Informal Talks
This past week, since there was no official speaker, Stephan Van Vuuren suggested that we have some of our members give short informal talks on issues that interest them and would also interest other members of our club.
Stephan volunteered to be the first speaker, on the topic of his involvement with the issues surrounding the medical use of marijuana. Stephan told us that few years ago he decided to learn more about cannabis from a medical point of view and took a certification course to learn more about it’s use for medical purposes. He then joined a clinic that prescribes marijuana for medical use. He described marijuana as a chemically ‘fuzzy ball’ made up of about fifty different compounds, many of which have various effects on the body. The main active compounds are THC, which is a psychotic and hallucinogen, CBD, which is an anti psychotic, and many varied types of terpenes, with various physiological effects.
The effect one gets from cannabis can vary dramatically depending on the variety used and how it is consumed. The amounts of the various compounds present in a strain of cannabis can vary widely. Strains grown today have up to ten times more THC than older strains. It can also be purified into various products, each of which can have different effects. It can also interact with other medications people may be taking so that needs to be considered as well. He said that one needs to know quite a bit about the particular strain you are using, in order to get the desired effect. One strain can make you sleepy while the next will get you energized. Some work well for pain relief and others do not. He has found that it can be a very useful medication for some people, but it is definitely not a first or even a second line treatment for most people.
Our second informal speaker of the day was Bernd Reuscher, who spoke about the rise of populism in Germany and many other countries in northern Europe. Bernd gave us short history of immigration patterns in Europe as an introduction to this topic. In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s many people from less prosperous southern European countries of Spain and Italy, Greece and even Turkey immigrated to Germany and other more prosperous countries looking for work and a better life. Those who had closer ties to the language, customs and religions of the country they settled in integrated well, but others did not and kept to themselves. When German reunification took place, those in eastern Germany were very eager to take part in their new chances for freedom and prosperity, and at first this did happen. This was followed by more immigration from the newer EU countries in eastern Europe. But as the recent flood of new immigrants from even farther east started to happen, one million refugees in one year, in Germany alone, they saw their chances for prosperity falter as the economy struggled to support the large numbers of refugees. Some people are becoming more right wing and are speaking out more. Freedom of speech is OK, but demonstrations that result in violence are not. Dealing with the underlying economic issues is going to be very difficult for all of the countries involved.