The High Potential: Cannabis as an Underrated Super Plant
By Sierra Castoe
Let me introduce you to Mary Jane, A.K.A. cannabis. Did you know that, besides college parties, it has a lot of other uses? From being used in construction, to being used in medical tinctures, even helping create careers across the U.S.A. The stigmas around this wonderful plant harm its very good reputation, especially with the older crowd. Cannabis is a super amazing plant, let me tell you a little about the healing aspects before I get too far.
It’s no secret that cannabis has healing properties. Most states have legalized “medical marijuana” with some restrictions and guidelines. Marijuana is making its way around the country providing relief to so many patients who genuinely need it as a medication. Chemotherapy being one of the most common reasons to obtain a medical card, has a lot of side effects! Nausea, headaches, fatigue, restlessness, etc. all can be helped with a little THC. Chemo can make you feel like you’ve fallen ill on its own. All 50 or so side effects directly linked to chemo can be impacted and possibly subside with the use of cannabis! Nauseous? Have a couple drops of an indica tincture sit, relax, and wait. Soon you should be eating! No energy at all? Have a toke of some sativa it will have you going within the hour, you might not even notice the living room has been cleaned top to bottom. If you have a headache that just won’t go, look for the dosed 2
gummy bears, eat one or two and let the aches drift away! Just like what the pharmacist prescribes you, cannabis comes in different forms and doses. No matter what form you choose for your symptoms, relief is generally the biggest effect. Now I’d like to open the horizons and show you a more constructive view.
Deep in a Japanese forest lies a house fully constructed with a hemp concoction known as “hempcrete”. Made in the 1600s, This home only ever truly needs paint retouches and routine landscaping. As it is still standing beautifully, it’s the only building in the village still standing from that time period. You can visit it any time just be respectful, the villagers maintain the village. Now we will fast forward to 2025. Welcome to “The Hondo Hemp Home” located in Texas, this home is 2,484 sq ft, has one story of living space, and includes a large breezeway. To put that in comparison, that’s the size of two average apartments. It combines the BoHo coastal vibe of California and the more earthy tumbleweed tones of Arizona. The material is perfect for the dry summers of Texas, and with its thick consistency makes great insulation for a rough winter! Have I told you hempcrete is actually eco-friendly? It’s made of hemp, a lime based binder, and water. One of the only housing materials that is completely for and of the earth. So my eco friendly, desert loving, cannabis enthusiast mutuals you need to look into this! I’ve said a lot about how cannabis impacts individuals, let me tell you how it impacts communities.
When I think of the word community I think of people. Communities have people, some young, and some old. The commonality is people of all ages have opportunities that cannabis brings to the table. Have you ever heard of trickle down economics? Surely once or twice. It is a frequently used phrase in politics, but you may be wondering what it’s used for here; In this instance I’m referencing the hundreds of career opportunities that were made by the cannabis industry. When job positions such as, Bud tender, Growers, Trimmers, warehouse security, etc., opened up for the public most cannabis users finally felt seen. A lot of these people didn’t last at a job or even had one. For them marijuana was always viewed as a medication. Corporations for over 50 years have looked at cannabis the same way they look at heroin or 3
methamphetamines just in recent times have they viewed it the same as xanax. As long as you have a prescription you’ll be fine. As of July, 2024 there were 2,051 licensed medical dispensaries in the state of Oklahoma alone. That’s at least 4,102 job opportunities, and a chance to feed that money back into the community. Thanks to cannabis companies and grow farms Oklahoma has some of the leading cannabis job industries in the country! Now that you know how growing green can grow the green in your pockets. I think it’s time to ask the question.
“Is cannabis a super plant?”
To that I would say absolutely. Cannabis, when used by college kids in a non-smoking dormitory, is what most consider “drugs”. On the other side of that is a mother dealing with postpartum depression. She takes tinctures and dosed lotions to help with the pain of recovery from childbirth. What about the man who was hurt on the job and now needs cannabis because of his family’s opioid problems. Life happens and it’s okay to look for nature in those times. Lastly, the eco-friendly fun loving family that is looking for a less traditional “Hemp House” because being environmentally proactive is important to them. All of these things have one commonality, cannabis! Therefore, I hope if you learned anything it’s that cannabis helps physically, mentally, financially and it’s the world’s most versatile super plant!
