Sometimes an effect or phenomenon is so significant that words and numbers just don’t do justice.
When you think back on the invention of vaccines, that is a perfect example for me.
We had devastating airborne viruses that were wiping out large swaths of the population. Without these vaccines, it’s hard to imagine the present world existing in the way that it does now. Regardless of how people may feel about specific vaccines in the current day, it’s undeniable that there were a number of critical vaccines that transformed society for the better. But honestly the amazing advancements in medical technology are not limited merely to vaccines. Some of the breakthroughs in pharmacology over the last hundred years have completely changed the expected life cycle of human beings. Some of these medications are derived directly from the environment as well. There is a common medication additive called atropine which is found in the psychoactive plants datura and belladonna. Without atropine, we would lack some of the most critical medications used in medicine today. On top of that, it’s hard to completely quantify the benefits we’ve gotten from medical cannabis. Back when I was a kid, people talked about the medical benefits of cannabis but some people assumed these were limited to treating cancer or glaucoma. In fact, there are a whole host of other medical issues that benefit from medical cannabis. I have a cousin for instance who uses medical cannabis to treat his epilepsy. For me, medical cannabis is the only medication that effectively treats my ptsd. PTSD is a complicated disorder and it’s not always easy to treat with medications. But with medical cannabis specifically, I’m able to get a much better quality of life than I would have without it.