Letter: Marijuana is a ‘beautiful gift from nature’

I applaud Alejandro Perez Stark’s letter in the Oct. 4 edition of the Sky-Hi News. Also, I am so proud of our state for leading our nation in this long overdue righting of a wrong. As with any commodity, there will be use, abuse — and everything in between — as it is with money, alcohol, food, pharmaceuticals and power, especially.

“We the People” had the wool pulled over our eyes by the
greedy politicians and their even greedier champions, big businesses, when the
“Marihuana Tax Act” was slid through without a vote by the American public.
What a sad reflection that is upon our federal government, and it’s high time
we pull that wool from our eyes. It’s all about power and control over people,
as we see our hard-earned taxes being wasted.

Here are two facts: The word, “canvas,” can be traced back to Greek or Latin and comes from the word, “kannabis.” That is where humans derived our first fiber crop, woven into hemp, which is much more pliable and breathable than animal skins, and desirable in the warmer climes of middle Asia, where cannabis originated. Also, the U.S. government, in a moment of clarity, briefly promoted the growth of Cannabis during World War II, as canvas and rope were needed for the military because plastic products hadn’t quite caught up. Check out the federally produced, 14-minute movie “Hemp for Victory,” released in 1942. The USDA initially denied making this movie, but eventually had to own up.

Here are a couple more interesting tidbits: George Washington grew cannabis and used the medicinal extracts to help alleviate pain caused by his wooden dentures. It shouldn’t be surprising that the human brain has cannabinoid-specific receptors, as humans and plants have evolved together, as far back as we can trace humanity. Let’s be truthful about this beautiful gift from nature.

— Jill Jacobsen, Tabernash