There’s so much talk of cannabis referendum happening all around the world that we wanted to put together this article to highlight not only the difference between the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana, hemp, but to also cover what legalization could mean for the health of people world-wide.
In part, one of the reasons for the cannabis referendum is because it allows all eyes to see cannabis for what it truly is; a medicinal plant. It allows funding for education around its effects, along with taxes to go back into funding public health projects and maintaining the safety and efficacy of cannabis use.
In this article we’re covering the synergy legalizing the plant in a cannabis referendum brings not only to institutions, government sectors and the medical community, but also to our communities and to the unique health concerns of the individual.
Cannabis Referendum Synergy
Synergy comes about through myriad reactions between the many components found in the hemp variety of the cannabis plant. Cannabidiol (CBD) is especially synergistics in the way it interacts with the other chemical compounds in cannabis.
Hemp is polypharmaceutical.
The hemp variety of cannabis contains more than just cannabinoids, but also other phyto-compounds such as terpenes, flavanols, flavaninoids, antioxidants, phytosterols and fatty acids, some of which serve to amplify the beneficial properties of cannabis while neutralizing THC-induced anxiety, other “high” users tend to experience when consuming marijuana varieties of cannabis.
Although in many countries where hemp is grown, the legal limit of THC is less than 0.3% so users need not concern themselves with getting “high” from hemp, it’s impossible without the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) component.
To receive the optimal benefit from hemp, one must consume a full spectrum of phyto-compounds, not just in their isolated form such as in a CBG oil (cannabigerol).
What is the difference between hemp, cannabis and marijuana? The truth is, hemp and marijuana are merely varieties of cannabis. Hemp and marijuana are what granny smith and macintosh are to apples. They’re simply varieties, with different flavors and chemical make-up. Hemp is the variety of cannabis generally nulinvoid of THC, whereas marijuana is the variety with high levels of THC for those recreational seekers.
This synergistic effect of cannabis compounds when taken in a full spectrum is what science has now coined “the entourage effect”. Given the understanding of how CBD, THC, CBG and the other cannabinoids and phyto-compounds work synergistically, it is now proven that the impact of utilizing a full spectrum of compounds from the cannabis plant is superior to using isolated compounds.
One of the more difficult factors to consider as cannabis comes to light, is not from the plant itself, but of the way researchers are going about their study of this plant. You see, pharmaceutical products are based on the isolation of one single molecule. This is because companies are simply not able to patent an entire plant.
That would be like a nutrition company funding research to study apple trees, and after discovering that eating an apple a day led to positive health outcomes, they filed the paperwork to “patent” apple trees (patent, means to essentially legally own a product). But patenting requires uniqueness, which means you cannot create and patent something mother nature has created in all her grandness. And you certainly cannot say you own all apple trees, and that no one else can grow, distribute, or use them without your consent. That is essentially what it means to patent a product.
Patent for Cannabis Cannabinoids
In understanding that, we were surprised to discover that there is actually a patent that gives the exclusive rights to use CBD and other cannabinoids to treat certain diseases that has been given to a US government agency. That makes no sense at all. A government that on one hand had given itself exclusive rights to use such powerful compounds to help sick people, with the research proving its efficacy, while banning the sale of those same compounds. No wonder public research progress has been slow in the USA.
If you wish to look this up yourself, the patent number is 6630507, titled “cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.” The patent was given to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in October 2003. This patent was filed four years earlier in 1999 by scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We’ve provided the link for you below.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6630507B1/en
The patent covers that the non-psychoactive cannabinoids can be used to effectively treat the diseases Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, HIV, dementia, stroke, along with diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as Crohn’s disease, diabetes, heart attack, and arthritis.
The crazy part about all of this is that essentially the same government that has been making it so incredibly challenging for people to access this powerful plant medicine and is clearly aware of how it can help treat the various debilitating diseases of its people, is the same government that wants to control and limit its distribution. All of the political red tape surrounding cannabis means that deregulation is moving at a slow pace while hundreds of thousands of people await treatment options for life-threatening diseases.
When you scroll through our blog you’ll find a myriad of the latest research that’s been published in legitimate peer reviewed medical journals as we bring you this information in an easy to digest format so you can make the most informed decision right from your screen. Our blog is essentially a research-based guide to helping you walk through the world of CBD-rich hemp products.
Time for Cannabis Referendum
We believe it is way past time for this powerful plant medicine to get into the hands of kiwi families as they begin to learn of the incredible healing properties cannabis possesses. It is our intention that this blog will help to make that happen as we continue to educate kiwi’s on the endocannabinoid system (ECS), cannabinoids, and hemp’s pivotal role in transforming the health of our people, our communities and our country. We hope this will pave the way for the education and legislation to catch up with the huge body of evidence and allow the widespread use of this medicinal healing plant.
In New Zealand there is set to be a nationwide cannabis referendum on the public use of the plant. This referendum will be the first of its kind, where a country has asked its citizens to vote on whether they wish cannabis to be legalized or not. Given, there are roughly 600,000 cannabis users in New Zealand with a population size of just 4.8 million, compared to other countries that have legalized cannabis use, such as Canada of which the population size is 37 million. Across the globe, in most countries, there is a lean towards cannabis legalisation.
“Cannabis law reform is sitting at around 60 percent support in the polls, before we have any specifics about what law reform might look like. That makes many people think it’s a ‘done deal’, but it's more finely balanced than that figure would suggest,” said Sandra Murray, campaign manager for New Zealand’s #makeitlegal campaign. “Support sits at about 72 percent among people under 45, but a big portion of younger people don’t turn out to vote."
In covering all of this, it’s important to understand that the legalization of cannabis would assist the public in self-medicating to a degree. Meaning, in the countries that have legalized cannabis, people can grow their own plants for use at home, whether they be high or low-THC, depending on what type of effect users want; recreational or medicinal.
We hope this examination of the state of hemp and cannabis has provided you with information surrounding the cannabis referendum happening across the world, not just in New Zealand, keeping in mind that hemp is completely non-psychoactive with less than 0.3% THC - the only way you’ll get high is if you use it to make a rope and climb a tree.
