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National Academy of Sciences: Marijuana can be used as a medicine

In one of the least surprising announcements of the year, the National Academy of Sciences has declared that marijuana can be used as a medicine in order to improve one’s health naturally. Despite the fact that anyone who has done any significant amount of research on the subject could have told you the same thing, racking up data from numerous reputable sources is always a good thing, as it eventually reaches the point where nobody can deny the truth any longer. Even the staunchest critics of marijuana will have to accept defeat at some point — and that is when true liberty will be achieved.

Marijuana advocates all over the world rejoiced at the news, and for good reason, since it is yet another piece of scientific evidence that helps prove to naysayers that cannabis has considerable health benefits. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano stated, “The National Academy of Science’s conclusions that marijuana possesses established therapeutic utility for certain patients and that it possesses an acceptable safety profile when compared to those of other medications or recreational intoxicants are not surprising. This evidence has been available for some time, yet for decades marijuana policy in this country has largely been driven by rhetoric and emotion, not science and evidence.”

It continues to become more and more obvious that the only reason that cannabis hasn’t been legalized from coast to coast, all across the United States, is because the powers that be are benefiting heavily from the pharmaceutical drugs that are being peddled in its place. Should cannabis be legalized, Big Pharma will take a drastic hit, which is guaranteed to leave them scrambling. Considering the fact that President Donald Trump has already waged a culture war against the pharmaceutical industry, it should come as no great surprise that they don’t want their brand to be damaged any further.

The bottom line is that cannabis is a natural, healthy and effective alternative to chemical drugs that are created in a lab somewhere. Opioid addiction in America is through the roof, and few have the courage to address that fact because they are afraid of the wrath of those controlling the pharmaceutical industry. Thankfully, the truth is always on the side of justice and there is no way to keep the truth from coming out. Though the powers that be did their best to keep Americans in the dark on the health benefits of cannabis for as long as possible, that time is long gone. We are all waking up, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows that marijuana is actually considerably healthier than the drugs peddled at the pharmacy. (RELATED: Find more news about medical marijuana at MedicalMarijuanaUpdate.com)

This is going to be a year that welcomes many changes to the United States. With the inauguration of Donald Trump comes a lot of new ideas regarding freedom and liberty within our country. One of the issues that our politicians need to address immediately is the archaic manner in which the federal government views cannabis. If they are truly in the business of improving the lives of the American people, they need to stop banning a plant that is guaranteed to help many. Should they choose to continue living in the past, denying the truth and waging a war on reality, they will be preventing many from reaching their full potential.

Read more censored science news at Censored.news.

Sources:

TheDailySheeple.com

OpposingViews.com

WeedNews.co

marijuanavote2014

Massachusetts joins the list of legal marijuana states

If you are 21 years of age or older and a Massachusetts resident, recreational marijuana is now legal for you after the law went into effect on Thursday, December 15, 2016. Massachusetts is the first state in the densely-populated U.S. Northeast that has legalized the drug for recreational use.

Despite the strong opposition from top politicians, the Catholic Church, doctors, business groups, and other civic leaders, Massachusetts is one of three states where ballot measures legalizing recreational use of marijuana passed on November 8, 2016, along with California and Nevada. The Governor’s Council certified those results on Wednesday, December 14, bringing the law into effect on Thursday. Voters in Arizona rejected the law, and a Maine ballot is still going through a recount.

A legal gray zone

Even though marijuana remains illegal under federal law, in Massachusetts, anyone who is 21 or older can now legally possess up to one ounce of pot in public and up to 10 ounces inside their home. Additionally, it’s also legal for Massachusetts residents to grow up to six plants per person, with a limit of 12 plants per household.

It will be at least another year before cannabis can be legally sold in the state, giving state officials time to figure out how to implement the new law. They have been given until January 2018 to regulate the marketplace and set up licensed retail stores. This, however, creates a temporary legal gray zone where buying up to an ounce of marijuana from a dealer is legal while the dealer is breaking the state law.

Supporters of the new law are very wary that Massachusetts officials might try to change the law or delay its full implementation over the coming months, ABC News reported.

“I am both celebrating and worrying that the law might not be implemented properly,” said Bill Downing, member liaison for the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition who has spent nearly three decades crusading for relaxed marijuana rules.

His concern stems from public statements made by Democratic legislative leaders and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who were opposed to the law but had no choice other than to honor the will of the people. The Massachusetts marijuana legalization ballot passed last month with about 1.8 million people voting for and 1.5 million people voting against the measure, reported the Boston Globe.

Top leaders and politicians already stated that the law does not sufficiently protect public health and safety, trying to delay the opening of stores beyond the planned January 2018 date.

Massachusetts’ influence on neighboring states

Some people suggested that the legalization in Massachusetts could motivate neighboring states to consider similar steps. Given the close distances between cities in the West, it will be easy for people to cross state lines to acquire the drug.

Taylor West, deputy director of the Washington-based National Cannabis Industry Association, told the Huffington Post in a phone interview that it certainly makes sense for neighboring states to look at the policy and consider the benefits the state can get from putting this behind a regulated counter. Rhode Island’s governor, Democrat Gina Raimondo, already communicated that she is willing to consider the idea.

According to a poll by Gallup, 60 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Nonetheless, the future remains uncertain. While Trump has said that marijuana legalization was best left to the states during his campaign, his pick for attorney general is U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who criticized Barack Obama’s administration for not enforcing the federal ban on marijuana aggressively enough.

Sources:

BostonGlobe.com

ABCNews.Go.com

HuffingtonPost.com