MintPress editor in chief, Mnar Muhawesh, explains: Ronald Reagan’s “War on Drugs” demonized marijuana use in the 1980s. But that legacy is dying and medicinal cannabis is now at the center of a national dialogue about health, healing and drug law reform.

Twenty-three states have approved cannabis for medicinal use, yet some restrictive state laws make it difficult for patients with autoimmune diseases to access the most powerful form of cannabis medicine: CBD-rich pure cannabis oil.

Despite the legalization movement’s progress, the federal government continues to classify cannabis as a Schedule I drug — the same category as heroin and bath salts.

Yet research shows that cannabinoids can help treat the effects of a number of illnesses, ranging from epileptic seizures to Crohn’s disease to nausea brought on by chemotherapy.

Editor’s note: Phoenix Tears is not an organisation, it is the name for the cannabis oil which Rick Simpson gave the extracts he used to produce, and it is also the name of his web site. In addition, Rick Simpson no longer gives away CBD oil as of 2009.