight amendments.
– See more at: http://www.livescience.com/37398-right-to-privacy.html#sthash.57xPa2GT.dpuf
Our personal preferences on how we manage our pain should never be dictated by the pharmaceutical industry. We should never disregard medical or professional advice, but we should choose.
States that continue to show reluctance in accepting MMJ as a valid point of care need education. The outstanding number of researchers studying Cannabis prompted the creation of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) in 1992 has brought together so many universally connected scientists, such as Dr. Sue Sisley, and Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, recognized scholars.
We have a responsibility to educate our state officials who may not fully understand. With understanding I believe a gentle acceptance will eventually have to occur.
We are rewarded daily, that the children that suffer needlessly have an outlet, and to see them smile, to hear the delight and optimism in each and every parent and/or caregiver when they witness the results.
We are rewarded because we have always believed in this plant and in nature and that finally, after all of this time, we are able to provide what has been discovered and known since ancient times that Cannabis heals.
And thirdly, we can be rewarded by the fact that our choices are available.
We have asked this before and will continue to request the change of unfair and archaic laws of greed…………We must do the right thing for the children and adults who can/will benefit from a plant that should have never been dismissed as just dope………we know better. Human compassion, dignity and respect are at stake. President Biden promised to decriminalize cannabis (see above link to letter).
