Last I heard, big pharma is already sticking their nose into the weeds as usual and trying to synthesize cannabis for pharmaceuticals. They’ve done that with all of our plants. I say “our plants” because I’m a professional herbalist. Most pharmaceuticals that you are prescribed or buy over the counter are synthesized from plants. They take the strongest components of the plant, extract it, throw the rest out and it then sledgehammers your body into submission. All the medicine in the world was first plants or food which is mostly plants. It’s simple advice to say that it’s best to eat a whole plant or use the whole planet medicinally as long as you know it’s safe or it’s prescribed by a Naturopath (N.D.) or a Master Herbalist. Then it must be used in a proper dose based on your weight. This issue is why I’m on the fence about laws regarding civilians walking into herb stores and just buying whatever their neighbor told them to get. HERBS ARE MEDICINES BY THEMSELVES. You should not mix them with pharmaceuticals. Pick one or the other.

Whole plants and foods work gradually which is the healthiest thing for your body. You then have to take a higher dose as well. There is never “one pill”; there are 1/2 of a gram to 3 grams per dose, probably 3X/day.

In the case of cannabis, the suggested dose is 5 grams per 13 x 9 pan of brownies or I suppose a pot of vegetable soup. Some people don’t think that’s high enough. It depends on how unconscious you want to become I guess. Too high of a dose can induce psychosis which is not cool. Too low of a dose won’t affect you that much.

Having studied all the western herbs and Chinese herbs which I’ve used daily for 20 years, I don’t see what all the hoopla is about. It’s just one herb in a pantheon of excellent plants to choose from. As an American, my guess is the hoopla is that there is just one more herb that helps Americans go unconscious and forget about their lives along with all the booze they drink.

Pot can be very therapeutic and I do support its use medicinally, but after using it myself, I now feel it’s potent enough that you should be seen by a medical practitioner first who gets a full history from you before you use it to treat a pathology. One, because there may be a better herb that suits your situation better and Two, because emotionally, you may need concurrent therapy or a different hallucinogenic or hypnotic. There are many others as well.