The Misunderstood Plant: Is Cannabis a Tool or a Toy?

by Nicholas Demski, Staff Writer for Terpenes and Testing Magazine

When humans moved from hunter-gatherer communities to creating stable cities, we slowly separated ourselves from the natural world around us; and, this separation is especially noticeable in Western cultures. While our modern societies have given us remarkable medicines, extended lives, and provide relatively healthy existences, it has come at the cost of our understanding of how to treat plants.

Cannabis is too often treated only as a means to get ‘stoned.’ This isn’t to say all cannabis users are ‘stoners,’ but there is an air of nonchalant impairment in the recreational community. While cannabis is a wonderful plant for relaxing and winding down after a long, stressful day, there is more to cannabis than that.

Consider this: animals evolved an endocannabinoid system (ECS) as a means to regulate homeostasis. Furthermore, cannabis is a plant that interlocks perfectly with the ECS. This is no accident. Our bodies evolved in–and with–the natural world.

When considering this perspective of co-evolution, it’s easier to understand that cannabis is a tool offered to us by nature to help us improve our health and mindset.

Consider the many diseases and ailments treated by cannabis, including:

· Multiple Sclerosis

· Migraines

· Cancer

· Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

· Anxiety

· Irritable Bowel Syndrome

· Insomnia

· Poor Appetite

· Chronic Pain

· Glaucoma

· ALS

· And many more

As a means of treatment for sickness, cannabis is most clearly a tool.

What’s more, there are significant spiritual benefits to consuming cannabis, including:

· Increased awareness of people around us

· Deeper appreciation for our connection to the environment

· Improved relationship with ourselves, and thus, whatever god we believe (or don’t believe) in

· Intentional breathing and circulation of positive energy

Aside from improving our relationship with our spiritual sides, there are a plethora of self-improvement benefits to cannabis that many overlook, like:

· Calmer approaches to tense situations

· More thoughtful actions

· Increased introspection

· Deeper connection to our bodies during times of physical exertion

· Reduced ego

If you’re a recreational cannabis user and don’t use it for the myriad of benefits it offers outside of fun and relaxation, there is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps you look at your use of the plant as more of preventative medicine. However, I hope that you look deeper into our relationship with the Cannabis plant.

There is much more to be enjoyed on the spiritual, emotional, and medicinal levels of cannabis use. It truly is a gift from nature that animal bodies discovered long before April the 20th.

To read more articles like this, visit www.terpenesandtesting.com or www.extractionmagazine.com.