Cannabis can be used successfully as an appetite stimulant, pain reducer, sleep aid, expectorant, anti-nausea agent, antispasmodic agent, glaucoma treatment to reduce pressure in the eyes, and anti-anxiety agent. The seed contains all 9 essential amino acids needed by the body for good nutrition, something no other naturally-occuring substance on earth does. When injected directly into tumors, THC has actually been shown to cause them to shrink, and is currently being explored as a potential treatment for various kinds of cancer, including testicular and kidney cancers. It can stop a migraine dead in it's tracks and can be applied in salve form to painful joints in patients with arthritis.

What's the point? There are plenty of patent drugs that are effective for these purposes as well, right? Wrong. While there are a number of treatment options for individuals unlucky enough to suffer from things like chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and the nausea from chemotherapy, many of these are toxic and not well tolerated by the patient. Take the case of cannabis as a treatment for AIDS-related anorexia, nausea, and pain. Many people with AIDS cannot eat or keep their medications down due to nausea and vomitting. Cannabis has been proven to have powerful anti-emetic properties, as well as appetite-stimulating effects. This in conjunction with the fact that it can be smoked, vaporized, or taken by other routes that bypass the gastrointestinal tract makes it the only treatment of it's kind for the unique set of problems inherent in AIDS and other serious conditions like cancer.

Let's look at some of the other alternatives pushed by the pharmaceutical companies, shall we? Take oxycontin, a potent and highly addictive narcotic pain reliever. Many patients with severe pain conditions who previously took this drug reported such improvement with cannabis that they were able to reduce the dosage or stop taking it altogether. Where sleep aids fail or cause addiction and dangerous side effects, cannabis has proven effective. When beta-blocking glaucoma drugs have been ineffective or caused conditions like blocking of the arteries, cannabis has come through with flying colors, reducing eye pressure safely with no side effects.

More people die every year from caffeine, alcohol, and even ASPIRIN than from cannabis. In fact, no one in the history of mankind has EVER died from cannabis, as it's non-toxic even in high doses. Fen-Phen, Vioxx, Thalidomide, the Ortho-Evra birth control patch, and many, many other prescription medicines have caused death and disease to thousands, yet these drugs are perfectly legal. The pharmaceutical industry is free from the stigma attached to "illegal drugs" and drug dealers, despite the fact that many of the illegal substances on the streets today wouldn't even be around if not for them! Take methamphetamine, the most potent stimulant known to man. In the 1930s, this drug--then known as Benzedrine or Desoxyn--was given to soldiers in the war to make them more aggressive and reduce fatigue. Even HITLER received daily injections of meth! The prescription use of amphetamines in the 1950s was the most widespread of any drug in history, taken by housewives, children, working men, truck drivers, and the elderly for virtually any complaint you can think of. Once the establishment turned on these drugs and realized their potential for harm, it was too late. Millions were already addicted. When they became scheduled drugs and were no longer prescribed, thousands found illicit sources, creating the meth lab epidemic we're still dealing with today. Cocaine, opiates, and even cannabis were once perfectly legal and WIDELY prescribed medications, which raises the question: why are people receiving lengthy prison sentences and hefty fines for using and selling the very drugs that were once seen as miracle cure-alls? Why are street dealers shunned by society when the pharmaceutical industry gets away with giving children ages 7+ drugs like Adderall, which is pure amphetamine, or prescribing drugs like Vioxx, which is responsible for the heart attacks, strokes, and deaths of hundreds of otherwise healthy arthritis sufferers?

It's all about our own attitudes toward drugs and what we've been taught is acceptable vs. what's deplorable. While people are finally beginning to see the light and accept cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment, many are still refusing to look at the facts and instead choose to cling to outdated and inaccurate propaganda. The bottom line is that cannabis is effective for a number of conditions and is far less toxic than a number of patent drugs available today. It is not physically addictive, and the risk of psychological addiction is actually very low, especially in comparison to prescription narcotics (morphine), sleep medications (Ambien), and anti-anxiety drugs (Xanax). It's not right for everyone and, like any other medication, should be used with respect and only as needed, but the fact remains that sick people should not be imprisoned, fined, or have their medicine taken away by draconian law enforcement agents and a government that receives funding (read: bribes) by the pharmaceutical and health insurance agencies who are responsible for the suffering and death of sick people every day.