Cannabis is only beginning to be understood as a plant with great potential to help many problems.

I will address your first statement, “It's not everything it's cracked up to be.” That's exactly my whole point of having this debate. We need to study it to know what it will be cracked up to be, because we certainly do not know presently. We need to study it because we don't understand exactly, scientifically, and medically what exactly it's potential is. Thanks for emphasizing that and agreeing to discuss it in this forum. Dunc22 writes “its not the cure for cancer- many people with cancer smoke weed, and many people with cancer who smoke weed also die it very much s helps to eliviate pain however to say we have a miracle drug here that will get rid of your cancer is rediculous as there is simple no evidence to point towards that.” I never stated that cannabis is a miracle drug that can cure cancer. Specifically, I wrote, “Cannabis is a complex plant with many properties we don't understand. Some think that if cannabis could be fully understood and cultivated for medical purposes, it could hold the cure for cancer, Alheimer's and other neurological disorders like anxiety.” My hope is that with scientific study and intensive research, they will understand the complex structure of cannabis with perhaps over 400 unique chemical compounds. Pharmaceutical companies could derive new medicines with it's derivatives. But before this can occur, our government must first reclassify it as a substance with potential so that various scientific and educational institutions can receive the funding and can legitimately conduct the needed research. Dunc22 writes its not gods gift to man any more- at this point man has altered and forced growing of cannabis that is essentialy a many made crop now” Not always has man had the knowledge to enhance the various cultivation techniques that speed up healthy growing. Not always have we had the technology to cross breed different strains for certain qualities similar to what we do for food crops today. But to say food or cannabis is a man made crop is something I do not understand. Please elaborate. Dunc22 writes “people abuse it- ever since its been known that cannabis is not addicting every stoner uses this in a pro-legalizing debate however it is just not physically addicting(no physical side effects from trying to quit) however it is mentally addicting and some people do feel they need to smoke to be alive. I have seen more than one people loose themselves to weed.” For the sake of this debate, I'd like the focus to be about whether or not you feel it is or not worth the research and finding the truth about it's medical, industrial and economical aspects. But I will say that yes, marijuana is psychologically addictive to some. The National Institute of Drug Abuse study states it is addictive to every 1 of 6 users[1]. Dunc22 writes “no need for hemp products- bamboo can do just about everything hemp can and has the same positive impact on the environment without being an illegal substance” There are several things questionable about bamboo. Can it grow in as many climates as hemp can? Perhaps. Does it regenerate as quickly as hemp? Absolutely. Does it have fibrous content that is useful? Yes, but according to Scientific American, “The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only rayon made from the fibers with heavy employment of chemicals. To accomplish this, the fibers are broken down with chemicals and extruded through mechanical spinnerets; the chemicals include lye, carbon disulfide and strong acids.” [2] Since harsh chemicals and acids are needed to utilize it's fiber, I would say that it is not environmentally friendly like cannabis which does not require chemicals and acids to break down its fiber for industrial uses. Does it contain the oils that produce bio fuels? After researching bamboo, I'm not finding anything about oil content used for combustible fuel. If you find anything, please let me know as I am interested. Hemp is not illegal in all states. Colorado is already producing hemp for industrial purposes today[3]. Industrial hemp is a very profitable crop. Our farmers will surely profit and our economy prosper if we produce it and stop the importation from the many countries that export it. Dunc 22 writes: “before cannabis was illegal it was legal- along with cocaine heroine and many other dangerous drugs that people though were medicine and would cure them but in the end it was just that people liked getting high off of them” Again, the difference is cocaine and heroin (an opiate derivative) are schedule II drugs and still considered drugs with medicinal qualities and are still used today. Marijuana is a schedule I drug, classified as a drug with no useful potential. Yet, there is documented evidence by prominent doctors that it has helped kids with epilepsy when no other drugs could. That reason alone is proof that drug has been an error in it's classification. Sources: [1] http://www.drugabuse.gov... [2] Michelle Nijhuis (June 2009). "Bamboo Boom: Is This Material for You?". Scientific American Earth 3.0 special. Scientific American. Retrieved 11 August 2009. [3] Colorado Amendment 64