The Cannabis Papers
     A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids
    By Publius

Owners of guns must use them responsibly: the same goes for cannabis owners.
In Illinois, a citizen of any age that owns a gun must pay a $10 fee to apply for
a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card.
Publius, as a citizen owning cannabis, would gladly pay a $10 fee to apply for
a Cannabis Owner’s Identification (COID) card.

I’m happy for Illinois resident Bubba Ludwig. He has been given a family gift to treasure for the rest of his life. His grandfather, an avid trap shooter, bought and gave Bubba a 12-gauge shotgun. Upon hearing the news of grandpa’s gift, Bubba’s father took the next appropriate steps to exercise his 2nd Amendment right. 

          Mr. Ludwig printed out the FOID card application available on the Illinois State Police website. This is our state’s way of regulating a constitutionally protected right – the right to bear arms. In this case, the father had to fill out the application because his son was only 10 months old. Yes, 10 months old. The youngster was unable to sign his name so the father simply placed a pen in Bubba’s hand and let him scribble something unique.

          The typical-looking state ID card soon arrived in the mail. Bubba’s FOID card displays a picture of the grinning toothless baby next to some personal information – such as his height of 27 inches and weight of 20 pounds. Even though (apparently) this young citizen cannot use the 12-gauge shotgun, his right to own the gun (and ammunition) is protected in Illinois. One can almost imagine the little tyke legally transporting his unloaded weapon to the sandbox.

          In Illinois, an individual can get a permit to drive a car at 15, get married at 16 (with parental consent), join the military at 17 (with parental consent), vote in elections at 18, and at the age of 21 be declared responsible enough to drink alcohol. So when is the cannabis age? 20? 40? 60? 80? ... When?

          As a FOID card holder, I understand and appreciate the Second Amendment right to own a gun. I understand the amendment as a protection of my right to self-preservation – to defend myself. Herbal cannabinoids are the same thing, a tool of self-preservation, and their use should be protected not prosecuted.
                                                                  “Protected?” you ask.

          Yes. Cannabinoids and the ECS modulate the human body – meaning they modulate life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In Illinois, these are the first rights protected. Here are the words from the Illinois Bill of Rights, section 1: “All men are by nature free and independent and have certain inherent and inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s worth recalling, given our current political times, why we have words like these and what they are supposed to mean. Perhaps they’re there for more than history lessons and feel good sloganeering. Perhaps they are there to help us. 

          This is an easy solution for states like Illinois that don’t have a system in place for protecting medical cannabis patients. Card identification systems have already been implemented in the 14 medical states. But stop for a moment. The COID card is more than a medical card. Think of this example: no one is asked to wait for a FOID card until they are under attack. No one says you have to wait until you are attacked until you can possess a gun. That would be silly. The COID card system should be thought of in the same manner. We have to move beyond the “are you sick enough for cannabinoids?” way of thinking. It would be wrong to ask gun owners “are you under attack enough for your right to bear arms?” Rights don’t function that way.

          The ECS is a tool used by our bodies to modulate the pressures of the every day. It has evolved with us to help us. Just like cannabinoids and the ECS, the COID card is for everyone. The FOID card is the regulatory moment of the right to defend my biology; the COID card is the equivalent defended right in herbal form. 

          And it is about rights. In Illinois, there’s no age limit or qualifying examination for gun owners. That is fine: I would just like the same rights.

          What needs to be discussed is how my right to self-preservation excludes the right to cultivate and consume herbal cannabinoids – and yet an infant’s right to own a gun is protected. Clearly, this book tells of a reality where cannabinoids and the ECS are fundamental to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

          To be explicit for a moment, we’re talking about saving lives – as in cannabinoids are antidepressant and modulate the depression that often accompanies illness and life. Suicide is too often a consideration and consequence of pain and suffering. This can be helped. A search on Pub Med shows that herbal cannabinoids and the ECS modulate depression and suicidal thoughts. So where is the card protecting my right to self-preservation? Where’s my COID card protecting my right to grow, possess and consume life-preserving herbal cannabinoids?

          On the application for the Illinois FOID card, there is no qualifying gun test, required doctor’s evaluation, or licensed training class needed to apply for a FOID card. The owners of herbal cannabinoids deserve the same liberty – as the founders and our ideals reveal. Approval from the government to own a plant – that sounds silly, doesn’t it? It wouldn’t sound silly to the 40,000 Illinois citizens arrested annually for pot, nor would it sound silly to the 800,000 annual national arrests for herbal cannabinoids. Though it’s easy to predict those hundreds-of-thousands would pay the $10 fee with a silly smile on their face – just like the one that will be on their COID card. 

Publius

Search terms

US Constitution, Second Amendment: IL Constitution, First Right: Illinois FOID: Bubba Ludwig FOID: Pub Med cannabinoids antidepressant.

Research and selected readings

2010: AT El-Alfy, et al, Antidepressant-like effect of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids isolated from Cannabis sativa L.,  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, June 2010:95(4):434-42.

2010: CQ Chiu, et al, Dopaminergic modulation of endocannabinoid-mediated plasticity at GABAergic synapses in the prefrontal cortex, Journal of Neuroscience, 26 May 2010:30(21):7236-48.

2010: TV Zanelati, et al, Antidepressant-like effects of cannabidiol in mice: possible involvement of 5-HT1A receptors, British Journal of Pharmacology, January 2010:159(1):122-8.

2005: W Jiang, et al, Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, Journal of Clinical Investigation, November 2005 : 115(11):3104-16.

2003: A Colin, et al, Lipids, depression and suicide, Encephale, Jan-Feb 2003:29(1):49-58.