Today as we celebrate 4/20 or Weed Day the narrative around cannabis begins to shift, many are re-examining the plant and forming a new opinion about usage and consumption and ways to monetize it legally.
Cannabis has been around for centuries, and its uses are as long as its time on earth.
Called many names, cannabis refers to the plant component which produces marijuana, the dried leaves or flowers of the plant.
Hemp and marijuana, to the naked eye, look identical, but hemp is not technically marijuana,” says Jerome Crawford, Director of Legal Operations and Social Equity for Pleasantrees, a Michigan cannabis dispensary.
Often lost in translation, CBD or cannabidiol and THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, are the two most common cannabinoids found in cannabis.
“Here’s a good way of thinking about it: CBD might be considered your body high, THC may be considered your head high.
Used to treat chronic pain, side effects caused by terminal illnesses, and anxiety, cannabis is re-establishing its roots in the medical field and providing relief for many patients.
“I do think it has to deal with the legal status.
They think that when you consume cannabis in an oil form or in a pill form, it has more of that traditional medicinal feel than it did when we had just flower on the market,” says Lee.
Cannabis has been used for its medicinal properties since its origination despite its recreational usage.
“If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of why we’re even seeing the politics play, at the end of the day, it’s money.
In Michigan, voters elected to legalize marijuana in 2019, and since, dispensaries and other cannabis-related businesses have begun to emerge.
“I think the best way you can go around dispelling truth and rumors is, one, if you’re a consumer, then that’s your job.