Scientists one hundred years ago also understood extractions
I am Don E Wirtshafter. I am a lawyer and entrepreneur who started a pioneer business called the Ohio Hempery in 1990. We bought an interest in a Chinese fabric mill and started trying to create a fad in hemp clothing. We sold hemp rope, twine, paper, cloth, clothing and books. My qualification to speak about the issues surrounding marijuana comes from the fact that I have been at this advocacy longer than any of you. Because I have the longest history in this, I have been given the privilege of giving a historical perspective to the rapid changes going on in Uruguay and around the world.
We should celebrate Uruguay’s wise decision to open up the door to Cannabis. Many predicted that the roof would fall in if any place were to relax its laws against Cannabis. There were worries about all kinds of dangerous side effects society would experience because of this decision. Over a year later, the roof is still overhead. No calamity has taken place.
The biggest and most important change is the permission for everyone in Uruguay to produce small quantities of Cannabis at home. This is huge; and it had immediate effect: I can tell you the quality and availability of Cannabis is much better than it was two years ago when I last visited the country. And so what? If Cannabis is so toxic, where are the bodies?
Still, there are many side effects of this decision that the county is experiencing. Nobody really thought about these a year ago when the decision to step forward was made. It is these side effects, the unintended consequences that I wish to talk about. Pepe intended these reforms to cut off illicit commerce in foreign produced cannabis by regulating domestic availability. This lifting of the curtain opens up the potential for many other needed reforms, so I will cover:
• Medical Cannabis for needy patients
• Industrial Hemp for Industry
• Cannabis Tourism for the Economy
These effects can be thought of as problems, yet they can also be realized as opportunities for Uruguay. All three of these unintended consequences will have a positive effect on the health and welfare of the people of the county if the leaders in government embrace the potential Uruguay has because of the progressive baby steps it has already taken.
Let me start with the medical potential. Someone once said to me that Cannabis had never been accepted as a medicine in the United States. I set out to prove them wrong by collecting the history of the use of Cannabis as medicine. I discovered hand-blown glass apothecary jars, created for storing cannabis from the beginning of the 18th century. As the technology for making glass improved, so did the technology for standardizing extracts and creating quality pharmaceutical products.
My research into this history shows us one thing we need to take note of: one hundred years ago, despite a lack of scientific instruments and research techniques, the physicians of the day knew more about using Cannabis as a medicine than we do today.
The pharmacies of a hundred years ago understood the difference between using THC as a medicine and using CBD. This is the differentiation of Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. They understood the combination of the two medicines into Cannabis Americana, a combination now being sold as the prescription Sativex.
Scientists one hundred years ago also understood extractions, leading to the making of tinctures, syrups, extracts and elixirs. They knew the difference in using Cannabis raw and in cooked form, what we now know as carboxylated and decarboxylated cannabinoids. There are three receptors that modern scientists target for pain relief. The scientists of old, long before we had scientific knowledge of brain receptors, were still able to target all three receptors with plant substances that still form the basis of medical treatment today.
The campaign that lead to taking Cannabis medicines off the shelf in 1937 had nothing to do with Cannabis medicines. These useful drugs were banned for political reasons which had nothing to do with any dangers or bad effects from the drugs themselves. These useful products were banned by greed and lies. Today, we understand the propaganda used to scare the politicians into this repression was one big lie.
By 1937 the production of medicines had progressed far from the days of the older apothecary bottle I talked about. By 1937, the major drug companies were each producing lines of Cannabis medicines. The astounding thing is that the claims being made by physicians of that day exactly match the claims being made by the modern advocates of Cannabis for medicine. The stuff worked then and it can work on our behalf again.
The government almost succeeded in wiping this information from our memories. All this knowledge would have been lost forever, except for the actions of one drug agent who resisted the blackout of our history and stashed some Cannabis containers in his closet in 1937. Nobody has seen such jars before, the effort to wipe out this information was so effective. I am now involved in a project that is going to open these still-sealed bottles to analyze the contents both chemically and genetically. In the next year you will read much exciting research into just what these medicines contained and their genetic origin.
Generally, Cannabis medicines are safe for use, even in children. They are inexpensive and quite effective, especially in certain diseases that we currently have no remedy for, such as multiple sclerosis, ALS and epilepsy. They are safe when produced at home and used as a home remedy. They are even safer when produced under medical supervision and delivered in standardized doses.
This is not just about “getting high”. Uruguay has much potential to use Cannabis for the health of its people. The current scheme was created for political purposes and to cut off the money going to Paraguay. But its side effect will quickly be that many Uruguayans, especially the elderly, will find much relief in using Cannabis for their ailments. And the government will save considerable money allowing locally-produced cannabis medicines over expensive, imported pharmaceutical products. The people will get better health care at far less of a cost. This is the promise of Cannabis for medicine.
Industrial hemp is the subject I know most about and could lecture for hours about its potential.
I will quickly summarize that utilizing industrial hemp for construction purposes is the most economical and environmentally sustainable direction that Uruguay can move in.
Industrial hemp has great potential in Uruguay. The land and climate are quite suitable. There are industries around the world looking for a hospitable country like Uruguay to get these industries started. Allowing industrial hemp cultivation will bring in major investments to the agricultural infrastructure of this country. It will provide employment, better housing and become the raw material for a wide assortment of manufacturing industries. By being an early mover, Uruguay assures itself a leading position in this crop of the future.
