[Governor]

Laws should be created to benefit society. Unfortunately, politics, greed, power, fear and ignorance can result in bad laws that actually do harm. Such is the case with marijuana prohibition. These laws have a dramatic impact both socially and economically in Colorado and the country as a whole. The Colorado ballot initiative for medical marijuana provided some relief, for some people, however it is grossly inadequate. When considering marijuana prohibition, the drug’s medical properties should be most important. The oft heard comment that medical marijuana as simply a ploy for legalizing the drug, and that it does not have real medical value could not be further from the truth.


The nervous, immune, digestive, excretory, reproductive, cardiovascular and endocrine system of every person on this planet is regulated by the marijuana-like compounds that our bodies produce. These endocannabinoids have been woven into the very fabric of our lives for 600 million years, since they first evolved. Every time a person gets hungry, the endocannabinoids are involved in causing the “munchies”. When we feel pain, the endocannabinoids help relieve our suffering. They help to balance our immune system in a manner that hinders the development of autoimmune diseases, and yes, they even kill some types of cancer cells. These are scientific facts, not the verbiage of “some stoner just wanting to get high”.


Until our doctors, citizens and our legislators become educated in what the scientific literature, and this plant have to offer, people will be denied the effective, and inexpensive relief that marijuana can provide for a number of disease states. Most importantly for those who are suffering, marijuana can have an important affect on modulating autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders as well as cancer and the aging process itself.