There is a growing consensus of genuine hope that the insanity of cannabis prohibition is coming to an end.

Apart from the various legalisation and decriminalisation models that are being adopted in certain parts of the world, with overwhelmingly positive outcomes for the most part in most areas, the other reason why many are hopeful that cannabis prohibition will soon come to an end on an international scale is the ever increasing body of evidence supporting its tremendous medical potential, safety and value.

However as the pessimistic voice of reason I feel the need to point out a few things, not to completely dampen the hope but just balance it with some gentle reminders of the reality.
The cancer curing potential, where cannabis is becoming recognised as an effective and safe treatment for many forms of cancer, is one of the more exciting avenues of research and along with the attention cannabis is getting for its anti seizure properties, the calls for medicinal access are growing louder by the day and these calls are coming from ever increasingly diverse members of society, because diseases like cancer and epilepsy do not discriminate in the way that society often does.

More and more I am hearing people say with confidence, “the medicinal value is beyond doubt, they got to legalise this stuff”.
The idea that the tipping point is nearing is motivated by the reasonable and rational logic that cannabis prohibition is simply not sustainable as even the previously anti drug sections of society are changing their tune when it comes to cannabis medicine. “The jig is up, the cat is out of the bag. The truth has been revealed”.
The only problem with this sentiment, which stirs the cynic in me, is that this sentiment is not new, nor is the justification for it. In fact the idea that cannabis prohibition must surely be coming to an end because both its medicinal value and its relative safety are so undeniable, is a sentiment that has existed for more than 40 years (probably longer than that).

Sadly when it comes to the governing bodies, governments, medical establishments, and the UN, the truth about cannabis simply does not matter. It never has mattered and no matter how much evidence exists and how much reason there appears to be for thinking that the truth is finally out there in large enough force to overthrow the lies and propaganda, the situation remains the same.

Admittedly the evidence for the medicinal applications of cannabis is increasing day by day, and even this negative cynic appreciates that there must be some kind of tipping point some when.
The National Cancer Association and other authorities have recently started to admit that cannabis, specifically THC and CBD, have significant, established and recognised anti cancer properties that demonstrate that cannabis can be a legitimate treatment for cancer and combined with its numerous, already established, palliative benefits it is with out doubt a valuable and potentially life saving medicine for cancer patients.
The recent miraculous real life experiences of numerous epilepsy patients has shown that cannabis has unrivalled anti seizure properties that can and has transformed and saved the lives of countless people, including many very sick children.
But once again this situation has a depressingly strong essence of Deja Vu.

Before cannabis was renamed Marijuana and effectively outlawed through out the US, which subsequently lead to a worldwide prohibition lead by the United Nations, cannabis was a recognised medicine and was an integral part of the pharmacopeia.
Even after it was outlawed, in the face of opposition from medical experts, more and more evidence that challenged its prohibition has surfaced.

Though the last 10 years had seen a massive increase in data, the first study demonstrating an anti cancer effect from cannabis, specifically oral doses of THC, was in 1974, at the University of Virginia. This study was shut down by US president Richard Nixon with follow up studies prohibited.
In 1976 a Federal District court ruled that US citizen Robert Randall was allowed to use cannabis as a medical necessity after he was able to demonstrate beyond doubt that he required cannabis for his Glaucoma.
2 years later the US government cut off his supply but Robert Randall successfully sued the Federal government who were ordered to supply Mr Randall with cannabis for the rest of his natural life. Robert Randall died in 2001, at 53, from health complications related to AIDS.
Despite the fact that “An ophthalmologist told him in the early 1970’s that he would go blind within a few years. He never lost his sight.”
As the NY times reported. “He grew his own marijuana until he was prosecuted. He then underwent exhaustive tests that indicated that no other glaucoma drug halted the deterioration of his eyesight. He used that argument in demanding legal access to government marijuana.”

Another well known recipient of US supplied medical cannabis is Irvin Rosenfeld. In 1982 he was added to the very small list of “elite Federal Medical Cannabis Patient” as he was also able to establish a medical necessity for cannabis to treat his very rare bone disease. The US Federal government has to, by law, supply cannabis to Irvin Rosenfeld for the entirety of his natural life, which they do in the form of 300 ready rolled cannabis cigarettes (joints) which they send to him every 25 days. Irvin is one of only 13 people enrolled in this program, while the rest of the nation is criminalised for any attempt to use cannabis as a medicine. Despite the legalisation models adopted by some states in the US the Federal Government continues to prohibit cannabis, which they list as a schedule 1 drug with no medical value.

