To smoke marijuana or not

You may be surprised of my different outlook.   

What it can do for or against your body.
As a Medicine Woman and Organic Guru, of all things natural and organic in health, you may find my discovery and heart crushing experiece surprising.  I will not go into great detail about all the many studies or researches on this healing plant, you can research all of that for yourself.  I just want to enlighten you first hand on what I witnessed and what I came to realize.  First, let me state that I am in SUPPORT of the use of Medicinal Cannabis/Hemp/CBD Oil and even for recreationnal OCCASIONALLY smoking  it. It is, after all, Nature's most perfect plant. Food, clothing, shelter, fuel, paper and Medicine. It is also great for smoking it when you have a sickness with pain such as cancer, as it helps to relieve the pain.  It does work well for me, as a kidney patient.  It helps the pain. However, here in Fiji, they use toxic synthetics with the growing of this sacred plant.  Therefore, it did NOT do well for my body and was a severe downer and even made me swell up a bit. 
Also, I was NOT in support of "legalizing" it.  Why?  Well, when 'they' legalize something, it is only in THEIR best interest and they begin to alter things. They already began to start making the synthetic version of marijuana, therefore making it very toxic.   Next, they are going to make it where ONLY the synthetic version of this plant will be 'legal'.   All sounds fantastic!  Nope!  Mixing synthetics with this sacred plant is very bad news for the environment and YOUR health.   Growing this plant with the use of man-made pesticides, herbicides, etc, is the same....BAD for your health and the environment. 

That being said, after much pain-staking energy used and experiencing a very sad heart-crushing thing happen to a dear friend of mine, I am going to give you my insights on the use of Marijuana. You see, just as with all things, you must be continually aware of how your own body reacts and how things affect you and your mind. As I continued to see my amazing friend partake in not only medicinal uses of the MJ / Hemp / Cannabis  plant but also partake by recreational smoking, I began seeing drastic changes in their attitude.  The attitude was not violent, but rather argumentive and mind manipulating, or trying to do that.   I became very concerned of their well being of consuming weed as they were showing signs of distress, being sleepy all the time and irritated.  They not only became irritated with me, but also with their spouse and they began fading away from each other.  I continued to ask them to stop going out so much and refrain from smoking this type of weed as it is causing a different effect than what you have experienced in the past.  My friend said, "Ha, you of all people being a Medicine Woman, should know that smoking this stuff only makes you more energetic and happier and is so good for your body"!  I said, well, yes, of course, the RIGHT kind is all of that, however, you have got a hold of some bad stuff it seems, because you are showing an attitude of defensiveness.  (Keep in mind that this particular situation was far different than they had experienced in the past.)  There were also other influences in which  enabled my friend to always have access to their 'wacky weed'.    Although smoking this plant is not addictive, it can be very uneasy on the brain, especially when you do not know the source from which the plant came from, or it is laced with synthetics or even partaking of only the downer types of the plant, it can wreak havoc upon your brain, thoughts and reasoning.

​As I tried to help my loving friend from a distance and begged them not to use this plant for recreational OR medicinal any longer, the more intense their brain's demeanor became, the more side-tracked they became and the more they craved the intensity of this particular strand of downer, possibly grown with toxic chemicals. Not to mention that my friend had some prior health issues and this was a drastic change for them to experience.  Their body was actually rejecting the weed this time.  The intensity of the use of this plant turned into the more use of alcohol while smoking. (This rarely happens, mainly when others are doing other things and influence one to smoke AND drink.) This deeply saddened me to know that a simple and most powerful healing plant, in all of nature, could have such an effect on one's mind and demeanor. The weeks went by then the months went on.  After a while of smoking marijuana and chasing it with alcohol, sometimes, they would not drink alcohol at all with it, this particular strand and the way it was grown, had an increasingly horrible effect on this person in which I knew was a great person, but their actions spoke loudly of rebellion and despair.  I began to wonder when the last time was that I had seen my friend truly engage in the happiest times of their life without the use of apparent toxic weed and alcohol on top. I watched this special soul get caught up in all the seemingly 'innocent' outings of smoking and sometimes drinking alcohol on top of smoking, thus keeping my dear friend out till wee hours of the morning. I told them that this was no lifestyle for a married person to be partaking in because it is affecting their brain in a different way than most weed does and they were slowly drifting away to a life of destruction and turmoil in their marriage.  Sometimes, they would not get home till early morning of the sunlight. They lived in a small town which would seem like no big deal for one to be doing such nonsense, because , afterall, there was nothing more to do in that town and everyone knew everyone. Therefore, I kept silent and watched my friend's brain get side-tracked from the true meaning of life and marriage (but what business was that of mine, hey?) . This crushed my heart.  You see, this is a dear gentle spirited friend of mine in whom got entangled with the wrong crowd and wrong types of Cannabis. They seemed to be all so happy and loving, but irritation and paranoia had finally set in.  They were chasing their own shadow.  (To their defense, their spouse did not chime in until it was almost to late. Their spouse just pushed them away at the same rate the other went down the dark path.)  My friends, just as it is important to KNOW the source of your food chain, you must also know the SOURCE of any herbal medicines before you put them in your body.  

