Back in 2005, Canadian researchers from the University of Saskatchewan discovered that high doses of cannabis actually stimulated brain cell growth in lab rats. The same researchers also confirmed that most other drugs, including legal ones like alcohol and nicotine destroy nerve cells in the hippocampus. Their discoveries are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

I can attest to that personally. When I was a child I was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder. After many years of exposure to cannabis, my social skills, motor skills, critical thinking and creativity have improved exponentially.

DVC and personal experiences had much to do with that growth but I wouldn’t have had the ability to learn at the required pace or been able to manage the stress associated with college without it.

The American Association for Cancer Research has found that marijuana helps to slow down tumor growth in the heart, brain and lungs considerably.

So why is the federal government wanting to exterminate this substance from our lives?

To paraphrase the comedian Bill Hicks, if you want to imagine a world without marijuana, why don’t you do yourself a favor and not listen to all of those Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame records on 107.7 The Bone and don’t listen to any rap music.

Practically all of our society’s modern music has been influenced by marijuana and a plethora of psychedelics.

The DEA and the Obama administration are focusing on the wrong solutions to our nation’s drug problems.

The real drug problem stems from the prescription drugs, which kill more people than traffic accidents according to the LA Times.

Instead of impeding on state and local government jurisdiction, Obama should instead focus on weeding out the corruption in the FDA and regulate the pharmaceutical industry better.

Turn the drug war on big pharma, decimalize and regulate illegal hard drugs and legalize marijuana to cut the funding source of chaos in Mexico.

That is how the people will win the war on drugs rather than become the victims of it. What we have right now is a war on people.