One Million People in the UK are Forced to Break the Law to Stay HealthyBy Michaela Whitton Many derive the benefits of marijuana as an alternative to fistfuls of opiate-based pills for chronic pain, but in the U.K., tens of thousands are criminalised every year for using the it either recreationally or medicinally. Elsewhere in the world, sanity has prevailed, and medical marijuana can now can be prescribed in 11 European countries, 24 U.S. states, and many other countries throughout the world. On a trip to Westminster last month to make the case for the legalisation of cannabis for medical use, Professor of Neurology Mike Barnes from the End Our Pain campaign said eight million people in the U.K. suffer from chronic pain. Claiming a third of those who are prescribed opioids cannot tolerate them, he laid out evidence pointing to the success of marijuana in treating a number of conditions, including multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, epilepsy, and Crohns disease. In addition, the End Our Pain campaign points to emerging indications of CBD a key ingredient of cannabis to treat epilepsy and alleviate mental health conditions, including social anxiety disorder and PTSD. Calling for the legalisation of the drug when prescribed for medical conditions, Professor Barnes said the fact cannabis is illegal is hampering the ability of researchers to conduct further studies on its medical benefits. With over 12,000 signatures so far, the End Our Pain campaign is asking the public to sign a petition supporting the call for U.K. law change. If it is successful, it will allow doctors in Britain to prescribe cannabis when they think it can help their patients. You can sign it here. This article (OneMillion People in the UK are Forced to Break the Law to Stay Healthy) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Michaela Whitton and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org. Leave the cannabis alone.were not STUPID anymore!! Any more than what? Just kidding. Cannibis is a weed that grows naturally and freely on our Earth it is not manufactured. Its here for the purpose of healing and health, not to get high. The fact that some people use it to get high is no reason to ban it from those who need it for medical reasons. Prohibition never stopped people from drinking it just forced them to pay more and made a lot of people rich. The addictive personalities will always find something to get high on including aerosol cans! I like my aerosol cans. THC/CBD is love with our dna. This is the reason for the war on drugs. They dont want folks to be healthy take your vaccine kiddies. One Million People in the UK are Forced to Break the Law to Stay Healthy Thats, strictly speaking, not true. There are many other options, including lifestyle changes and taking other herbal remedies, which would act to alleviate pain, increase immunity and reverse disease states. Cannabis is not a miracle remedy, and clinging to this notion is nothing but a continuation of the kind of reductionist modus operandi that is todays orthodox medical paradigm. 