Medical marijuana is used to alleviate certain medical conditions. It’s not used to treat illnesses or to cure them. Using it will not affect or change a disease’s result. But it can relieve certain symptoms, make you sleep better, and make your quality of life better.
As the legalization of marijuana continues to gain more popularity, scientists, researchers, lawmakers, and the wider community. Are all questioning the effectiveness of marijuana to our medical ailments.
For over 3,000 years, people have used marijuana, to cure some of their disorders. However, up until 2018 marijuana has not been considered safe or effective in the treatment of any medical condition by the Food and Drug Administration. That’s when in 2018 cannabidiol, a substance found in marijuana, was approved as a treatment for certain forms of epilepsy.
The popular perception that cannabis is an effective cure for a wide variety of diseases. Without the lack of scientific information about its effects. But in recent years, a move towards legalization has somewhat accelerated it.
Today, at the time of printing over 30 states plus the District of Columbia. Have already made available marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes.
Medical Marijuana Explained
In order to cure ailments or conditions, medical marijuana incorporates the marijuana plant or chemicals in it. It’s exactly the same substance as marijuana for pleasure, but it’s taken for medicinal purposes.
More than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids are found in the marijuana plant. Each has an impact on the body that is different. The key chemicals used in medicine are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). When they smoke marijuana or consume edibles containing it, THC causes the “high” people experience.
CBD (which stands for cannabidiol) since there are none, if any, intoxicating properties to this part of marijuana. There is little to no THC in CBD-dominant strains, so patients show very little if any change in awareness.
However, patients report many advantages of CBD, from relieving insomnia, anxiety, muscle spasms, and pain to treating disorders such as epilepsy that are potentially life-threatening.
Chronic Pain Top Reason For Using Medical Marijuana
About 50 million people struggle with chronic pain in the US. It is easy to see why the effects and benefits of medical marijuana on chronic pain have been so widely used and discussed.
It is estimated that 65% of individuals with a medical marijuana license are using it to treat their chronic pain.
Many research studies have shown that marijuana, or cannabinoid-containing products. That are the active compounds in cannabis or other substances acting on the same brain receptors as marijuana, are effective in relieving chronic pain.
Epilepsy
For the treatment of two forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. The FDA has approved the use of CBD-based drugs.
There is a growing appeal to the concept of using the compounds present in marijuana to treat epilepsy. Researchers need to prove their efficacy and solve the issue of strength and how to give it. From plant to plant, potency can vary widely. The intensity can also be changed by inhaling the medication versus swallowing CBD.
CBD is not a psychoactive marijuana element, the treatment of some forms of seizures is now gaining more widespread recognition. It is opening up more research for the pursuit of newer treatments.
Other Ailments Under Research
Research is still on-going examining whether medical marijuana can help treat a range of conditions, such as:
Alzheimer’s disease
Appetite loss
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Diseases effecting the immune system like HIV/AIDS or Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Eating disorders such as anorexia
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
Mental health conditions like schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Multiple sclerosis
Muscle spasms
Nausea
Pain
Seizures
Wasting syndrome (cachexia)
Talk with your doctor
Many patients are in a position where they want to know more about medical marijuana, but feel shy to speak to their doctor about it.
If you have any of the medical conditions above that qualifies for medical cannabis use in your state. You should start by exploring the options, advantages, and risks of using medical marijuana for your particular case with your primary care doctor.
Make sure that your doctor is well versed in the latest literature on medical cannabis. One way to find out his level of expertise is to ask whether he or she has attended any cannabis training and seminars classes or courses.
If cannabis is not prescribed to you by your doctor, you can always find a physician who specializes in this condition. Via resources such as the Marijuana Doctors, where medical cannabis practitioners can be found online.
A doctor’s recommendation on medical cannabis will authorize you to obtain your medical cannabis card. From there, in order to get your medical marijuana, you would need to visit your community dispensary.
