Gus goes over some timely Catholic news stories, including the impending Vatican punishment on serial sex offender Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, which will most likely be his laicization. Gus gives his thoughts in that the sense of justice will be incomplete because neither the pope, nor any of his Vatican representatives, will answer any questions on how McCarrick rose to the rank of cardinal with rumors of his offenses being whispered about for years. Afterwards, Gus talks about a recent Catholic News Agency article that discusses a joint statement issued by Illinois bishops on the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana use in their state.
Gus also talks about the recent news that the Southern Baptist Convention has uncovered nearly 700 cases of sexual abuse of children at the hands of ministers and volunteers over the past two decades. Gus talks about the pervasiveness of this societal problem, that it knows no boundaries and is not confined to just churches. In light of the clergy sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church and elsewhere, Gus invites listeners to call in the show who've converted to the Catholic faith within that past two years and how this has impacted them. Those who get on the air get a copy of A Minute in the Church Vol. 1.
https://www.pnas.org/content/111/33/11915.long?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Proc_Natl_Acad_Sci_U_S_A_TrendMD_0
For me, the issue with Cannabis isn’t so much recreational use as medicinal. The Cannabis plant species, both Hemp (high in CBD and not psychoactive) and Pot (High in THC aka Marijuana) have medicinal value. It is easy to grow (hence called "weed) and extremely easy to make medicine from. As with anything, including sugar, it can be abused. But when Cannabis is treated with the respect it deserves, it can be an ally in the treatment of many ailments. In the 1990s, scientists discovered that all mammals have an “Endocannabinoid System”. There are receptors throughout the body that use cannabinoids (constituents of Cannabis) to achieve a state of homeostasis or balance. The Bible states that God created plants for food and “leaves for medicine”. As someone who uses plants to keep my family healthy, I would like the legal freedom to grow, formulate medicine and use Cannabis. Because Hemp and Pot appear the same, the war against drugs outlawed the growing of both in 1937. The AMA sent a letter to Congress requesting that they leave Cannabis as part of the official Pharmacopoeia (approved drugs) because it was considered so valuable.
Science is just beginning to discover the many benefits of Cannabis because conducting studies was illegal until 2016. CBD (Hemp) is treats pain, inflammation, anxiety, healing, seizures and many other conditions. THC (Pot) has it’s own valuable benefits especially for nausea and panic attacks. When my mother was dying, there was very little that could be offered for her pain because she couldn’t tolerate morphine or it’s derivatives. Once she couldn’t swallow, Tylenol suppositories were the only thing available for her comfort. If I had known the value of Cannabis at that time, I would have given her CBD. Instead she suffered needlessly. Our daughter’s dog was helped for pain and healing after Knee Surgery. Our friend found that CBD helped him sleep after his wife died suddenly.
Hemp is also a great crop for making paper, cloth and rope with minimal inputs (that weed status again). Prior to 1937, most paper was made from hemp. The US Constitution was written on Hemp and both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp crops.
So for me, the question isn’t so much should it be legal as, how do we educate the populace to respect its benefits? I would rather grow my own Organic Cannabis as an aid to health than buy an unnatural drug formulated in a factory.
Thanks for asking the question today.