The general director of CannabiSalud called to leave the double standard and legalize the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis.

Lorena Beltrán, general director of CannabiSalud, called to leave the double standard and legalize the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis and said opening that industry would generate significant taxes for the country.

In an interview in the framework of the Third International Congress of Medicinal Cannabis for Health Professionals in Mexico 2019, the director warned that the more prohibitionist its use, the more curiosity among young people to test the plant, so there must be education from schools about responsible use.

She explained that consuming that plant for recreational use is recommended after age 21, “so I am not against it, I would prefer a thousand times for my son to try cannabis to use cigarettes or alcohol.”

According to Lorena Beltrán, cannabis does not kill anyone and said that recreational use is everyone’s responsibility, but must be strictly regulated so that it does not happen with what the cigar and alcohol also invited to investigate on the subject.

In her opinion, opening this industry to recreational use would generate significant taxes for the coffers of the country, since only in the state of Colorado, the United States, generated one billion for sale, which allowed them to obtain about 400 million dollars in taxes.

She estimated that if legalized in Mexico, in five years some 20 billion dollars in profits could be captured.

However, she acknowledged that there are resistances, such as the Association of Parents, because in his opinion perhaps none of his children suffer from epilepsy, cancer or autism, because if it were the case “we have a perfect treatment for them with results verifiable. “

She said that there is also resistance in the National Action Party, but, according to her, most political forces are convinced about the benefits of cannabis in medicinal use.

In the act, she said that in Mexico there are many “closet marijuana” and admitted to being a consumer, “we are educated activists who know what this represents for our body and for our country”.

However, he clarified that one should be very responsible for not promoting recreational use for young people and providing much information.

Marijuana vs. Hemp, what you have to know

With the discussion that will occupy the public space, it is necessary to be well informed, because an industry that not only means economic growth, but well-being is at dawn.

Today, differentiating the hemp or hemp marijuana with the naked eye is practically impossible, since what they distinguish is in its molecular composition: each plant has a unique chemical profile, a cannabinoid profile. The hemp has a concentration of less than 0.3% THC, the cannabis psychoactive that classifies it as a drug. But why is it important to know this?

With the discussion that will soon occupy the public space, it is necessary to be well informed, because an industry that not only means economic growth, but well-being and relief for millions of people is at dawn.

Since when does the human being cohabit with cannabis?

The first evidence of cannabis use is 2,700 years old and comes from China; Over the years, colder climates gave way to a new Cannabis family: hemp, better known as hemp. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus, a Swiss botanist, created the first classification system for Cannabis by naming them:

• Cannabis Sativa , which had much more height and thinner leaves, with an “energizing” effect.
• Indian cannabis , a variety found in India with thicker and darker leaves, as well as a more lethargic effect.
• Cannabis Ruderalis : much smaller in size and with much shorter growth and flowering time, found in Russia.

But that has been left behind, due to the constant crossings between each type of cannabis, in order to achieve a stronger strain, all Cannabis families look practically the same, leaving their differentiation in their composition or usefulness.

The main psychoactive of cannabis, is called Tetrhydrocannabinol (THC), which is found in stems and leaves in much lower concentration; and in the resin mostly.

The second main active cannabinoid is Cannabidiol (CBD), successfully tested in several medical treatments, from the most aggressive forms of epilepsy, such as some forms of cancer and mental disorders.

Therefore, what we have today is that there are:

• Marijuana (with high concentrations of THC and lower CBD): Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis
• Hemp (high concentrations of CBD and virtually no TCH): Sativa, Indica, Ruderalis and industrial.

Why do we all say “marijuana”

Unfortunately, Cannabis has had several stumbling blocks in its history, one of the largest, was the “Controlled Substances Act” approved in the United States in 1970, which banned all varieties of Cannabis, regardless of their composition, classifying them all as a drug and forbidding its cultivation, even if it was for industrial purposes like hemp, used to produce textiles, paper, biodegradable containers, biofuel, building materials and much more.

The benefits of differentiation

The discussion about the use and legality of each of these plants, even if they belong to the same family, must have its own land. Separating it in the legal, productive and social arena would also allow differentiating the recreational, medical and welfare use of marijuana, the industrial, medicinal and utilitarian properties of hemp. Promoting research, health, industry and the economy, and improving the quality of life of hundreds of patients.

In 2014, US law again separated marijuana from hemp, to allow its cultivation and use, recognizing that its cannabinoid profile is totally different and harmless. Thanks to this, agricultural engineering will allow designing Hemp strains with the possibility of adapting their composition to increasingly diverse diseases.

* President Anicann (National Cannabis Industry Association).

Source: Forbes mx

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