Medical Uses for Marijuana

The first documented use of medical marijuana was by Chinese Emperor Shen Neng in 2737 BC, when he recommended it as a treatment for constipation, malaria, gout, rheumatism, menstrual cramps, and, ironically, poor memory. Since that time, marijuana has proven time and again its value as a medical treatment.

Numerous medical studies on marijuana have found that the cannabinoids (oxygen-containing aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, which are also produced by the human body) show great benefit in treating a variety of conditions and symptoms. Marijuana research was legitimized in the 1990s with the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain, such as the cannabinoid receptor CB1 which modulates psychoactive effects, motor control, memory processing, and pain.

The National MS Society, in their studies in marijuana, found that the cannabinoids ingested by smoked marijuana improved spasticity, managed pain, and slowed the destruction of neurons and the myelin sheaths that protect them in multiple sclerosis patients. This was a major breakthrough for MS research, as the disease is not well understood and current treatments can shut off the immune system entirely, leaving the patient susceptible to infection.

A comprehensive 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine, “Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base,” concluded that “nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety… all can be mitigated by marijuana.”

Further, marijuana has been shown to be effective, and has been approved by the 15 legal states and DC, in treating conditions such as cancer, nausea, migraine, chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, cachexia, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, lack of appetite, spasms, eating disorders, asthma, depression, and insomnia.

These are just a few of the studies and uses for marijuana in a medical setting. Take some time to check out 70 peer-reviewed studies on marijuana and take a look at their different findings.

Other points:

There has been no confirmed association of smoked cannabis with an increase in oral, pulmonary, esophageal, or other cancers in even long-term smokers.

While smoking is considered a primitive method by which to administer medicine, smoked marijuana takes effect very quickly, a great asset for pain management. Further, synthetic THC capsules have been shown to provide less medical benefit than smoked marijuana.