The Inlet The Reddening, 36th Day of Spring, 525 M.E. (Atlas): According to The Guardian, the largest-ever such study has found that medical marijuana has potential as a cancer-fighting treatment. The study was published this week in Frontiers in Oncology, a peer-reviewed medical journal, and found overwhelming scientific support for weed’s potential to both treat cancer symptoms and potentially to fight the course of the disease itself.

In a separate Guardian article, polls suggest that more Americans over the age of 65 are trying marijuana for the first time than any other demographic in the country. They attribute the trend to decreased stigma and increased legalization, with 24 states and the District of Columbia now allowing recreational use. Some people are using cannabis as a way to navigate the hurdles of getting older along with its physical and emotional challenges. Research indicates older adults primarily use it for health-related issues, like poor sleep, pain, and mental health concerns such as anxiety.

I've smoked weed since 1971, although with far less frequency and enthusiasm now than I did in my teens and twenties, and since 2000, meditation has largely but not entirely replaced recreational marijuana, although the two are nothing alike. Now at 71 years of age, I can report that I'm not a burnout, a stoner, or a vegetable like parents and teachers warned, but I am cancer free (so far). So it must work. I'm also free of chronic pain, although I do suffer from poor sleep, and if you don't have anxiety, you're not paying attention to current events and all the other articles in The Guardian ("Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals," "Rubio and Trump both confirm that US may take a pass on Ukraine peace deal," "Trump administration moves to narrow protections for endangered species," etc.). 

Or, to paraphrase the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, “Weed will get you through times of no hope better than hope will get you through times of no weed.”