een used to make artists’ canvas, tents, linens, towels, flags, and even rugs. As cloth, hemp is stronger, warmer, softer, and easier to grow than cotton. Hemp is one of the hardiest plants around. Although it prefers warm humid climates, hemp can withstand frost and drought. Hemp can be so densely planted that it smothers all weeds eliminating the need for most pesticides. Popular Mechanics called hemp the “New Billion Dollar Crop.” The THC (pleasure giving chemical) in cannabis has many medicinal uses. In the far east, marijuana has been boiled into a tea to treat ailments ranging from malaria to arthritis to anesthetic for centuries. In more recent times, cannabis has been shown to alleviate some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has many gastrointestinal side effects that include vomiting, extreme nausea, ulceration, diaherra, and heartburn. While prescription drugs have little effect, marijuana can ease many of these side effects. As I stated earlier, many marijuana users report an increase in appetite. Patients weak from diseases such as AIDS and anoxia can use marijuana to increase their appetite and put on weight. There is a synthetic form of THC (marinol) but it is largely ineffective because it often put the patient to sleep before the appetite is stimulated. There is also some evidence that THC can help control spasms associated with cerebral palsy, stroke, and epilepsy. Canada, Arizona, and California have already legalized marijuana for medicinal uses. Although there is a lot of evidence that THC is a valid medical tool, there is little incentive for further research. Since cannabis is illegal, it cannot be patented. Without a patent, research institutes are not be able profit from their research. The biggest fear with marijuana is not the drug itself. Many people feel that marijuana use only leads to harder drugs such as LSD, heroin, and cocaine. This “Gateway T...
