Who knew?!?

With 4/20 come and gone, one week ago today, I thought that I would comment on this article made poular from Cannibis Culture's website via Digg

US: Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew In '74

To sum things up:

"Lewis lung adenocarcinoma growth was retarded by the oral administration of tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) and cannabinol ( CBN )" -- two types of cannabinoids

Now.. all I've got to say is, according to U.S. Statistics, courtesy of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), more than 33,000 alcohol related deaths occurred in 2003 alone. Keep in mind that this website is governed by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention.) They keep stats on everything regarding the health of Americans... Keep on searching and what will you find on Marijuana? Well, ill tell you... You'll find lots of information based upon assumption, but no real statistics, or research.

Why am i posting this? Well, I'll tell you why... It boggles my mind that alcohol, a substance that is explicitly responsible for over 33,000 deaths in one year is perfectly legal, yet Marijuana, which apparently doesnt have enough of an impact on the American population to be included on the NCHS' Websiteis classified as a controlled supstance and who's posession is considered a felony. Now, for something that is supposed to be so bad for you (im not saying its good for you), and recieves such negative press and is stuck with such a negative stigma, you'd think there would be more information available rather than "Marijuana is bad."

Theres just something wrong about that if you ask me. Now, not only that, Marijuana has actually been proven to lessen the effects of Cancer, controlling cell growth. Its even used by many of the terminally ill and cancer patients medically, to control pain and induce appetite. Whats alcohol good for? Well, in my experience as a college student, its good for getting drunk and belligerent, especially after midterms, finals, and well... class.

The bottom line: Make Alcohol a controlled substance, or remove the restrictions on Marijuana and tax it just like we tax tobacco .

Here's the beginning of a documentary on medical marijuana (~9mins):

Synopsis:
This documentary draws on the best minds of the era to both describe the problem and remedies available. Experts give their opinions. It contains an interview with a fighting district attorney, doctors who give recommendations, and advocates for legalization including organizations like NORML, which has fought hard through the years towards understanding of the healing properties this herb can have.