Cannabis
‘Everything's Coming up Cannabis’
The first ever recorded use of Cannabis was in 2800 B.C, originating in central Asia, or Western China today, by an individual who was known as the father of Chinese medicine. In 1841, William Brooke O’Shaughnessy brought Cannabis to the states, and recorded seeing the medicinal properties of the plant stop convulsions in a child. Even after multiple case studies in which O’Shaughnessy recorded positive changes in patients stemming from Cannabis as an intervention, it was still seen as a dangerous drug by the 1900’s. Government officials deemed Cannabis as a Schedule I drug, which means there was no evidence to support medicinal purposes, and that it had a high potential for abuse.
Cannabis’s history in the states includes presidents such as Nixon, Regan, and Clinton enforcing the ‘War on Drugs,’ initiative in order to bring harsher penalties for drug offenses. Instead of decreasing drug use, the ‘War on Drugs’ increased the amount of black and brown Americans in the prison system (if you have not seen What is the War on Drugs? narrated by Jay-Z, I encourage you to!) So, how did we get from criminalization and 25 year sentences for joints, to dispensaries around the corner?
Illinois is the 11th state to legalize recreational & medicinal use, and was the first state in the nation to legalize recreational sales at a state legislature level (how the tables have turned!) The first day of sales, over 77,000 customers spent $3.2 million at dispensaries across Illinois on January 1, 2020 (people really love their weed). This is a stark contrast to the vilification of Cannabis just over 50 years ago, when those who used Cannabis were seen as immoral, deviant, and criminal. Today, the psychoactive property in Cannabis, also known as THC, can be found in treats you’d purchase at the corner store. Hard candy, beverages, lollipops, sour patch kids, and other gummy candies, even baked goods just like grandma used to make!
With all the new Cannabis treats, it is important to read the packaging and to know just how many milligrams of THC is in what you're consuming, There is no regulation for the limit of THC within a single item, which means, if you’re not reading the packages, you may end up ingesting much more than your body can handle. While there aren’t any reports of fatal overdoses with Cannabis, it is still possible to overdose your system with THC. Symptoms that indicate a possible THC overdose are high levels of anxiety, panic attack, rapid heart rate, difficulty conversing, poor coordination, high or low blood pressure, nausea & vomiting, extreme confusion & memory problems, paranoia, and hallucinations.
With the Cannabis holiday in just a few short weeks, it is important to remember a few key takeaways from this post. We still have a long way to go to right the wrongs. This means exonerating those who have been incarcerated from a Cannabis charge that no longer meets criminalization in lieu of today’s current Cannabis laws. And please don’t forget, that just because it’s not fatal, doesn’t mean you should see how much you can consume for fun. Be mindful of how much you are consuming, and remember that the route of administration, or method of use will affect your mind and body differently.