Introducing Mrs. Cannabis Sativa. Does she look familiar? You might even think you know who Mrs. Sativa is, but odds are you have never met her outside of parties. There’s more to her than meets the eye.
Before we get into the specific benefits of Cannabis, let’s start at the beginning. Feel free to skip around if any of this starts to sounds familiar.
Cannabis has been used by human beings since 8000 BC. The first archeological record is a site in Japan from the literal Stone Age. Cannabis is a plant that has a psychoactive chemical called “THC,” but obviously is made of more than just this single component.
What is really fascinating about the cannabis plant is that within our bodies we have a system of triggers and alarms that control our homeostasis that is intimately linked to cannabis. It is called the endocannabinoid system.
This article will focus on 6 surprising benefits of the formerly taboo veggie.
- Cultural
- Reduces inflammation
- Promotes “browning” of fat cells
- Community
- Substance abuse treatment
Less Marijuana Possession Imprisonment
The USA has the largest prison population on the planet. 2.2 million Americans live behind bars. This might mean somebody you yourself know has done time for drug-related charges. The law makes it supremely easy for judges who got up on the wrong side of bed to stick a red-handed pothead with a stiff sentence that can last years. Criminal defense lawyers, Kohler and Hart, write on their blog about drug trafficking that “(The definition of drug trafficking) is so broad, some activities that individuals consider simple possession will actually qualify as federal drug trafficking.”
Drug trafficking can land you in 30 years of prison time.
Reduces Inflammation
There are two types of inflammation. One is normal and the other indicates a real problem. The two kinds are acute and chronic.
- Acute inflammation is the what you have lived through a million times. It is the swelling that happens immediately upon hurting yourself. Generally, this goes away within a week or two.
- Chronic inflammation does not go away. The worst thing about arthritis, for example, is this chronic pain. Autoimmune disorders, obesity, and stress can contribute to chronic inflammation.
Enter CBD. The cannabis plant provides novel mechanisms that lead to decreases in both kinds of inflammation. Plus, nowadays, the health benefits of CBD can be enjoyed in a wide variety of different ways. For example, if you would like to get your CBD dose in an edible form then there are plenty of vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free CBD gummies that you can add to your daily routine. There are many options, like the 7g THCa Sativa Flower for example, so you are bound to find a version that is ideal for you, your tastes, and your day.
Generates Brown Fat
You might not be aware that there are white fat cells and there are brown fat cells. White fat cells are the ones we talk about daily. They look like oily droplets and get deployed to … “strategic” places throughout your body as energy reserves in case you ever need to outrun a tiger or something.
What you might not know is that researchers from the New England Journal of Medicine discovered a new kind of fat in 2014. Brown fat is beneficial and can be triggered by exposure to the cold in adults. Ironically, brown fat may be able to fight diabetes and obesity.
Community
At this time of writing, the recreational use of cannabis was legal in 10 states. It is medically legal in 24. Millions of people around the world consume cannabis. It is so popular that 8/10 of the most spoken languages in the world have a slang term for “stoner.” People identify with the culture all around the world.
One less-than-obvious benefit of medical marijuana is that it leads to less stigma and mystery around a plant that is not only widely consumed regardless, but is also a lynch point of multiple communities worldwide.
Addiction Treatment
We have an opioid crisis in this country. Ironically, one solution is to prescribe cannabis-derived CBD. Yes. Doctors can prescribe a schedule 1 drug to a drug addict as a treatment for drug addiction.
CBD has shown potential as a pharmaceutical that cuts cravings by reducing the cues produced by the brain of an addict. This implies that CBD could be used to intervene in the dangerous lifestyles not only of substance abusers but also of other addicts like video game addicts.
The CBD medicine that confronts this problem has been approved by the FDA. It is called Epidiolex.
