The Science Experiment

I have an inquiring mind. Sometimes I like to look on the internet and instead of goofing off I use it to learn things I wouldn't otherwise have known. Because I've had very severe epilepsy since the seventh grade, some of this time is used looking at epilepsy research, theories as to the cause of epilepsy, I've definitely waded through lots of science paper abstracts and science papers if they're available to me freely, and free lessons of how neurons work and how synapses work, and free images of brain tissue. A couple years ago though, something I found completely changed everything for me. It wasn't a science experiment involving epilepsy, it was a science experiment involving the endocannabinoid (abbreviated as CB from now on) system. The scientists made mutant mice who didn't express CB and it was found that the mice had seizures-- not just seizures, constant, unstoppable, horrific seizures. Although of course in a science paper it doesn't say that, I gather that if they were worthy of mention. All of the mutants developed epilepsy, in other words. But that's not all they found. They also found that there is more CB in the system after a seizure occurs. The conclusion, since they were studying the CB and not the seizures, was that the CB worked as retrograde signals and were neuro-protective. Later I found an article entitled, "Endocannabinoid System and its Implications for Epilepsy". The article's conclusion was that cannabis, or marijuana, was a good medicine for epilepsy. I am very angry about all of this. The first reason I'm angry is because the drug war created by Harry Anslinger was built on racist propaganda. "The demon weed makes black men sleep with the white woman, the mexican go insane and kill."-- That isn't an exact quote, but that's the gist, that's what he said to make all americans dislike the ganja. Making drugs illegal has done nothing but enabled a police state, free to persecute the poor, and in america's case, the enemy race. I am not a racist and I've always hated what Anslinger put into motion. The second reason I'm angry is because a science experiment isn't necessary in order to know that cannabis is good for epilepsy, it's been known for thousands of years. Before they banned marijuana (a foreign word specially used to make people dislike it) it was sold by pharmacists right here in America as a neuro-protectant. You re-discovered something? Wow what did you forget? Human rights? But these are all regular things to be angry about that I experience all the time. The third and probably most complicated anger I feel is that no one cared about these mice who had seizures. No epilepsy researcher picked up this article and thought to themselves how interesting it was, or what this could mean to the many theories of why seizures occur. And do you know why they didn't care? Because of the war on drugs, not only persecuting the poor now, but holding back the pursuit of knowledge now. After all, this part of the neuron is a new discovery, how it works isn't even completely figured out, and incorporating it into epilepsy research I feel is imperative. I don't know what causes your seizures, but mine are caused by Ganja Deficiency Syndrome from now on.