Medical Marijuana

Medical Uses of Marijuana 

Medical marijuana indicates the application of pot as therapy for certain medical problems, as well as the employment of synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids in the medicinal context. 

The medicinal use of marijuana has been made legal in 13 states in the U.S., particularly, California, Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada, Montana, Michigan, Oregon, New Mexico, Washington, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Other states, such as New Jersey, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York, have pending legislative bills on medical marijuana.

There are more than 250 indications of the medical uses of marijuana in the International Classification of Diseases. A literature review in 2002 revealed that medical cannabis has been useful in treating premenstrual syndrome, vomiting, nausea, lack of appetite, and unwanted weight loss.

It was also found to be effective for fibromyalgia, migraines, spasticity, neurogenic pain, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It has also been observed to have muscle relaxant and antispasmodic properties that could help in alleviating some of the symptoms of spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis.

Other studies have revealed that medical marijuana seeds such as White Queen could be employed for treating alcoholism, collagen-induced arthritis, atherosclerosis, childhood mental disorders, depression, colorectal cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, asthma, hypertension, and hepatitis C.

Growing medical marijuana is also justified by findings that cannabis could also be employed for treating Huntington's disease, gliomas, dystonia, diabetic retinopathy, bipolar disorder, sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder, leukemia, drug-resistant Staphylococcal infections, incontinence, and sickle cell disease.

Studies done at the Scripps Research Institute have also indicated that THC may be capable of preventing acetylcholinesterase from speeding up the creation of plaques in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. It was observed to be more effective in this activity compared to commercially available drugs.

Growing medical marijuana appears to be a useful undertaking because THC has also been found to promote the production of new neurons, as opposed to nicotine, cocaine, heroine, and alcohol, that have all been found to inhibit the growth of neurons.

Other medical uses of marijuana include the shrinking of tumors in brain cancer. Amazingly, researchers have found that while THC destroyed cancerous brain cells, the healthy cells were not affected, after just 26 to 30 days of treatment with THC.

Clinical trials in 2007 also revealed that HIV-positive and AIDS patients experienced improvements in appetite after inhaling marijuana four times a day. The 2-arachidonoyl glycerol in pot has also been found to reduce secondary damages as a result of head injuries and to hasten recovery.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the utilization of the cannabinoids nabilone and dronabinol for medical treatment. However, both medications are not smoked. The primary criticism against medical marijuana is that the common method of consumption is through smoking. It is claimed that smoking is dangerous to the lungs and the respiratory system as a whole.

To avoid this criticism, medical marijuana is often ingested or inhaled through a vaporizer. While the aromatic substances are released by the vaporizer, the other plant material are not burned, thus avoiding the production of toxic substances.