Medical Marijuana

Marijuana is a plant that is known by many varying names in different parts of the world. Moreover, the consumption or possession of this plant either in its natural or processed form is also illegal in many parts of the world. Within the parts where marijuana is illegal, some people claim that the plant has some medical benefits. This legality debate has been ongoing for a long time and it seems like it will continue for much more time.

The medical side of marijuana

Even though marijuana has been banned in most countries, some of these countries including the US have approved some drugs that contain chemicals extracted from marijuana. The chemical from marijuana that has medical advantages is called cannabinoids. In addition to food and drug administration in the US approving some drugs containing this chemical, many states have also approved the use of marijuana for medical reasons. The approval of drugs containing cannabinoids and banning of the marijuana plant may be confusing. However, the fact on this issue is that for FDA to approve a medical substance, there have to be supporting data from a study on a sample in the range of hundreds. Therefore, clinical trials within this scale on medicine containing cannabinoids have been carried out and shown benefits without a possibility of risks. However, the same has not happened with the natural plant.

Using cannabinoids for medical reasons

Cannabinoids, the chemical extracted from marijuana, is available in two main forms that are of medical interest. These forms are THC and the CBD. The uses of THC cannabinoids are quite many. They include increasing a person’s appetite, reducing nausea, acting as a pain killer, reducing inflammation and restoring the health of muscles. On the other hand, CBD cannabinoids help in the control of seizures and mental illnesses or substance addictions. A study on the use of this chemical has also shown its effectiveness in the treatment of reduction of cancer cells. Mice were used as test subjects in this study. During the study, growth of brain tumours was highly reduced through the use of marijuana extracts. However, this extract had to be pure in order for it to be effective. Some of the other studies on the medical effects of cannabinoids have investigated effects on diseases such as HIV, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. These investigations may not be conclusive but the results are quite encouraging.

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