Page 26 - Spring 2019 Journal

The Cannabis Craze: What You Need to Know
By Kimberly Hartke
These days, many voices in social media are lauding cannabis as the cure for almost any ailment. Decades ago, however, the notion of “medical marijuana” was so far-fetched that when the editor of High Times magazine jokingly stated at a conference that he smoked pot to prevent glaucoma, the crowd roared with laughter.1
Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), seized on the idea of “medical pot” because of its political value. In a 1979 interview he gave at Emory University, he stated, “We are trying to get marijuana reclassified medically. If we do that, we’ll be using the issue as a red herring to give marijuana a good name.”2 Richard Cowan, another leader at the same organization, openly referred to medical marijuana as a “scam” that would help legalize recreational use.1
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Wise Traditions SPRING 2019