When it comes to cannabis legalization, America is falling behind. Behind in research, investing, human rights, health care, and more. America is suffering because of a few who chose to cling to a draconian past. The few bad apples are spoiling the whole barrel or in this case, the world. The unprecedented support the political community shows for the pharmaceutical and insurance corporations of the world is dumbfounding.

Multi-billion-dollar companies are slapped with miniscule fines for straight out lying and deceiving the public. You can read about several of them in this article by CannaLance called “Here’s A Hard Pill to Swallow.”  Drug makers make billions, yet they are only fined millions.

• GlaxoSmithKline, $3 billion Off-label promotion, failure to disclose safety data
• Pfizer, $2.3 billion Off-label promotion/kickbacks
• Johnson & Johnson, $2.2 billion Off-label promotion/kickbacks
• Abbott Laboratories, $1.5 billion Off-label promotion
• Eli Lilly, $1.4 billion Off-label promotion
• Schering-Plough, $500 million Poor manufacturing practices

The facilitation of the sale of these drugs requires a special type of drug dealer, one with a med school degree that often wears a lab coat. Take a look at this list of health care facilities that have participated in questionable practice, yet they still have open doors serving the public.

• Oct 23, 2017 – “Federal and local authorities have raided at least two Advanced Urgent Care centers in our area.”-ABC
• Nov 1, 2017 – The Advanced Urgent Care facility on Easton Road in Willow Grove is back in business and business is booming.”-FOX29
• Jul 10, 2015 – Update: “Advanced Urgent Care in Lower Heidelberg Township remained closed to patients on Friday after federal drug agents raided the facility and six.”- Reading Eagle
• Jul 10, 2015 – “Federal drug agents raided Advance Urgent Care walk-in clinics in Lower Heidelberg, Scranton Thursday.”- The Morning Call News
• Oct 6, 2017 – PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – “The FBI and the DEA raided a Gibsonia medical clinic and the home of the clinic’s founder Thursday, but the investigation started in 2014. According to the criminal complaint, Dr. Andrzej Zielke is the founder of Medical Frontiers and is a board-certified anesthesiologist, pain…”-CBS
• Oct 4, 2017 – “Two doctor’s offices were raided Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into health care fraud and possible illegal distribution of prescription drugs, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s…”-News 4
• August 14, 2017. A 93-year-old physician in Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this month for illegally prescribing oxycodone and, in the words of federal prosecutors, having “contributed to the opioid epidemic that plagues…”-Medscape

As long as cannabis prohibition still exists in America, the country will continue to fall behind. We will remain behind the rest of the world while so many others advance in so many other areas thanks to legalizing cannabis. Negative propaganda about a widely misunderstood plant has demonized it and the consumer group associated with it. It’s time to end this propaganda with the truth and hope that America stops falling behind with cannabis legalization.

America’s Falling Behind in Cannabis Research Because of Cannabis Prohibition

When it comes to cannabis research, America isn’t falling behind, they are behind. Israel is considered an epicenter for medical cannabis research and advancements. They have been conducting legitimate cannabinoid research for over two decades in Israel.  Canadian companies like Strainprint are joining forces with Israel to effectively conduct in-depth studies on cannabinoid therapies.

Enough research on cannabis was conducted for the United States Department of Health to apply for the patent for cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. The federal government is only responsible for two deep studies about cannabis or as prohibitionist so wrongfully call it, marijuana.

The La Guardia Committee Reports on Marijuana conducted by the New York Academy of Medicine in 1944 didn’t come up with the same results that were fueling marijuana prohibition at the time. This report conducted the “Gateway Drug Theory” to be “without foundation” and led the mayor to give a speech recommending that the government support the will of the people and end marijuana prohibition.

The Shafer Commission Report on Marijuana was the second time that one of their own, publicly disagreed with the U.S. government. In 1972, this report recommended decriminalizing cannabis in America. This obviously didn’t happen. The feds in America are still charging people with cannabis crimes and tacking on extra charges for not having a marijuana tax stamp (WTF)!

Cannabinoid research is essential to our deeper understanding of the cannabis plant as medicine. Without research, all we have to go on is the lies of prohibitionists from decades ago.  CBD, THC, and terpenes play a vital role in our body’s endocannabinoid system. A deficiency in this system leads to a lack of the ability to maintain homeostasis.

