Hemp – Magic, myth or demon?

The humble hemp plant has existed since before man, reference to its use can be traced back thousands of years especially in a medicinalcapacity. We can read, and in fact see results of its healing powers, I have spoken to many whom swear they have been healed by the plant. A vale of evil hangs over its modern perception fuelled by a media campaign in the late fifties and sixties, this still haunts the hemp plant to this day.

Hemp… What could it be good for if we’d let itThe power of the hemp plant that could be used for multiple purposes was a victim of vindication during the sixties fuelled by a convinced American government lobbied by advocates from the cotton and alcohol industry. Hemp could be grown easily in large quantities and be used as fibre to make innumerable things, Henry Fords model T was initially built to run on hemp oil and many body parts were made of Hemp fibre quoted as being stronger tHemp also threatened the pharmaceutical industry, its sister plant cannabis sativa still carrying a vice for possession and imprisonment for dealing.

This easily grown weed is cultivated in back gardens producing a recreational drug that could damage the profits margin of the alcohol industry to such an extent that its medicinal properties continue to be ignored. Alcohol is responsible for billions of dollars in damage to social and economic western criteria but its prevalence in society is escalated by government and business groups intoxicated by its revenue.

Society, now informed by easy access to information via modern media has begun to question the ignorance it was once burdened with.  So what is now sixty and working outside for a great deal of life, as many my age, a black to brown dot appeared on the surface of my skin atop of my nose.  It gradually grew and fearing the worse I consulted my doctor and a biopsy was conducted. A benign skin cancer, it would not spread but would have to be treated. The initial advice to treatment was surgery and I consulted several, expensive ones.   In some cases it would leave scars and have no guarantee of success. I contemplated the necessity of such a move against the probability of alternate treatment that visual and quoted evidence had provided but found.

I was not completely convinced, but there was no harm in firstly trying alternate methods ofHemp oil is currently available usually over the net. From experience I would put this down to its limited shelf life so health shops order it in only when requested. Retailed in dark glass or alloy bottles to stop ultra violet light destroying some of its medicinal properties it must also be kept in the fridge to extend its use by date expected to be around six months under such conditions. Grown in commercial quantities in Tasmania and Queensland a wide range of products are derived from the plant.  The cottage industries supporting this trend are doing quite well.

So does it really work? I can now sincerely assure anyone it does. After a month of applying hemp oil directly to the skin cancer several times a day keeping the area moist, the cancer has gone. I was not surprised, I was astounded!  I pictured the area every week and observing the results reminded me of other accounts of success I had recently seen during research. I thought photographing the progress would really be futile and almost didn’t bother but pictorial accounts I had seen suggested it may be a good idea so I persevered.

So does it really work? I can now sincerely assure anyone it does. After a month of applying hemp oil directly to the skin cancer several times a day keeping the area moist, the cancer has gone. I was not surprised, I was astounded!  I pictured the area every week and observing the results reminded me of other accounts of success I had recently seen during research. I thought photographing the progress would really be futile and almost didn’t bother but pictorial accounts I had seen suggested it may be a good idea so I persevered.

Being a firm believer in democracy I now must ask a few questions regarding hemp, cannabis and its medicinal qualities.  This plant and its liquid secretion continues to be held at arms length by pharmaceutical, drug and cancer research. I just cured or at worst abated a skin cancer on my person, I ask the question. Why?  Why don’t we work with this?

If we study the history of this products demonisation and its continued ignorance by medicinal science, in my opinion, things are a bit smelly. To act on any law or legislation I would aspire to have substantial evidence as not to waste valuable government time for debate in lower or upper houses of western democracy. We currently waste too much time in parliament on utter bullshit and with the experience of my own skin this is no bullshit.

Now we enter the burning debate on the current status quo.  I as a young rock and roller did some field research on cannabis sativa (and before the AFP roll up on my door and in the words of Cheech and Chong, ‘under the supervision of a doctor of course.’ To assume someone can conduct themselves in a manner accustomed to western democracy without affecting our daily lives whilst under the influence of cannabis sativa I find a concerning statement.   A heavy dose of THC from cannabis sativa and as alcohol our machinery driven modern world becomes a scary place. We have just found a balancing act in equality similar to that of the affects of alcohol on social and economic rationalism. Why are our prisons filling with the youth of our nation many on petty crimes of possession of marijuana.  Are we following the path of America having a privatised prison system expanding at immense cost to tax payers fuelled by the greed of those that run the system?

Why have the social implications of alcohol devastating lives across the western world made it illegal? It’s been tried and didn’t work.  A network of organised crime distributing alcohol and became more powerful than governments attempting to control it. A network of organised crime distributes marijuana (cannabis sativa) and we spend billions a year attempting to eradicate it, we also spend billions a year attempting to control alcohol and its affects on society. Confused, many are dazed and confused.

These things distract from common application in the face of the public  They currently hamper the social advantages of hemp and its many uses. Questions need to be asked and the debate widened on application and control, the buck will probably stop with the lobby group that has it, money that is.

image: oscardolla