Merriam-Webster's online dictionary entry for "euphoria" is thus:

eu·pho·ria noun \yü-ˈfȯr-ē-ə\
: a feeling of well-being or elation
Synonyms: cloud nine, elatedness, elation, ecstasy, exhilaration, heaven, high, intoxication, paradise, rapture, rhapsody, seventh heaven, swoon, transport
Antonyms: depression

Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines euphoria as:

1. A feeling of well-being, commonly exaggerated and not necessarily well founded.
2. The pleasure state induced by a drug or substance of abuse.

The definition I, perhaps, like the most….comes from the Merriam-Webster's student dictionary:

Main Entry: eu·pho·ria
Function: noun
: a strong feeling of happiness

Happiness.

I seem to recall a document that was required reading in school with that term in it…said something like "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "

Happiness. Euphoria.

Is it only to be pursued; never achieved?

In the case of cannabis, it is a controversial "side-effect." The "pleasure state" as in the second medical definition quoted above.

"Controversial" due to the fact that it is THAT particular effect that leads to so many judgments in regards to the use of cannabis, be it recreationally, medically or spiritually.

Let us assure ourselves as a society that this side effect is limited to only those "deserving!" Really? What does that mean? Who is to judge who has lived a "good enough" life to be allowed to legally experience euphoria, happiness, when they desire?

Perhaps a cancer patient who has fought a long, valiant, and brave fight, yet is loosing?

If that patient is a child, dare we allow their innocence to be touched, their mind opened? Many would say no, even if that child were dying.

I am a huge proponent behind the research into other cannabinoids besides delta-9-THC. The cannabinoid with some of the most EXCITING research currently in regards to epilepsy, the autism spectrum, PTSD, depression, cancers, ADD & ADHD; is cannabidiol or CBD.

An unfortunate side-effect of the excitement surrounding the research into CBD is the vilification of delta-9-THC Due to the single fact that it can lead to "euphoria"!!!

The reason this is "unfortunate," is the more research is being explored, the more we are learning that ALL the various components of the plant cannabissativa work in concert with one another, to interact within the human endocannabinoid system to regain homeostasis, or balance and health.

To take a solitary component of this plant and label it "bad," is to lose the message of healing entirely.

Let's go back to delta-9-THC for a moment though…. In our pursuit of balance.

In 2004, Dr. Ester Fride, an Israeli scientist, showed us that a newborn mammal could NOT suckle and SURVIVE without a functioning cannabinoid messaging system. Bred to lack CB1 receptors and unable to suckle at birth, when injected with THC, the mice were able to suckle and develop normally.

So, in spite of the fact this substance is REQUIRED by mammals, the side effect "euphoria" is a reason to withhold treatment to children?! Why?

Should we allow CHILDREN to suffer and DIE because for them to experience euphoria would be "morally wrong?!"

There is enough physical, psychological, and emotional pain out there for all of us to share in. MORE than enough.

If those of us who awaken with physical pain on a daily basis….well, speaking JUST for myself, if I can manage to attain BIT of euphoria for an hour…maybe two, I consider that "pursuit of happiness" part of my rights as a human being.

Euphoria, indeed. Perhaps just a bit of reLeaf.

(This article was edited from a previous version published in 2012 by the author)