Don’t we as a nation deserve the right and freedom to study this plant legally for all that it stands to offer us? It makes you wonder if those who oppose cannabis can hear themselves? They are notorious for saying that “more research is needed”, yet these same individuals in most cases won’t support measures to facilitate this research. That seems to be very hypercritical for someone who holds any form of public office.

America deserves the same research advantages from the study of cannabis that Israel, Canada, and other countries get. Why do our nation’s leaders want to see us fall behind the rest of the world?  For every politician out there, that says there is not enough research on cannabis, I say you are a lazy asshole. Have you heard of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)? Try Googling cannabis NCBI, cannabinoid therapy NCBI, or CBD NCBI, and get ready to have your fuzzy little head pop with the wealth of studies on cannabis and cannabinoids. Try searching U.S. Organic Chemist Roger Adams cannabis, and see all the info you can learn about cannabinoid research going back to the 1930s. Wait, just click the link, I did it for you.

America’s Falling Behind with Investments in the Cannabis Sector Because of Cannabis Prohibition

Investors are taking their billions of dollars and spending them in Canada instead of in America. Private investors have taken their millions to Canada, and even major companies are investing major stakes in cannabis in Canada. This is money that could be helping to influence the struggling American economy.

• Marlboro invests $1.8 in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group
• Molson Coors Eyeballs CBD infused beverages

There is no denying the fact that cannabis creates massive cash flows for states that legalize it, especially when it’s recreational adult use cannabis. Massachusetts raked in around $2.2 million in the first five days of cannabis legalization. The two cannabis dispensaries in the state where you can buy legal rec cannabis averaged $220,000 per day in sales over these five days. In comparison, legal cannabis dispensaries in California average around $300k per month in sales.

So, why would every state not want to make this kind of cash flow? This is a good question. Pride, private agendas, a misunderstanding perhaps, your guess is as good as anyone else’s. One thing that is clear is that the rest of the world is establishing a legal market to trade and research cannabis. While this is happening, the U.S. is missing out by not being a part of that global community.

Forbes has reported that the global cannabis industry is estimated to be worth more than $30 billion in the next decade and many believe that number is very conservative.  Canada is also the hot spot for pot stocks. Cannabis stocks have seen substantial growth in Canada in part thanks to cannabis legalization that took place there on October 17^th of 2018 and in part to the stubbornness of Canada’s political neighbors to the south, the United States.

By continuing to keep cannabis illegal on a federal level the American government is helping millions of investment dollars head towards Canada. President after President, America seems to keep getting elected officials who are afraid to stand up and support the will of the majority of American citizens when it comes to cannabis. This fear is costly for the nation in many ways, with the economy being only one small part of that propagated fear.

America’s Falling Behind with Civil Rights Because of Cannabis Prohibition

Countless people are still incarcerated` over a plant that is now legal on a state level in more than 30 out of 50 states in America. While some places are adopting cannabis reform laws that help to clear peoples records, too many states are still locking people up over a plant and either losing or tossing away the key. America imprisons more of its population than any other nation in the world.

Cannabis consumers and advocates are like seeds that have had dirt tossed on them to cover them up and make them go away. Out of sight, out of mind, you could say. Little did they know those seeds would cultivate into a sea of green. People are fighting for their right to cannabis every day. Many lose this fight and end up behind bars or forced into drug rehabilitation programs, but some of them win.  Sadly, most end up part of today’s lucrative prison prisons.

The convict leasing system ran from 1846 until 1928. Up until this time, states and government in the U.S. found convict labor to be very profitable. Instead of leasing convicts, these days states exchange them with private prisons in a mutual joint benefit for profit. Cannabis convicts equal profits for prisons. These often times nonviolent convicts make “role model inmates.”

It’s not just convicts. The newly merging legal cannabis industry is leaving behind minorities. To help prevent this from happening the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) was founded in late 2015. The MCBA is the first 501(c)(6) not for profit business league formed “to serve the specific needs of minority cannabis entrepreneurs, workers, and patients/ consumers.” The MCBA serves community members across America. The MCBA is comprised of a 16-member board of directors from a diverse group of cannabis industry activists and veterans encompassing America from sea to shining sea.

