Have Your Say: Fear surrounding cannabis

To the Editors,

As a long-time herbalist, and student of herbal medicines, I still cannot fathom the depth of fear, misunderstanding, ignorance, and Western countries’ stigma concerning cannabis. To sit in a coffee shop, walk the streets of any town, sit in a doctor’s waiting room, hospital’s emergency, or old folks’ home, I see a disturbing number of seniors obviously under the influence of painkiller medications or other prescribed pharmaceuticals. This is to a point of being incapable of walking without aid, or driving a vehicle, but there exists no laws to punish, lay charges, or enforce impairment by said pharmaceuticals. At 73, I still refuse to take pharmaceuticals for the reason of finding an herbal alternative in my fields or roadways (I am still teaching people).

Throughout almost all of the mid-eastern countries, and most of Asia, cannabis has been used medicinally for over 3,900 years.