Medical marijuana is the use of either the whole cannabis plant or any of its parts to treat a symptom or disease. The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has not officially approved the use of marijuana in the healthcare field; however, it does recognize that it may be effective in aiding or treating a variety of ailments, including cancer and nausea from chemotherapy, AIDS wasting syndrome, glaucoma, seizures, multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain symptoms.
Why Use Medical Marijuana?
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, revered professor at Harvard Medical School, once said: “There are no deaths from cannabis use. Anywhere. You can’t find one.” Biochemist and human pathologist Dr. Paul Hornby adds, “I’ve heard you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol.” (IBTimes.com)
Why is this important? According to the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), deaths from prescription painkillers quadrupled from 1999 to 2011, and they continue to multiply. Alcohol-related deaths continue to take a significant toll on society as well. Yet in over 10,000 years, not a single death has been attributed to marijuana.
How It is Administered
Marijuana and its active constituents can be delivered to the human body in a myriad of ways, including:
– Sublingual sprays
– Transdermal patches
– Topical treatments
– Ingested raw
As you can see, treatment is not restricted to swallowing a pill or going in once a month for a pain shot. The benefits can be administered by any means that are best tailored to the individual patient and condition.
Conditions It Is Used For
There are over 200 known conditions that marijuana is thought to benefit. Some of the primary conditions that are being studied today are:
Alzheimer’s disease– The active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can prevent the accelerated formation of “Alzheimer’s plaques” from the enzyme acetylcholinesterase in the brain. It also fights against the buildup of protein that affects memory. Discovered in 2006, the THC is more effective than prescription drugs in this task according to the Scripps Research Institute in California.
Anxiety– Many people turn to the recreational use of marijuana to self-treat their anxiety and panic disorders in lieu of harmful, and sometimes deadly, prescription drugs.
Arthritis– Especially in the chronic cases of rheumatoid arthritis, cannabinoids found in medical marijuana have been shown to lessen the inflammation and subsequent pain in those suffering, and they report better sleep and an improved all-around quality of life.
Cancer, chemotherapy, and HIV/AIDS– Even the FDA recognizes that cannabinoids can help relieve nausea and vomiting that affect those with cancer as well as those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Depression– SUNY Albany and USC published a joint-effort study in 2005 after tracking addictive behaviors in over four thousand participants. They found that regular marijuana users had less physical ailments and depressed moments and more positive outlooks than those who never partake.
Epilepsy– Virginia Commonwealth University researchers found cannabinoids “play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy.” Many people realize that ingesting marijuana in some form helps to allay the quantity and severity of their seizures.
Glaucoma– Studies dating as far back as the 1970s have found the plant to be effective in treating this leading cause of blindness.
Multiple sclerosis– Those with MS who use the drug therapeutically report reduced pain in their extremities and an increase in their positive outlook.
Legalities of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is a hotly debated topic around the world. The U.S. has seen major reform in the past five years alone as more people are fighting for their right to choose how they treat their conditions and what they put in their own bodies. As of March 2016, twenty-three states, Guam and the District of Columbia allow for public cannabis and medical marijuana programs. This is on a state level, however.
On a federal level, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which means it is deemed as having a high dependency potential and possesses no acceptable medical use. This makes it illegal to possess and distribute.
One thing is certain, major movements have been made towards the widespread efficacy of the plant and its therapeutic benefits, and proponents hope that one day soon it will be universally accepted and available to those who need it the most.