Of course it cannot be denied this Industrial Age has been one hell of time, an amateur alchemist's almalgam of good and bad. That's to be expected really, all things considered. Each age seems to have its day and purpose. But to continue on such a path by choice? (By force?) As Gulf news worsens, with both catastrophic spills and wars, it becomes increasingly apparent this human carbon fixation is leading to our own destruction, not to mention to the destruction of so many other species. What does this say about our priorities? What does this say about our collective mental health? Repeating the same behavior again and again and expecting a different result. We all know what that's called, right? The white "cap rock" seen in this photo to the right marks the end of the Paleozoic Era. Occuring around 245 million years ago, the end of this era saw the greatest mass extinction ever, with over 95 percent of species becoming extinct. Yet the following Mesozoic Era witnessed perhaps the greatest expansion (and/or refinement) of life, including the appearance of giant dinosaurs, the first mammals, flowering plants and birds.
This Chapter 49 marks the end of a book I've written over the past six months. I put this last chapter at the front of the book because, like the Mesozoic Era, it too signifies new beginnings, expansions and refinements in life, the turning of an age, change, transition, better direction. All else written before in Chapters 1 through 48 is the story of how I arrived here, along with a certain "medicine" that has been my friend and companion for a good 20 years.In retrospect of writing this book, I find it almost laughable that leaders and governments view cannabis with such suspicion and outright condemnation, when such larger, more pressing issues threaten our society, species and planet as whole. Of course this "reefer madness" becomes all the more absurd when one sees that cannabis can actually help solve many of these petro-based dilemmas.As a medicine, as a substance for recreation, as a cash crop for paper, fiber, fuel and more, cannabis as a whole holds more promise in helping humanity than any other substance we know of. And yet, this helpful and overwhelmingly benign plant has been scrutinized to the nth degree and, by far, held to a much higher standard than any other pharmaceutical or agricultural product ever conceived or cultivated. What gives? 
This is not about condemnation.
It is about open discussion and communication.
It is about learning and growing.
Evolving...
The cannabis community has done much more than its fair share of proving and defending its position. Seems to me it's time for the tables to turn, for those opposed, especially lawmakers, to not only defend their stance against cannabis with equal rigor and honesty (if they can), but also address the more apparent problems of other medicines and afflictions our society now faces, including the unacknowledged addictions raised herein.Caught in such political policy that defies all logic and sensibility, one cannot help but consider the validity of certain conspiracy theories. Yet exploring these theories is not what this book is about. This book is foremost about bringing this topic further out in the open, stimulating questions and discussion...inviting, imploring, demanding that leaders and policy makers directly, rationally and fairly address these very valid arguments and issues concerning cannabis and beyond. 
