Benefits of Cannabis

Determined to spread cannabis awareness.

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Cannabis and Nutrition

Cannabis and its Nutritional Value

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Recently, our society has had a dramatic fall in the realm of nutrition. It's as if humans forgot what is good for us. Having a healthy, balanced diet is important. It provides our bodies with energy, vitamins, minerals, protein, essential fats, and basically everything else you need to grow and be healthy and function properly. Eating a balanced diet  can help us to achieve optimal health throughout life. Cannabis is actually an extremely balanced flower that can provide us with a great source of protein. Cannabis is one of the most nutritious vegetables in the world. It is said to be only second to the soy plant in terms of nutritional value. The cannabis seed contains all 21 known fatty acids including the ones that the body is unable to make.

Why is Good Nutrition Important?

Having a balanced diet is important to staying healthy. Bad dieting is responsible for a number of diseases and ailments including (but not limited to):

Heart Disease

High Blood Pressure

Type-2 Diabetes

Osteoporosis

Several Types of Cancer

By eating unhealthy we are contributing to the obesity epidemic that we are facing. About one-third of United States adults are obese and around seventeen percent of children ages two to nineteen are obese. Even if you are at a healthy weight, a poor diet can lead to health risks associated with major health risks that causes illness and can even cause death. The link between good nutrition and healthy weight, reduced chronic disease risk, and overall health is too great to look past. It's easy to make small changes in your diet and it can go a long way.

Cannabis and Hemp Seeds

The seeds of the Cannabis Sativa plant are full of nutrition. It's an excellent addition to any balanced diet. The seed contains:

Protein

Carbohydrates

Insoluble Fibre

Beta-Carotene

Phosphorous

Potassium

Magnesium

Sulphur

Calcium

Iron

Zinc

Vitamin E

Vitamin C

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B6

Essential Fatty Acids

Omega-3

Omega-6

The ratio of the Omega-3 to Omega-6 acids is approximately a 1:3, which is considered optimal for good human health.

Cannabis Leaves and Flowers

There are many ways to consume the leaves and flowers of Cannabis. The most popular way is by being smoked to achieve the effects of the THC. In order for THC to become a psychoactive chemical it first needs to be heated to a certain temperature so that the THC can become active. But there are other n0n-psychoactive ways to consume the leaves and flowers that are extremely good for you.

Raw salad

Juiced

Blended into a Smoothie

Powdered to take capsules

The leaves and flowers of marijuana are packed full of nutrients including:

Rich source of fiber

Phosphorous

Flavonoids

9 essential amino acids

Essential oils

Magnesium

Calcium

Polyphenols

THC-A

CBC-A

CBD-A

CBG-A

and CBN-A

Polyphenols have a wide range of benefits but are mostly known for their antioxidant value. This class of chemical is common in leaves and vegetables and is important for reducing the damage that free radicals can have on the body, which will keep your body looking and feeling younger. It has been shown that there is a direct correlation between dietary phenolic compound intake and a reduced incidence of chronic diseases such as:

cancer

cardiovascular disease

and neurodegenerative disease

The most arguably beneficial ingredient in cannabis is CBD-A, which is the chemical dominate in hemp strains of cannabis.  It is the unheated form of CBD. In its raw (CBD-A) state, this molecule has a variety of benefits in the body while maintaining a non-psychoactive effect. We have in our bodies an endogenous cannabinoid system, which is used to control cellular function throughout our entire body. We are all born with it. When CBD-A (or CBD) is introduced into our body it works with the endogenous cannabinoid system to aid in a variety of anti-mutagenic, regulatory, and other actions that many use to combat or prevent cancer from thriving within the body. Due to the leafs high polyphenol content, a rich source of trace minerals, fibers, and fatty acids, cannabis leaves and flowers are a great source of daily nutrition, with added preventative and medicinal benefits.

Every part of the Cannabis Sativa plant is high in nutritional value and can be added to your diet without any psychoactive effects. It's an all around well-balanced vegetable and an excellent addition to any diet if you are looking to stay healthy. Hemp seeds are usually easy to find and can be found at your local health foods store or supermarket. How do you incorporate cannabis into your diet? Tell us on our social media pages! Stay active, stay healthy, and stay safe!

