But what if it is food?

I ask the citizens of the Mat-Su Borough to please vote ‘NO’ on Prop B-1 October 4, which would prohibit all commercial cannabis activities in the ENTIRE borough. Allow the free citizenry of this Valley to enjoy their freedom of commerce, speech, religion, and pursuit of happiness. A “NO” vote on Prop B-1 means we take cannabis away from an unregulated market (who does not care about your children) and only allow access to adults 21 and up. So, even if you don’t approve of cannabis, voting “NO” on Prop B-1 will better keep cannabis out of the hands of our children.

The world Anti-Doping Agency changed the rules which allows Olympian Athletes to consume cannabis up to the day before they participate in an event. This is because athletes say cannabis naturally helps with endurance, inflammation, and helps increase the lungs airflow. Both Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt have openly said they use cannabis and they are highly successful and disciplined individuals. They are living Proof that Cannabis is NOT a dangerous drug...again.

If cannabis is food, like coffee or spinach, the empirical truth would show it is a botanical food like every other vegetable and plant. Per the FDA’s own website, cannabis fits the scientific definition of a dietary/botanical food supplement.

Cannabis is a dietary supplement with immense wellness and nutritional value no matter why or how you choose to consume it. This also means there is no difference between “Medical” and “Recreational” use. Consuming cannabis is like eating an orange. You eat an orange because you enjoy the flavor and textures, and smells. You also consume orange concentrates called dietary supplements, or ‘vitamins” for health. Either way, the nutritional effects are always the same. Thus, consuming cannabis should never be regulated based on your intent or your PRIVATE health needs. As a food, cannabis is a true pleasure to consume and has tremendous preventative and restorative properties.

Just as you can not overdose on Vitamin C without ingesting unrealistic amounts at one time, neither can you overdose on cannabis unless you ingested 1500 pounds in 15 minutes. This is because your body takes as much nutrients as it can absorb and the rest goes out the ole’ “EXIT”.

In short, this means that no matter why you consume cannabis, it is healthy and nutritional. Even the nutrient called THC which produces the, “high” effect is very enjoyable and beneficial. THC seems to be the only bad guy amongst all its healthful botanical kind. This is even though THC has natural benefits more powerful than its cousin chocolate in releasing endorphins, or a foreign substance like Cortisone for anti-inflammation.

There are more similarities with botanical foods which deserves some musing. Like oranges, cannabis has no Public Safety data of deaths, or crimes due to the “high”. Current cannabis crime statistics are based on the actions leading up to and consuming cannabis (all non violent actions). The arrests are not based on what is done under the chemical effects of cannabis after it is consumed. Does this sound like good law to you? Is this how all law is equally applied? If so, if you simply have a beer in your fridge and own a car, this warrants a prison term for drunk driving. Doesn’t matter if you were not drinking and driving, under this application of law, the guilt is laid upon you before you actually do anything. Yet, unlike alcohol, drugs, and pharmaceuticals, cannabis remains nutritious with statistically very low Public Safety problems in connection with the “high”.

If you know someone, or you yourself lost your, “moral sense of judgment” while on cannabis and “blacked out”, I would say a reasonable answer is that it probably was laced with a man made drug or because you were mixing it with other drugs (including alcohol).

Since cannabis has only been sourced from the Black Market for so many years, we have no means to know what and /if the cannabis was tainted which caused adverse effects. Yet, we have 40 years of Alaskan history of personal cannabis use, decades in California, and more states every year with NO measurable adverse effects. Maybe if someone did something they regretted while consuming cannabis, it just seems easier to blame a plant instead of accepting responsibility for individual poor choices.

So why now all this amazing good news about cannabis after all these years?

The reason all the strong evidence and positive testimonies seem recent is because it used to be if you simply held the plant in your hand, you may have your house raided by armed LEOs and be hauled off to FEDERAL PRISON. You would have your family ripped apart and your children put in foster care. You would lose your job and your good reputation of being a taxpayer, good neighbor, hard worker, and possibly a mature Christian. These are good reasons for responsible cannabis users to just be quiet. It seems the only violence associated with cannabis is brought on by traffickers and government agencies. If cannabis is a food, the only reason cannabis is in the hands of violent traffickers is because the government created the opportunity.

Prohibition does not work and is not moral. It restricts access and information from the citizenry depriving them of education provided by exposure and freedom of speech. Prohibition has put millions of good people in prison and excused the governments to steal property and separate loved ones. This seems far more dangerous to our children’s futures then trying to completely ban a plant they will find easier without commercialization.

Johnny M. Furlong is President of Cheeky Monkey Inc, Property owner, Voter, and Christian Minister in Wasilla, Alaska