While the nation is waking up to the incredible healing potential of cannabis, there have been advocates across the country working for years to improve the quality, access and laws surrounding the therapeutic use of the cannabis plant.
If you’re new to the scene, here are two organizations to know for their powerful influence on the direction of medical cannabis in America:
- Americans for Safe Access (ASA): Since its inception in 2002, ASA has built a successful and sweeping grassroots organization dedicated to protecting patients’ rights to use cannabis therapeutically and to ensure safe and legal access. Through tireless policy work, ASA has helped make significant progress across the US in the field, including the introduction of the recent CARERS Act, the most comprehensive policy on cannabis ever to reach US Congress. If passed, it would revolutionize the medical use of cannabis in the US forever.
- American Herbal Products Association: The AHPA works tirelessly to ensure that cannabis is treated and regulated just like any other herbal supplement. Even so, hemp and marijuana products can be of variable quality and contain impure ingredients that are dangerous for immuno-compromised patients and ineffective for those suffering from conditions such as chronic pain or nausea.
As cannabis continues to emerge from the shadows and become a recognized and effective therapeutic, keep an eye on these two organizations as they persist in their advocacy and regulation work, and expect others to spring up as the number of patients using medical marijuana and hemp extracts for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain and nausea continues to increase.