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Sources:

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-topics/nutrition

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/Does-marijuana-have-nutritional-benefits_18806405

http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/why-is-it-important/

http://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/2016/3/11/yun7stp1a7u4ga0s3do3bf7h895vdn

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Cannabis and Depression Treatment

Benefits of Cannabis

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I’m sure most of you know somebody who has taken their own life. It’s a sad story for everyone. Major Depressive Disorder affects more than 14.8 million American adults, which is around 6.7 percent of the American population. Depression can be treated with prescription pharmaceuticals, such as:

Lexapro

Xanax

Zoloft

Celexa

Paxil

and Prozac

But what if there was a safer, more effective way to treat depression. Cannabis offers promising results in the treatment of minor to major depression, though since it’s federally illegal to use, not a whole lot of people know about it.

Pharmaceuticals

Let’s talk about antidepressant pharmaceuticals. These antidepressant medications  can cause multiple side effects, including pretty serious ones like:

nausea

increased appetite and weight gain

loss of sexual desire and other sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction and decreased orgasm

fatigue and drowsiness

insomnia

dry mouth

blurred vision

constipation

dizziness

agitation

irritability

anxiety

depression

and even an increased risk of suicide

These medications alter the chemistry of the brain, and can even cause irreversible structural and chemical  changes to the brain and body. One study even shows that they can cause structural changes similar to those observed in Parkinson’s disease. NYTimes reported that taking SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are just as effective as taking a placebo sugar pill, which may even prove that these medications don’t even work as intended. Could this just be another Big Pharma ploy? Probably not, however,  over the past two decades, the use of antidepressants in the US has skyrocketed. One in ten Americans now takes an antidepressant medication, while women in their 40’s and 50’s the number is more like one in four. Americans account for about five percent of the global population, but we buy more than 50 percent of the pharmaceutical drugs. So, while we continue to create a society addicted to pills, Big Pharma is stuffing their pockets with more than 280 billion dollars every year.

Suicide

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Over 42,770 people die each year by taking their own life. The annual age-adjusted suicide rate is nearly 13 per 100,000 individuals. In 2014, people ages 85 and older were the first group for highest amounts of suicides. The second highest rate occurred in those between 45 and 64 years of age. Younger groups have lower suicide rates than adults. In 2014, teens and young adults aged 15 to 24 had a suicide rate of 11.6%. Suicide is devastating for family and friends of the beloved one. Two-thirds of all suicides are reported to be from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Cannabis as a Treatment

Cannabis is sometimes referred to as ‘Green Prozac’ because most users find its use to be uplifting. Using cannabis to treat depression goes back  hundreds of years. Depression is defined as feelings of severe despondency and dejection. So, right off the bat, with its uplifting properties, it seems like cannabis would be an effective treatment. In low doses THC can act as an antidepressant by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. However, in high doses THC can cause extreme paranoia and anxiety, possibly making your depression worse for the time that you are medicated. Moderation is definitely key in this treatment. Thousands of patients using cannabis to treat depression claim that it works well. While researchers can’t completely confirm if marijuana is effective for treating depression, most prescription medications actually fall into this problem as well, with very little scientific evidence backing them up. The thing with cannabis though, is that most research isn’t confirmed not because they can’t find out if it works or not, but because it’s classified federally illegal with no medical benefits, so research on marijuana is hard to accomplish, given the excess amount of limitations put on the plant.

What are your thoughts on Medical Cannabis being used as a treatment for depression? Should we legalize this medicine so we can perform more research?

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Sources:

http://www.dbsalliance.org/

http://www.webmd.com/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10700602

http://www.http://www.nytimes.com/

https://afsp.org/

http://www.leafscience.com/

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Cancer Treatment: Chemo & Radiation vs. Cannabis Oil

Let's talk cancer. Currently cancer kills 7.6 MILLION people worldwide every year. The two current mainstream options are Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments. But is there a more effective way of treating cancer? Thousands of medical cannabis patients believe so.

