Worth Repeating: Marijuana and the Psychology of Optimal Experience

By Ron Marczyk, R.N.

Health Education Teacher (Retired)

The reductionist, "group think," cold, dogmatic drug warriors of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the DEA, and the FDA have been digesting their own misinformation for so long they have lost their humanity. 

As counterintuitive as it sounds, the" high" or "feel good" buzz from marijuana is an actual "therapeutic effect" that heals the brain, produces homeostasis and prevents many neurodegenerative conditions.

Brain homeostasis is restored by the direct action of THC/CBD-activating CB1 receptors in the amygdala which regulate our "happiness / emotional salience module." This pathway is dedicated to seeking for "meaningfulness" in our existence.

Cannabis May Halt Multiple Sclerosis

Madrid, Spain: The administration of a cannabinoid agonist halts the advancement of multiple sclerosis, according to preclinical data to be published in the journal Neuropharmacology.

Colorado Bill To Legalize and Regulate Marijuana Qualifies For Ballot

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler approved a state ballot initiative Monday to legalize and regulate the use of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. Voters will decide Nov. 6 whether the measure becomes law.
“This could be a watershed year in the decades-long struggle to end marijuana prohibition in this country,” said Art Way, Colorado manager of the Drug Policy Alliance in a statement Monday. “Marijuana prohibition is counterproductive to the health and public safety of our communities. It fuels a massive, increasingly brutal underground economy, wastes billions of dollars in scarce law enforcement resources, and makes criminals out of millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens.”

California Court Decision Affirms Legality Of Storefront Dispensaries

The California Court of Appeal issued a landmark published decision last week affirming the legality of storefront dispensaries and rejecting the argument that every member of a collective or cooperative must participate in the cultivation. Didn’t hear about the ruling? Maybe because the decision came from the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles, the domain of District Attorney Steve Cooley and City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, famously intolerant to medical marijuana dispensaries. It would be an understatement to say that the ruling jabs a large thorn into both of their sides. You’ll certainly see no publicity from their corner.
The case People v. Colvin involves William Frank Colvin, the operator of Hollywood Holistic Inc., who was arrested while lawfully transporting a pound of medical marijuana from one collective he operates to another. Even while acknowledging that Colvin was operating a legitimate dispensary, the trial court denied him a defense on the grounds that transportation of medical marijuana was illegal under state law. After being denied a defense, Colvin was convicted.