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illustration by luke wilson (portrait) opposite page: film still courtesy of cnn; illustration by luke wilson (portrait) have been able to apply for cards, and the program is expected to be fully up and running at the start of 2015, with medical cannibis available at the end of spring. For proponents, both developments represent a step toward a more balanced relationship with the drug. "It's a large victory for cannabis advocates," says Dan Linn, exec- utive director of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws [NORML]. "It took us over 10 years to get this passed into law in Illinois. I think it's really helped open the door to a broader conversation about the impacts of cannabis legalization, whether it's for medical or recreational purposes." Simply put, we are witnessing an end to a prohibition on par with alcohol's. As Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, says, "It is the most exciting political change I've seen in my lifetime. You almost can't keep up with the change that's going on." But first, the power of a plant. Weed 101 The preferred scientific term for this lauded and condemned botanical is cannabis, from the Greek word kánabis. It relishes sunlight, is an annual, and can f lourish in nearly any environ- ment, thus the slang, weed. According to Martin A. Lee's book Smoke Signals, most scholars agree that cannabis arrived in our neck of the woods during the 16th century. Ships carrying slaves, explorers, and immigrants were outfitted with rope, sails, and net- ting made of hemp, while slave passengers also carried seeds for marijuana (hemp's psychoactive cousin) in their pockets. Lee notes, "Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Sir Francis Drake all sailed ships equipped with hemp products. And in 1619, eight years after colo- nists first planted hemp in Jamestown, the Virginia assembly passed a law requiring every household in the colony to cultivate the plant because it had so many ben- eficial uses. Hemp farming and processing played an important role in American history (as evidenced in the name of towns from the Atlantic coast to the Midwest, such as Hempstead and Hempfield). Several of our Founding Fathers, in fact, were hemp farmers, including George Washington." By the 1850s, hemp was the third- largest crop behind tobacco and cotton. As the plant made its way across the globe in many forms—and was ingested via inhaling, tinctures, and medi- cal experiments among varying societal ranks—it gained a particular stronghold in Mexico, where, according to Lee's research, farmers discovered the power of "Rosa Maria." During the Mexican Revolution, smoking weed was prev- alent in small Texan towns like El Paso, which in 1914 became the first city to ban both the sale and possession of marijuana. Thus the national debate on this botanical's potent power began as a murmur, which has since evolved, at times, into a screaming match. Today, though new state laws are being enacted rather quickly, on the federal level, cannabis remains a Schedule I substance, which is defined as "the most dangerous" drugs "with no currently accepted medical use." ReefeR Madness & PRohibition Prior to 1906, the federal government had yet to regulate any psychoactive drug. During that year, Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, the first legislation that included cannabis among ingredients that had to be noted on a prod- uct label. By 1914, the Harrison Narcotics Act tightened narcotic control, stating that a nonmedical user could not possess cocaine or opiates; with this, the first line was drawn in the sand between medical and recreational drug use. Though alcohol prohibition occurred all at once on the national level, marijuana prohibi- tion was enacted in stages. By the mid-1930s, cannabis was regu- lated as a drug in every state. It was around this time that Harry Anslinger helmed the newly cre- ated Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), a post he held for 32 years. Both idolized and villainized, many allege that Anslinger's anti- marijuana campaign was fueled by a desire to increase his depart- ment's budget: If he could successfully vilify weed, his bureaucratic power would result in further funding for the FBN. There are also scores of reports that pot prohibition was fueled by big business, a premise referred to as the Hemp Conspiracy Theory. It is reported that the Hearst and DuPont empires felt threatened that hemp would compete with their wood-pulp paper and nylon products, and the theory thus played a major role in cam- paigns and propaganda against pot in all its forms. Love him or hate him, Anslinger was central to the American public's perception. He coined the term "Devil's Weed," championed such anti-pot propaganda as Reefer Madness (today a cult comedy classic often watched ironi- cally by college students as they get high, along with its musical 2005 parody version), and was instrumental in the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act, which heavily regulated the plant and served to drastically limit doctors' ability to legally prescribe cannabis. Today, many physicians, including the outspoken Gupta, are realizing that this little green plant could have a huge impact across several medical fields. "This is legitimate medicine," argues Gupta. the LittLe PLant that CouLd: MediCaL MaRijuana "I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am dou- bling down," proclaimed Gupta in a March CNN column. When asked to explain his 180-degree turn on the benefits Ricki Lake Celebrity; producer of Weed the People Lake, who was introduced to a young fan with cancer during her stint on Dancing With the Stars, is flming a documentary with director Abby Epstein that follows ill children, including a cancer patient named Sophie, and the results of their use of medical marijuana. GettinG involved: "[Pot] was not something that I did. I looked at it like a gateway drug. I didn't want to be paranoid, out of it, like a couch potato. I was really turned off to it. But I fell in love with this girl via social media, and I went on this quest for her, to heal her." Cannabis Curve: "I'm still learn- ing with cannabis—the ratio, the dosing, the CBD versus THC, and what kills the cancer cells and what keeps the bad side effects at bay. But it's fascinating to me. I want to know more, and I want the public to know more. A whole new world opened up to me because [before] I was sheltered and judgmental." Her Film: "It shows a lot of amaz- ing characters who are all relatable; particularly Tracy and her daughter, Sophie. Baby Sophie [represents] our big- gest fear with our own children. And this mother will do anything to get her baby healthy and to keep her from suffering. We have great results from the last scan. Hopefully we will see continued cell death in the tumor." ProCeed witH Caution: "There are a lot of people in this industry that take advantage and that is really scary. There's people selling cannabis oil to des- perate families, but you have got to know what you are getting and you need to test, and that takes money. There are so many advantages, but I think people still need to take a lot of precautions." vision Quest: "I would love to be able to prove that cannabis is killing cancer cells. It's so much better than doing a talk show. We have more than enough people that want to be documented and are willing to tell their stories." Though new state laws are being enacted rather quickly, on the federal level, cannabis remains a Schedule I [most dangerous] substance. [ [ 134 michiganavemag.com