Before we get too far into the knitty gritty details, I would like to introduce you to a man named Rick Simpson. I know. Real hard name to remember. But it's an important one. Rick Simpson is a cannabis activist who helps inform patients about the medicinal properties of marijuana. He's truly an inspiration. He's been hard at work for nearly 10 years. Simpson is one of the only people brave enough to take a stand for what is right . He continues to push for cannabis oil, even with the world against him. Rick Simpson successfully CURED his own cancer in 2003 using a treatment that he made up using cannabis oil. Once Simpson realized he had the cure he tried to show it to his doctor and other medical professionals who didn't want anything to do with it, considering it uses cannabis... Rick decided to do what he though needed to be done and gave medication to anyone who was sick from cancer and needed it. For free. A truly noble cause. Simpson has healed over 5,000 terminally ill cancer patients, and caused them to go into a complete remission. Since then his Rick Simpson Oil recipe has been determined to have a 70% success rate.

Chemotherapy was first developed at the beginning of the 20th century, although it was not originally intended as a cancer treatment. During World War II, it was discovered that people exposed to nitrogen mustard (mustard gas) developed significantly reduced white blood cell counts. This led researchers to discover that they could use it to target cancer cells and halt the growth. Going through chemotherapy is no easy task, however. Ask any person who's gone through it or is going through it. Common side effects from chemo include:

Major Fatigue

Headaches

Muscle pain

Stomach pain

Pain from nerve damage, such as burning, numbness, or shooting pains, usually in the fingers and toes

Mouth and throat sores

Diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Constipation

Nervous system effects such as

Changes in thinking and memory

Sexual and reproductive issues

Appetite loss

Hair loss

Risk of a second cancer.

Kidney Problems

Tingling

Burning

Weakness or numbness in the hands, feet, or both

Weak, sore, tired, or achy muscles

Loss of balance

Shaking or trembling

On average chemotherapy works 2.1% of the time. With varying statistics for various cancers. You may be thinking, did I read that right? 2.1%?? No, he typed that wrong. Nope. I didn't. On average the survival chance with chemo is 2.1% (albeit still better than 0%), with cancer patients who refused chemo generally living longer than a patient who decided to do chemo. Then we have Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can be dated back to 1895, when we found out that exposure to radiation caused cutaneous burns .Emil Grubbé, a student doctor in Chicago, became the first person to use of radiation to treat cancer. And three years later, two Swedish doctors used radiotherapy to cure several cases of head and neck cancer. While radiation did seem promising, there are also some pretty nasty side effects. Side effects of radiation include:

Skin problems

Fatigue

Dry mouth

Mouth and gum sores

Difficulty swallowing

Stiffness in the jaw

Nausea

Lymphedema

Tooth decay

Difficulty swallowing

Shortness of breath

Breast or nipple soreness

Shoulder stiffness

Cough

Fever

Fullness of the chest called radiation pneumonitis

Radiation fibrosis, which is permanent scarring of the lungs from untreated radiation pneumonitis

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Rectal bleeding

Incontinence

Bladder irritation

Sexual problems, such as impotence

Lowered sperm counts and reduced sperm activity

Changes in menstruation

Symptoms of menopause, such as vaginal itching, burning, and dryness

Infertility

With all said, wouldn't you think that the primary treatment option for cancer would be a Cannabis Oil Treatment, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy being the alternative methods of treatment? Considering nobody has died from cannabis use and you'd actually be receiving many heath benefits in addition to the cancer treatment, instead of a crazy long list of side effects. Apparently not. Unfortunately, the Drug Enforcement Administration  doesn't recognize Cannabis as a medicine and instead leaves it categorized with Meth, Crack, and Heroin.  In 2012, the reported spending on cancer treatment was 124.6 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the federal government sees cancer as a huge industry with a lot of revenue. If cannabis was legalized sales for Big Pharma would go down. The 11 largest global drug companies made an astonishing $711 billion in profits over 10 years stating in 2002 and ending in 2012. It's the largest industry in the United States. By legalizing the miracle cure the US would not be making as much money.

It's time to stand up against this giant scam we are all involved in. No more Big Pharma, no more prohibition, no more cancer. Say yes to legalizing the Cannabis industry. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay lit.

