How Can Your Experiences Make You a Great Cannabis Activist?

“I’m an Active Cannabis Advocate - and I VOTE!” is our theme for September and last week, we offered some voting info.

Of course, voting is just the bare minimum of advocacy. There are endless ways in which our unique combinations of skills and experiences help us to bring important perspectives to the conversation. This week, we are highlighting 2 NC NORML team members as they are using their professional expertise to propel us all forward!

As we continue through the month we’ll look at the endless ways you can be an Active Advocate for cannabis legalization and YOU can make a difference!

Dr. Ovais (Ovi) Inamullah, MD Vascular Neurology Fellow, Duke University Hospital who is serving on the Legislative & Education Committee has leveraged his professional platforms to connect the dots on the therapeutic applications of cannabis.

Earlier this year, he presented potential for cannabis as a tool in the neurologist toolbox. Importantly, he sets the stage on how cannabis was criminalized over the objections of the American Medical Association doctors https://youtu.be/MeOBnYXRQvo. Importantly, he emphasizes that every day we wait to pass cannabis legalization, people are dying unnecessarily in this state. This presentation is chock-full of studies, many of which are referenced in the NC NORML fact sheets and research sections of the website.
He also had an Opinion article published in the Journal of Neurology and Neuro Toxicology, explaining to his fellow neurologists that, “people have an endogenous endocannabinoid system that consists of endocannabinoids and our cannabinoid receptors. The main endocannabinoid is called Anandamide, and it binds to the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. CB1 is located throughout the central nervous system, and both receptors are found on peripheral nerves. The more we learn about this system, the more we discover that it is ingrained in our nervous systems and diseases related to these systems. An imbalance of the endogenous endocannabinoid system is thought to contribute to many diseases in neurology including migraines, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and CNS tumors. In a field with so many unknowns, it is imperative that medical neurologists understand cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system better. We owe it to our patients that are waiting for answers” https://www.ncnorml.org/journal-of-neurology-and-neuro-toxicology-2020-opinion-article-medical-cannabis-in-neurology/

Joshua Smith, J.D., Attorney in NC who is serving on the Legislative & Education Committee wrote out in great detail what needs to be written into bills to ensure equity in the process of legalization of cannabis. He walks through lessons that North Carolina can incorporate to ensure fair access to a cannabis market that accounts for the disproportionate harm that cannabis prohibition has inflicted on low-income communities and people of color. https://www.ncnorml.org/social-equity-in-cannabis-legislation/

Take Action Now:

Volunteer your time with NC NORML! Our next orientation session for new members is coming up this weekend, Sunday 9/15/20. Register for this or subsequent sessions on our Action Network page here: https://actionnetwork.org/groups/ncnorml/

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! JUST A WILLINGNESS TO BE CURIOUS AND LEARN WITH US!

Reminder: Confirm your voter registration status by visiting https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

As always:

- Sign up at www.ncnorml.org/get-involved/ so we can reach you with specific information on your representatives.

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