cannabis culture: dank, and thensome

The original "gateway drug" was not cannabis/marijuana/weed as so many previous generations have been told, and believed.  No, kids, the OG of the gateway experience was ... nicotine.  You probably don't believe me because BIG TOBACCO has spent many decades - and billions of dollars - keeping that provable fact far from public consumption.

Beginning in the late 1950s, medical professionals across Europe began to both question the potential medicinal benefits of the cannabis plant, but more importantly to entertain thoughts of conducting experiments to elicit data.  Throughout the 1960s, research  was welcomed and sought out, with some ahead-of-their-time American medical professionals taking notes.  

In the past three decades alone, the benefits of cannabis for cancer patients and those suffering from afflictions like epilepsy have been researched over and over and over again, with many of those patients singing Mary Jane's praises versus the traditional (narcotic/opiate) medications they've been prescribed. 

Forget that cannabis and heroin should never be mentioned in the same sentence, but the thought of them being classified as Schedule I drugs by the United States government seems almost criminal.  When you put BIG TOBACCO in bed with BIG PHARMA, the lobbying money flows like syphilis ... and any hope for research into the many, many, MANY medicinal benefits of Mary Jane go out the window like yesterday's news.

Her given name was Mary Jane Rathbun although many referred to her simply as Brownie Mary.  She's one of my idols.  Not only did Rathbun lead the charge in helping AIDS patients in Berkley and San Francisco, but she stood by her convictions like few others I've read about.  

If you don't know the name and don't know Brownie Mary's history, please get your learn on:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownie_Mary

As Pennsylvania remains in the Dark Ages with respect to full recreational legalization, we are fortunate enough to have bordering states that see the tremendous benefits.  Take a look back at how much money derived from legal cannabis sales has been used for education funding in Colorado; talk to teachers in that state to learn how beneficial the millions of dollars in tax revenue that have gone directly into their classrooms has been.

While republicans have always been far behind the times - and always use the Gateway Drug myth excuse - many are starting to come around and see what many of us have known for quite sometime:  Marijuana is a medicine.

One thing that always disappoints me when it comes to media coverage of cannabis is how every picture or video of consumption features a dirty, hand-rolled joint burning someone's dirty fingers.  Get with the times!

Marijuana is available in so many other forms:  Capsules, drinks, edibles, tinctures and topicals to name just a few.  While dry leaf will always be an option for those who choose it, cannabis need not be smoked or vaped to be enjoyed.