When it comes to treating mild-to-severe health problems, millions of people and physicians worldwide trust the medical benefits of cannabis. This is not just because the effects of medical marijuana are good enough to promote the sense of well being and reduce pain, but also because medical marijuana has the ability to treat debilitating diseases in an effective way.

It is worthwhile to note that medical marijuana is used to treat many health problems like epilepsy, AIDS and HIV, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Moreover, recent medical marijuana statistics suggest that marijuana is second to none when it comes to the stimulation of appetite and relief from nausea for patients with HIV/AIDS and chemotherapy (cancer), respectively.

The list of positive effects of medical marijuana does not end here. Medical marijuana is also used for treating complications such as alcohol abuse, spinal cord injuries, cancer, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep apnea, Parkinson’s disease, sickle-cell disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis.

According to a 2007 study at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, cannabidiol (CBD) could be useful for inhibiting breast cancer from spreading throughout the body.

Columbia University investigators suggested that patients with HIV or AIDS who inhaled cannabis (four times a day) experienced substantial enhancements in food intake with little evidence of discomfort and no impairment of cognitive performance.

“Marijuana can act as the loosening agent, so that whatever has been banned from consciousness may come cascading forth. To uncover our deceptions without our usual rationalizations can be unpleasant, an experience that has turned many psychologically fragile individuals away from marijuana despite its therapeutic catharsis.” – Joan Bello.

“Marijuana will not tolerate repression. Tranquillizers and depressants relax the body and release tension, but the state of mind associated with these drugs is “unconsciousness” whereby we escape rather than resolve our dilemmas. Alcoholism is an extreme need of both the body and personality sometimes to release the nervousness that has accumulated and continues to build up to an unbearable degree. It serves the same function for the collective personality for the society, as well A culture in which alcohol and tranquillizers are the prevalent form of release prefers not to witness internal confusion and actually choose to act without conscious participation, maintaining a semi-numb condition.” – Joan Bello

Medical studies in the past have also suggested that one of the biggest medical benefits of cannabis is the relief of neuropathic or chronic pain. In a study published in February 2009 in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, it was revealed by Dr. Ellis and colleagues that 46 percent of patients administered with medical marijuana experienced at least 30 percent reduction in pain while only 18 percent of patients administered with placebo achieved similar results.

Marijuana Statistics

  1. Marijuana is most commonly used drug in the United States among young adults between 18 and 25 years of age.
  2. It is one of the most popular drugs among college students in the United States.
  3. A study conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 2005 estimated that 97.5 million American older than 12 years of age tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime, which means that approximately 41 percent of the U.S. population has tried marijuana.

References:

  • National Cancer Institute: Marijuana Use in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients
  • Neuropsychopharmacology; Smoked medicinal cannabis for neuropathic pain in HIV: a randomized, crossover clinical trial; RJ Ellis, et. al.; February 2009
  • Drug Free: Marijuana Facts
  • Chuder, Eric C., “Neuroscience for Kids: Marijuana,” University of Washington, Revised 2008.
  • SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information. “Tips for Teens: The Truth About Marijuana,” Revised May 2004.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know.” Revised August 2007.
  • Tetrault, J.M., et al. “Effects of marijuana smoking on pulmonary function and respiratory complications: a systematic review.” Archives of Intern Medicine. February 2007.
  • Mehra, R, et al. “The association between marijuana smoking and lung cancer: a systematic review.” Archives of Internal Medicine. July 2006.
  • Mohamed Ben Amar (2006). “Cannabinoids in medicine: A review of their therapeutic potential”. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 105 (1–2): 1–25. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.02.001. PMID 16540272. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  • Grotenhermen, Franjo (2002). “Review of Therapeutic Effects”. Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential. New York City: Haworth Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7890-1508-2.