You see, the use of this amazing plant, even for recreational purposes, is a good thing.  I know, I know, some of you are dead set against the use of any form of it.  Please understand this plant is NOT a drug.   What do you think the pharmaceuticle industry sells you?  What do you take when you go to the doctor or hospitals?  You take DRUGS that are HUMAN made and NOT made by our awesome Creator and are not NATURALLY grown in nature. Stress does far more damage to the body than pure natural Cannabis/Hemp/Weed/Marijuana ever could.  That being said, the use of this plant to smoke it, COULD wreak havoc on your system due to the toxic chemicals used to grow it.   It can have a mind altering effect on you, especially if you suffer from things like neurological disorders, spinal injury or a head injury.    It can make you paranoid or extremely emotional.  I, however, have never witnessed violence from the use of it, nor have I witnessed or heard of any fatalities such as car crashes by using this plant alone.  When you hear of fatalities and violence in on police reports, they will usually ONLY report that the 'guilty party' had Marijuana in their system.  What they fail to let the public know is that the 'guilty' was also mixing this with the use of alcohol or other harsh drugs.   Please get all the facts before pointing any fingers at someone who partakes in smoking of this plant. Furthermore, the use of PURE and natural UNtainted Marijuana has NEVER been proven to be the sole cause of fatalities.   Getting a hold of the wrong strands or the wrong type of growing methods, can severely have mind altering effects on a person.   

---

Here are a few Pros and Cons of this Sacred Plant

What a beautiful and amazing plant this really is!   A plant for all your needs.   Food, clothing, shelter, paper and fuel! 
​Marijuana, more popularly known as cannabis, marihuana and even ganja, is basically a psychoactive drug. Extracted from the plant Cannabis sativa, or Cannabis sativa subsp. Indica, it is used for recreational, religious or spiritual, and medicinal purposes.

Pros

• Marijuana has been used to enhance the appetite of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• Studies have shown that marijuana is beneficial in relieving a person from the uneasy feeling of nausea.
• Doctors have made use of marijuana, successfully, in the treatment of neurogenic pain.
• The people suffering from glaucoma, asthma and spasticity have been found to have benefited from the consumption of marijuana.
• Marijuana can help relieve the chronic pain and suffering of people with incurable diseases like cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, etc.
• Marijuana is regarded to be a 'mind opener' i.e. it can help people broaden their outlook and think creatively. 

Read more at http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/effects-of-marijuana-4653.html#wBXb3iE16vgtexq8.99

​CONS:  

• Effects on the Brain    Marijuana contains an active ingredient, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC that acts on the cannabinoid receptors of the nerve cells and influences the activities of the cells, like pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory, time perception and coordinated movement. High doses of marijuana, when consumed through food, can cause hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory and disorientation.   I know this is particularly true due to the fact, it has happened to me.  Funny story about my friend making some amazing brownies!  Yep he made some brownies in which I had NO clue they were laced with the 'great stuff'.   Those of you who know about consuming edibles, you know it takes a TINY amount to do the job.  Well, ummm, I consumed 3 full sized brownies, as I am the one who cut them.  hahah.  Well, let's just say, I was Zippy, Zappy, Happy!!!  Wait....this feeling only lasted about 2 hours.  Then, I became extremely hungry with out of control eating!  Next, I became highly paranoid.  Paranoid of someone coming to get me, someone stealing my money, then paranoid of going to die as I curled up in the floor board of the car.  My son did very well to take care of me.  In his defense, he did try to warn me they were laced, but I thought, he had NO time to get it and cook it like that.   WRONG!  Next, I became delusional and then chatty cathy and back and forth with all of the afore mentioned effects.  My "HIGH" lasted, literally over 20 hours!  Yessss.   Now, it was very good and organic Cannabis, but the massive amounts I consumed, made me a bit wacky!!!   Did it harm me?  No.  Did it make me do violent things?  No.  

Read more at http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/effects-of-marijuana-4653.html#wBXb3iE16vgtexq8.99

• Affect Your Body Negatively in Short-Term  You will notice short-term side effects for about an hour of smoking marijuana. Some of the most common ones include dry mouth, red eyes, psychosis, fatigue, dizziness and increased heart rate.
• While exceptionally helpful in treating a wide array of medical problems, as with an medication, is has side-effects. Ingesting cannabis slows the motor skills and reaction time, can sometimes cause paranoia and mood swings, fatigue and increased appetite, while under its effect. Long-term effects of marijuana use include memory loss, confusion and/or a delayed thought-process, blockage of blood vessels and can lead to lung cancer if continuously smoked (not vaporized or eaten). It can also cause loss of motivation, cramps and rarely diarrhea.  (http://www.cannabissearch.com/articles/pros-vs-cons-of-marijuana/)
• Increases Depression  ​Pot can often cause depression and make you more low and sad about life that causing a high. It is not known as yet whether people smoke because they are depressed or do they become sad after having marijuana.

---

I kept this article short and to the point.  At least, I hope you got my points.  You can do you research further to see if partaking in smoking marijuana recreationally is right for you!  Taking it for medicinal purposes is an entire different story.  Consuming this plant as a food or CBD oil or edibles, has completely different effects on your body.  Granted the cannabis is of a pure and toxic-free nature.    Moral of this story is: be sure to KNOW the sources of your weed before consuming or smoking it.  If you have any neurological disorders, brain injury, or a rare disorder, then please take extra precaution before smoking this sacred plant.    Although, there is no hard evidence that smoking this plant can be addictive, it can have the appearance of addictiveness as the person just loves and enjoys smoking it.  It can easily be left alone and with OUT any with draws that one would experience by stopping the use of toxic street drugs.  
Take care my friends.  If you have a loved one that you see a drastic change in after changing their smoking habits, please intervene before it gets to out of hand and leads them to a spiral down hill explosion.  

​Author:  Lynnette Marie