Smokers rejoice at the news that cannabis is now legal in 16 states1 !
There was actually a time, 100 years ago to be exact, when the U.S was amidst a pandemic and dealing with prohibition. Can you imagine dealing with COVID-19 without cannabis, alcohol and technology? No, neither can I, but it happened!
100 years ago our country and the world was in a similar place, dealing with a deadly pandemic where 500 million people or ⅓ of the population became infected with the Spanish Flu. About 50 million of those infected unfortunately died from the flu 2.
In the midst of the Spanish Flu pandemic our country also faced the age of prohibition. The 18th amendment was passed on December 18, 1917 and then ratified on January 16,1919, which prohibited the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” 3.
The prohibition years were long and extended past the pandemic and through the wall street crash and ultimately great depression in 1929. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president after campaigning, among other things, to end Prohibition. It wasn’t until 1933 that the 21st Amendment was introduced that ended prohibition5.
Now, 100 years later, we face a similar predicament where we are living in a pandemic and dealing with the legality of a coping mechanism such as cannabis. Cannabis plants have been used throughout history for centuries, starting in Asia around 500 BC 4. It’s about time that the U.S catches up with history and legalizes this controversial plant. Now more than ever people need a more holistic approach to aid their anxieties and cope with life in general.
“People are interested in new ways of healing that don’t involve the use of pharmaceutical medicines. As cannabis makes its way out of being a prohibited plant medicine, people are rediscovering its healing properties”- Casey Clark, PHD, RN, FAAN6 . Carey Clark is the director of the nursing program and chair of the medical cannabis program at Pacific College of Health and Science and leading research as to how cannabis interacts with our bodies. Cannabis provides that solution, without the adverse side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
Think about all the new possibilities with the end of another prohibition! This is already leading the way into a new market segment for entrepreneurs. We will see another ” roaring 20’s” as we ease the COVID-19 restrictions and have new cannabis venues opening up within the legal states.
Let’s ride this green wave together!
Catch you on the greener side!
Citations
1 Jeremy Berke, S. (2021, April 14). Marijuana legalization is sweeping the US. see every state where cannabis is legal. Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-marijuana-states-2018-1#:~:text=Marijuana%20is%20legal%20for%20adults,recreational%20cannabis%20on%20March%2031.
2 1918 pandemic (h1n1 virus). (2019, March 20). Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html
3 The 18th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xviii
4 History.com Editors. (2017, May 31). Marijuana. Retrieved May 05, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-marijuana
5 /ccpa/. (n.d.). Retrieved May 07, 2021, from https://triblive.com/local/regional/timeline-of-events-important-to-prohibition/
6 Goldhagen, S. (2021). CBD 101. The Complete Guide to CBD.https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-CBD-Everything-Cannabis/dp/1951274083
