Oh medicinal marijuana, the precursor to the world of adult-use cannabis that we live in today. While it is the same stuff essentially, there are some distinct benefits to using medicinal cannabis as it pertains to treating various illnesses.
Cannabis has been a known treatment for everything from pain to anxiety and in between, but what other conditions can the substance treat and why? Well, that is what we are here today to find out.
Marijuana to Fight Addiction and Opioid Use
Marijuana has become quite heavily known for its potential to treat addiction and be a viable alternative to much harsher opioid products. The substance itself has a large amount of anti-inflammatory properties which make it the perfect solution for post-treatment healing and recovery.
Of course, it is important to always go with what the doctor recommends, but there is no hurt in testing it out. Cannabis is still widely considered nationally in the U.S. to be a schedule I narcotic. This means that the government does not see any medical potential and also states that there is a high chance of addiction. While both of these claims have been refuted by a lot of scientific research, the legislation still remains the same to this day.
Marijuana as a Treatment for Epilepsy
Cannabis has been known additionally to be an anti-convulsive. This means that those who suffer from seizures have reportedly stated that cannabis is, in fact, a miracle drug with a large amount of potential.
Only recently have we seen several new drugs being approved by the FDA in the U.S. that utilize cannabis as their main component. These drugs show that they have a massive amount of potential to be one of the only treatments that work for rare types of epilepsy such as Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet Syndromes.
The main issue is that there is not a large amount of research that stands to this day. This is mostly due to the legislative placement of the drug, but things to look to be changing.
The Two Types of Cannabis Compounds
Marijuana has two main substances within it known as cannabinoids. Although there are in fact hundreds of these, the two main ones, CBD and THC are the most heavily researched.
CBD has been hailed for its medicinal properties while THC helps to boost those by a large amount. CBD does not have any psychoactive properties which make it a great treatment for young children or those who cannot get high.
Both of these substances have been shown to treat Alzheimer’s, appetite loss, forms of cancer, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, nausea, pain and many more. With so much potential, it seems as though it does not make sense that the drug would remain so illegal.
While things are changing, it doesn’t seem to be happening nearly as fast as it should. The hopes are high however that as we continue to approach the future, cannabis can continue to illustrate just how much potential it really has.