The US government still insists that cannabis has no medical value, despite their own federal courts declaring that it does and despite ordering them to supply medical cannabis to a very small number of medical patients.
Their claims, that cannabis has no medicinal value, are further contradicted by patents that they own for the medicinal use of cannabis. Most note worthy is patent number 6630507 which is owned by the US Federal Government and lists cannabis as an anti oxidant and neuro-protectant. That same patent also discussed the anti aging properties of cannabis and confirms that cannabinoids both significantly lower the risk of strokes and limit the potential damage caused.
Even their own advisory councils have insisted that cannabis is a safe and effective medicine.
In 1988 Judge Francis Young, who headed a US government funded study into the effects of cannabis concluded that “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest, therapeutically active substances known to man”.
He also spoke about the lack of toxicity by confirming that “it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death”.
So even when they own the patent for many of its established medical properties, even when they are forced by their own courts to supply cannabis to individual patients because the “medical necessity” has been proven beyond doubt or dispute and even when their own advisory councils and medical experts confirm that cannabis is indeed a safe and effective medicine, they still outlaw it as a schedule 1 drug (above crack cocaine and methamphetamines, which are both schedule 2) and declare that it has no recognised medical value.
So it seems that the truth, no matter how undisputable and blatant, simply does not matter when it comes to government criminality.That is the US government. What about the UK government? Well the contradictions between the proven truth and their shameless lies is equally apparent.

The UK government also maintains that cannabis has no medical value and claim that it is a dangerous drug. Yet they licence GW Pharmaceuticals to grow cannabis in various locations in the UK, allow them to conduct research, produce various patented cannabis medicines and even sell cannabis. They have even approved a patented cannabis tincture, called Sativex, as both safe and effective enough for nationwide use, although the massively inflated price of Sativex has left it unobtainable for the majority of patients otherwise eligible for its use.

These simple truths have been exposed for many years ago. These revelations are not new, in fact many of these proven facts date back to the 70’s and 80’s.
It is not just that the governments are ignoring, or are simply ignorant to, the truth regarding both the safety and medicinal potential of cannabis. It is clearly beyond doubt or dispute that the government is knowingly and willingly lying about cannabis.
As an entity, both the US Government and the UK Government, along with the UN and other authorities, have shown that they are fully aware of both the safety and medicinal efficacy of cannabis. They know that their position is fraudulent. They know that cannabis is medicine and a remarkably safe one at that, with lethal overdose confirmed to be physically impossible to achieve.
They know that prohibition of cannabis causes undeniable and tangible suffering and death. Yet the lies continue, as does the prohibition.Apparently the truth does not matter.
Cannabis may yet be confirmed as a cancer cure, at the very least a viable treatment for many forms of cancer (with patents for cannabis as a cancer treatment already established and small trials with patented cannabis drugs already approved). Cannabis may also be proven to be the only viable medicine for countless epilepsy sufferers. But it doesn’t matter.
It is also showing tremendous potential to treat diabetes, arthritis, MS, ME, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s and many more.
But none of that matters.
It has already been proven to be the only viable medicine for many Glaucoma patients, literally the only thing that can save many of them from going blind. But that didn’t matter either.
It didn’t matter when a small group of medicinal cannabis patients successfully sued the US government to the point that, not only did the government have to allow their cannabis use but they were even forced to supply them directly with the medicinal cannabis, which they still do to this day for those selected patients still alive, while maintaining that it has no medical value.
It didn’t matter when study after study confirmed that cannabis was both safe and medicinally active. It didn’t matter when it was shown to selectively kill cancer cells with out harming healthy cells. It didn’t matter when the US Government patented cannabis for numerous medicinal applications. It didn’t matter when the UK Government gave GW Pharmaceuticals an exclusive license to grow, produce and sell cannabis, while continuing to criminalise any citizen who attempted to do the same.
No matter how undeniable the truth is, it simply does not matter.Cannabis is a medicine. There is no debate to be had over this. It is beyond dispute, cannabis is a medicine. And its safety profile is so unprecedented that it has a safety profile beyond any drug, and most food items, known to man.
It is so non toxic that it is deemed impossible to cause a lethal overdose and, despite numerous attempts to demonstrate danger and numerous claims to the contrary, no tangible harm or damage to human health has been established.
Cannabis is a safe and effective medicine and even the government knows this. This simple truth is undeniable.

But sadly, when it comes to cannabis and the government, the truth does not matter.

references:

by marleyjames
https://nationsofsanity.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/cannabis-truth-doesnt-matter-apparently/

and youtube