Did you know that the cultivation and use of the cannabis and hemp plants date back thousands of years and spans the entire globe?  Bhang, as it is referred to in ancient Hindu text as early as 2000 BC, is one of India’s five sacred plants. Before 200 AD, the Greek physician Galen prescribed medical marijuana as an effective treatment.  America’s George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon.

Only fairly recently has the stigmatization and criminalization of cannabis taken issue.  In the US it is a Schedule 1 drug, which means that it is legally defined as having NO medical value to its use.  

As a result, any studies about the potential benefits of medical marijuana are strictly regulated and mostly prohibited.  This however has not stopped many individuals and health professionals from seeking information about cannabis as a wellness solution.

Miami Beach Hemp & Health Expo

This weekend, June 22 & 23, the Miami Airport Convention Center welcomes the CBD & Hemp Industry, truth-seeking individuals and the most innovative health professionals to the largest Cannabis & Health Event in Florida.  Put on by the Florida Cannabis Coalition, those attending Miami Beach Hemp & Heath Expo will have access to 50+ vendors, exhibitors, motivating speakers, prescribing physicians, and hemp-health education seminars.

ACS Laboratory

Among the attending, ACS Laboratory is the Largest Cannabis and CBD Testing facility in the Southeastern United States.  Their 20,000 square foot clinical lab located in Sun City Center, Florida provides dependable, accurate, reproducible test results of CBD and cannabis, and hemp products.

The cannabis plant has over 200 bioactive compounds including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.  ACS Laboratory is an industry leader in testing the potency of these compounds as well as many undesirable components such as pesticides, pathogens, and microbials.

Those who visit ACS Lab’s booth on the Convention Floor can observe actual Certificate of Analysis lab reports and discover the importance of third-party testing of CBD, cannabis, and hemp products.  In addition, distributors who inquire can receive complementary first-sample test results for their own products through ACS Laboratory.

Miss ACS Laboratory at Hemp & Health Expo? Request your first analysis here.

‍One cannot talk about the Cannabis & Hemp Industry without acknowledging the industrial uses of hemp plants. Cannabis’s cousin is mostly cultivated outdoors and on a larger scale to make things like textiles, health foods and building materials. This past legislative session in Florida approved a bill allowing the Department of Agriculture to create a state hemp program.  

Lifting the almost century long ban on growing hemp plants, Florida now has the potential and available farmland to create a multi-billion dollar hemp industry. Florida’s hemp program will undoubtedly include testing procedures and certification methods, and ACS Laboratory is Florida’s primary third-party lab to authenticate their seeds and plants.

Heading the expo booth at the Hemp & Heath Convention is Jonathan Brown, the Director of Development for ACS Laboratory. Mr. Brown commits himself to educating people on the critical reasons to test products for sale, the transparency of the testing process, and understanding COA Reports.  It is Jonathan’s belief that third-party testing and authentication are of utmost importance to ensuring consumers get the safest CBD, cannabis and hemp products out there.

A Wealth of Knowledge

Miami Beach Hemp & Health Expo presents an impressive roster of certified health professionals educating and bringing awareness to new studies in CBD, Cannabis, and your health.  Dr. Michelle Weiner is an avid speaker on the human endocannabinoid system (ECS).  She explains the science behind medicinal marijuana and how to optimize your results and limit side effects.

See Dr. Weiner’s presentation at Canna-Ed Day 2017 here.

Beginning in clinical medicine more than three decades ago, Dr. Barry Gordon educates and advocates for his patients interested in alternative treatments without the harmful effects of pharmaceutical drugs.  He admits it was decades into his career before he heard of the Endocannabinoid System. Thanks to its Schedule 1 listing, research on the effects of cannabis in the US is almost non-existent.

Dr. Barry declares that patients who use cannabis and report back to their doctors are the forefront of this country’s research.  “Those patients have found something that works for them, and that’s a fact which shouldn’t be ignored.”

‍Dr. Kelly King of Releaf MD Tampa dedicates her practice to informing and empowering patients with medical marijuana access.  A disabled Air Force veteran and licensed physician in Florida, New York and California, Dr. King believes in customizing and personalizing treatment plans for the individual and their symptoms in accordance with state and local laws, and medical board guidelines.

Hear Dr. King explain the difference between Indica and Sativa strands of cannabis here.

Another advocate for veteran rights to medical marijuana is Dr. Sue Sisley of White Mountain Heath Center.  Her research has led the way in dismantling government restrictions on whole-plant marijuana studies, including the first clinical trial evaluating the effects of smoked marijuana and its effects on PTSD.

The Future of Plant-Based Medicine

It’s hard to believe that current marijuana users are the cutting edge research to rely on in this nation, but regulations simply do not support the clinical trials necessary to prove marijuana as an effective treatment for many ailing Americans.  That is why education and advocacy events like the Hemp & Health Expo can be so beneficial.

Dutifully hard-working are the medical professionals struggling to collect data on both the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.  Obviously inspiring are the industry’s professionals who patiently work with legislation to establish laws for the responsible sale of cannabis products.  

Reliable and comforting are the testing facilities like ACS Laboratory who ensure the quality and safety of your medicine. But most empowering are the patients and individuals who arm themselves with the knowledge of how plant-based medicine works, and works for them.