I want to give you one piece of news that came out in the US recently. The US Justice Department now says that its native tribes, who are internal sovereign nations, now have the right to grow and have transactions of Cannabis within its own borders. This is fantastic news, the biggest relaxation yet. Our native tribes will go huge with this freedom: the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas is getting ready for Cannabis freedom. When marijuana hits the Las Vegas strip, every other tourist destination will open up reforms to try to compete, but Uruguay will forever win the award for stepping forward first. Which gets me to my final point:
I want to talk about the effect of what is called “drug tourism.” Uruguay is seeing this already, a flood of new young tourists who are arriving because they have heard of the freedom Uruguay has given its people to cultivate and consume Cannabis in their homes. This is the effect of Uruguay making these reforms in a vacuum. No other country has taken the progressive steps that Pepe and his government have taken. They are experiencing the “side effect” of attracting tourism and foreign entrepreneurs who want to take part in this country’s path to reform.
In Europe and in the USA, repression against Cannabis and its users has been extreme. There is a trend for people living under this control to spend their discretionary funds to go to a place where they can experience freedom. In recent years, certain destinations have done very well catering to these tourists. Amsterdam was the first city to make these reforms as the freedom loving people of The Netherlands never could understand how you could make a plant illegal. Other places, like Vancouver and Jamaica have attracted considerable tourist attention too. You can’t say Amsterdam has done poorly by embracing the Cannabis crowd. Its attraction for educated quality employees has made Amsterdam the No.1 business headquarters location in the world.
Uruguay has put itself on the map of these tourists with its progressive approach toward Cannabis reform. Pepe got this country a billion dollars worth of free publicity. Even though no drugs have been made available yet, the word is out: Responsible pot consumption is legal in Uruguay. My entire peer group, a hundred million proud, responsible cannabis consumers want to visit and experience the sunlight with Uruguayans.
Some countries spend millions of dollars per year for advertising campaigns to attract tourism to spark their economy. Uruguay does not have this budget. Being known as the first country cool enough to drop prohibition is priceless. I urge the hotel owners, the restaurateurs and transportation companies to quickly learn to take advantage of the billion dollars worth of free promotion that tourism has received here. Two years ago, the average American would not have been able to tell you where in the world Uruguay was located. Now, everyone wants to come here. Good work Pepe. This international interest leads to great potential for your country.
But, at this point, the Uruguayan government is still acting from a place of fear. They fear hurting their own people. They fear losing their jobs in embarrassment. They fear hurting the reputation of a great country. My message for Uruguay is that they need not operate from a place of fear. Cannabis is safe: your people will handle this well and the world will appreciate and embrace the reforms that will be known for starting here.
Of course, the politician’s biggest fear is drug-driving. Drunk driving is a real problem that governments have to deal with, but science tells us cannabis does not have the same effect. Lots of money has been spent on dozens of studies trying to find drivers impaired by cannabis but the results are clear: stoned drivers drive safely, they are involved in far fewer accidents. (Their only problem is they tend to miss their highway exits.) The new statistics from Colorado and Washington, our two legalized states, show a dramatic drop in highway fatalities.
The Uruguayan government opened these reforms for its people, not thinking about all the foreigners it will attract. And, right now, it fears this consequence. Let me tell you a few things about these so called“Cannabis tourists”:
1. We are educated, law abiding citizens who come here not to cause trouble but because we do not want to spend our precious travel and relaxation time in a place where we have to break the law.
2. Cannabis tourists spend a lot of money, not just on the best weed available, but on good restaurants, good hotels and everything else a place can offer. We probably won’t like the government-grown schwa weed, but will prefer to spend a lot to purchase weed grown to the highest quality.
3. Cannabis tourists may save for years to be able to afford an adventure to a distant place like Uruguay; we spend our money wisely.
4. Cannabis tourists come where we feel welcomed. We won’t go where travellers are known to get into trouble for minor cannabis crimes.
5. Word of mouth creates the market. We go where friends tell us they had a good time. Even without this advantage, Uruguay is getting a great rap.
6. Some foreigners will come as entrepreneurs. And some tourists will breathe the freedom in Uruguay and decide to stay. With some exceptions, of course, these “Cannabis immigrants” will soon become productive, contributing members of Uruguay’s society.
Uruguay has great potential to restore itself as the tourist destination. Not since the days of the steamship has Uruguay had such great potential to attract tourism. They don’t need snowcapped mountains or wild jungle safaris – they have a beautiful country, miles of beaches and incredible hospitality. Uruguay’s post-revolutionary society provides a degree of freedom not available anywhere else. Their people just want to be free.
Uruguay has everything it needs. There is no place on earth that treats its guests to better hospitality. I thank each and every one of their people for the fantastic welcome I feel every time I go there. It feels wonderful to be greeted with open arms, the hug and kiss that so symbolizes the warm and loving people of Uruguay.
I urge Uruguay to realize its potential. Do not fear stepping forward. Walk into the future world with confidence that you are doing the right thing. Go boldly forward, realizing this plant is not a problem, it has long history of safe, responsible adult use. This plant brings Uruguay great potential to bring wealth, health and happiness to its people.
Finally, Uruguay, I ask you to embrace the tourists who are arriving to experience this freedom with you, with the same warmth and hospitality that you have greeted me to your country. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This excerpt from a speech given by Don E Wirtshafter was provided by Mike Bifari and edited by Weed World.
Originally published in Weed World Magazine issue 117