America’s Falling Behind in Health Care Because of Cannabis Prohibition

According to a report that was published back in May of 2017 on Health Affairs, America could have saved over a billion dollars. Since this report, prescription drug abuse has only increased globally, and only cannabis has shown any signs of slowing this epidemic down. In 2018, prescription drug overdose became the number one killer of Americans under 50.

Cannabis is showing that it helps to put the brakes on the staggering number of prescription drugs overdoses and deaths. That is in states that have legal access to cannabis. Currently, the “Opioid Epidemic” as it’s being called claims the lives of over 100 Americans every day. When it comes to the numbers on cannabis and health care, it doesn’t make sense to continue to support cannabis prohibition.

Cannabis is helping to control and even at times eliminate the symptoms associated with a multitude of different medical conditions. Medical professionals Like Harvard Graduate Dr. Uma. Dhanabalan are calling cannabis, the “exit drug.” The exit drug from pharmaceuticals, the exit drug from tobacco, the exit drug from alcohol, and the “Gateway Drug” propaganda is continually be debunked. When people have legal access to cannabis, prescription drug abuse declines.

Tom Angell is a cannabis advocate and activist responsible for educating the public about cannabis every chance he gets.  He has articles published all over like the one below found in Forbes. These articles make excellent resources for education about cannabis as medicine and more. Look at some of the statistics quoted below from one of Tom’s articles.

“Legal Marijuana States Have Lower Opioid Use, New Studies Show” By Tom Angell on Forbes

• “States with active dispensaries saw 3.742 million fewer daily doses filled; states with home cultivation only [laws] saw 1.792 million fewer filled daily doses,”
• “State implementation of medical marijuana laws was associated with a 5.88% lower rate of opioid prescribing,”
• “Moreover, the implementation of adult-use marijuana laws, which all occurred in states with existing medical marijuana laws, was associated with a 6.38% lower rate of opioid prescribing.”
• “JAMA study showed that states with medical cannabis laws have roughly 25 percent lower opioid overdose rates.”
• “The potential of adult-use marijuana laws to reduce the use and consequences of addictive opioids deserves consideration, especially in states that have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

It used to be that you would never see mention of “marijuana” in a publication like Forbes. As cannabis becomes mainstream, the stories surrounding it can’t be ignored any longer. If we continue as a nation to allow our elected officials to facilitate private agendas, we will suffer. Cannabis legalization is about many things, and one of those things is the health of our nation. Sadly, as other counties around the world advance their health care with cannabis legalization, parts of America still cling to the draconian past causing the nation to fall behind when it comes to the healthcare of the citizens who call the U.S.A. home.

“A new report published in Health Affairs found that if all states had legalized medical marijuana in 2014, Medicaid could have saved $1 billion in spending on prescriptions.”-Forbes

“In the past twenty years, twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of medical marijuana law. Using quarterly data on all fee-for-service Medicaid prescriptions in the period 2007–14, we tested the association between those laws and the average number of prescriptions filled by Medicaid beneficiaries. We found that the use of prescription drugs in fee-for-service Medicaid was lower in states with medical marijuana laws than in states without such laws in five of the nine broad clinical areas we studied. If all states had had a medical marijuana law in 2014, we estimated that total savings for fee-for-service Medicaid could have been $1.01 billion. These results are similar to those in a previous study we conducted, regarding the effects of medical marijuana laws on the number of prescriptions within the Medicare population. Together, the studies suggest that in states with such laws, Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries will fill fewer prescriptions.”-Health Affairs

America’s Falling Behind Because of Cannabis Prohibition

When will the madness of reefer madness come to an end? When will U.S. lawmakers start listening to the people instead of the private agendas of others? When will our lawmakers and elected leaders stop allowing America to fall behind in cannabinoid therapy research? These are all questions without an answer. This situation will remain the same as long as we as people allow the few in power to continue the heinous prohibition of cannabis.  Contact your local elected officials and ask them why they don’t support cannabis? Tell them if you do and why. When they start to fear their jobs are on the line is when we will start to see a change.

For the lawmakers and elected leaders that do support cannabis, we as a majority in this nation thank you. Please continue to do all that you can to help stop America from falling behind because of continued draconian cannabis prohibition. While other countries in the world are advancing in the cannabis industry, America is falling behind because of their continued support of cannabis prohibition.

By: CannaLance