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Hemp Can Save Our Economy

In a world littered with poverty, one can only hope that a way to fix everything would come along.. well it's already here. It has been here and utilized basically all throughout history. But its a banned industry. Hemp. Hemp has been grown for AT LEAST the last 12,000 years. Its been used in fibers, textiles, paper, and food. But since the 1950s the United States prohibited it.

    Lets get one thing straight. Whatever your opinions on hemp are, the fact is, it has over 50,000 uses and benefits. Some are medical benefits. Some economic benefits. Some just plain useful benefits.

Here is a list of just a few:

Anibacterial

Antiviral

Antifungal

Antioxidant

Anti – inflammatory

Skin regenerative

Cardioprotective

Eczema Treatment

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Arthritis Treatment

Acne Treatment

Omega-3

Omega-6

Hair Treatment (many vital amino acids)

Supports Organ Function

Good for Heart

Keeps immune system alert

Allergies

Fatigue

High protein content (20%)

No THC (The stuff that gets you high)

One of the fastest growing plants

    Can be used to make:

Paper

Textiles

Clothing

Biodegradable Plastics

Paint

Insulation

Biofuel

Food

Animal feed

And so much more

  So, with so many uses and benefits, and being around for over 12,000 years, how come the United States put a ban on the industry? Oh, its simple really. Congress banned hemp because it was said to be a dangerous and illicit drug.

Aye yai yai...    

First of all, its not dangerous. If you were to smoke hemp nothing would happen to you. Thats because the psycoactive compound, THC, isn't active in the strain. Hemp has a high CBD content. CBD has a wide variety of medical benefits including but not limited to:

Acne

ADD

ADHD

Addiction

AIDS

ALS

Alzheimer's Disease

Anorexia

Antibiotic Resistance

Anxiety

Atherosclerosis

Arthritis

Asthma

Bipolar

Various forms of Cancer

Colitis

Crohn's Disease

Depression

Diabetes

Endocrine Disorders

Epilepsy and Seizures

Fibromyalgia

Glaucoma

Heart Disease

Huntington's Disease

Inflammation

IBS

Kidney Disease

Liver Disease

Merabolic Symdrome

Migraine

Mood Disorders

Motion Sickness

Multiple Sclerosips (MS)

Nausea

Neurodegeneration

Neuropathic Pain

Obesity

OCD

Osteoporosis

Parkinson's

Prion Disease (Mad cow)

PTSD

Rheumatism

Schiziophrenia

Sickle Cell Anemia

Skin Conditions

Sleep Disorders

Spinal Cord Injury

STRESS

Stroke and TBI

    Pretty crazy huh? That something so powerful, so helpful, can be illegal. The United States is the only industialized country to have placed a ban on hemp. And with over 25,000 different products to be made with hemp, if we were to legalize it the industry would take off, providing a lot of tax money to the federal government to use in programs for school, saftey, and to help stabalize the economy.  

    Based on most recent production and price averages, the estimated value of hemp per acre is $21,000 from seeds and $12,500 from stalks. Not only that but hemp uses HALF the water that wheat does. So, we'd save water. Also, it produces four times as much grain as wheat. So, it's more bang for our buck. Not to mention hemp breaths in four times as much Carbon Dioxide as trees do, leaving our air nice, fresh, and crisp.

    Let's stand together and legalize the hemp industry all over the United States. Hemp is going to be the miracle that saves our country.

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Why can't We All Just Get aBong?

Oops.. I mean get along. But seriously why do you have to hate on stoners? Is it because of the lazy stereotype? Because I don't know about you but I consume nearly half a gram of cannabis oil every single day and I'm productive. I love working outside, getting out and doing something, seeing the sights. See, I think the problem with society is that everybody is so quick to judge. "Oh, he smokes weed, he must be a lazy fuck." You probably know a good chunk of people who smoke weed and you don't even know it. Because smoking weed is not as debilitating as people have suggested. I smoked weed throughout my junior and senior years in high school and graduated without and problem at all. In fact, I truly believe it helped me concentrate in my classes enough to help with my grades. Medical Cannabis has helped thousands of people with ADD and ADHD as well as OCD. I hope you take the time to Like my Facebook page and Follow my Instagram and Twitter. I'll be keeping all of my followers informed on what cannabis can do for you, me, and the planet.