"Medical" Marijuana Misses the Mark

So, as many of you know, this is Dig In--the greening/gardening/food blog on Lansing Noise from community food activist Gabriel Biber.  Amid the mayor's cries of Go Green! encouraging a local, sustainable economy and ecology, and a widespread interest in grow-your-own- and natural-foods, Lansing has witnessed another sort of green on the rise as a commercial focus under the State of Michigan's recent provisions to allow for the lawful growth, use, and sale of cannabis.

Why marijuana?  As far as herbal healing goes, there is a plethora of natural substances that can be administered simply, in decoction, or by other means to treat myriad conditions.  Far from being a fringe 'alternative' to mainstream/pharmaceutical medicine, treatments direct from nature--the wise use of plants--are the source of damn near every commercial medicine.  The traditional knowledge and oral communications that carried on this invaluable knowledge through centuries is more endangered than ever.  There are many species native to MIchigan which hold potent curative powers.  (Phyllis A. Bach has a wonderful layman's pharmacopeia of such materia medica and usage in her book Prescription for Herbal Healing.)

Marijuana does not appear in her book.  Needless to say, the cannabis laws of the last hundred years or so in the U.S. have not been conducive to a popularization of its use outside of the underworld.  But now that you can draw a straight line through a map of Lansing and hit a dozen weed dispensaries, the question is:

 Is marijuana ruining the herbal healing reputation for all other herbs out there, the one's without Cheech-and-chong connotations?

The recent commercialization of the product as it fits into traditional retail is highly visible on the Lansing scene.  City Pulse even has the shameless Ganja Guy segment, which talks of tastes and highs, not symptoms, doses and alleviation.  One local establishment was recently robbed not long after opening '24/7' to dispense so-called medical marijuana.  And there's the other rub--if an herb--grown with harmful chemicals and improperly prepared--is passed of as medicinal, what next?  My Celestial Seasonings tea seems more medicinal than a tarry sack of reefer.

I'll even pass on the dramatic posturing about the over-ubiquitous shops, kids walking home from school, lax practices, and the whitewashing of legalization under the guise of medication.

Bottom line: real herbal healing has everyday benefits from mint for sore tummies to a number of more complex ailments and treatments.  The ways and means to employ such healing are important human rights that must be preserved.  But slapping a price tag with a "Medical" tag on something grown in your basement for a profit?  That's not the holistic revolution I was picturing.  Let's focus on the food, medicine and craft species we can grow ourselves, and not degrade medicine any more than we already have.   

 

Comments

[Shelley]

I do believe you should do more research. I realize this is a blog, not an actual news article, so it is just your opinion. Still, I advise people not to speak on a subject that they only understand through what mass media tells them.
Just one example that you put in bold (which I suppose means it's valid to you?) if you are truly looking for herbal healing why would a MMJ patient use an herb grown in harmful chemicals? Where in the world did this knowledge come from? Obviously you have not spoken to anyone that takes the use of MM seriously.

[paul smith]

I suffer from an extreme case of Eczema, and over the years have tried about every type of "home" remedy there is on it. NOTHING WORKED! I think the whole "herbal" myth is just that, a myth. I'm tired of tree-huggers, ex-hippies, and "green folks" trying to tell people that moss off a tree is going to heal me. However, Medical weed does work for my back pain. Sure, a lot of pills do to, except weed doesn't damage my liver and kidneys. And before you know nothings talk about the evils of
Marijuana; I ingest it, not smoke it, It is not a gateway drug, and your child is already being offered it in Kindergarden, so spare me your uniformed opinions based on hearsay and no research.

[plaztikjezuz]

Gabe,

i think your comment have missed the mark that medical cannabis helps people and they need a way to get it. medical cannabis does not degrade or reduce the acceptance or effectiveness of other herbal medications. cannabis was prescribed by doctors until it was listed as a schedule 1 drug which prevents that from now happening.

if your whole point is saying that people need to grow it themselves i completely disagree, not every MMP can do this for a verity of reasons. why should they have to go to the black market for medicine? these business bring in taxes and other revenues. you failed to mention that the cafe by kushion has seen a big increase in business since they opened up kitty corner from them. so supporting business are also benefitting.

but remember you need to have a MM card to even use these places. i think people seem to forget that we all voted and made a decision to allow people to posses this for medicinal use and those people have to be certified. this is not some "school kid" off the street walking in and buy their weed. these are people who a doctor has put his medical license on the line in saying this person could benefit from this and i think they should be able to do this for health reasons.

i would also like to point out that you are being incredibly vague when you talk about plants "grown with harmful chemicals and improperly prepared". please elaborate on this. to me this statement just reeks of fear mongering and has nothing to support it.