The debate about the medicinal effects or pros and cons of medical marijuana is ongoing. Several U.S. states have active medical marijuana laws. The federal government continues to classify marijuana as a controlled Schedule I substance. Not only does it make possession illegal, but it also limits medicinal studies of cannabis.
What’s Medical Marijuana?
The word “medical marijuana” refers to the dried flowers of the unprocessed marijuana plant. This contains hundreds of chemicals. Or it may refer to particular marijuana-derived chemicals that have medicinal properties.
One of the two chemicals produces high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The other, cannabidiol (CBD), does not produce any high or cognitive impairment.
Both chemicals seem to reduce pain and assist with anxiety and insomnia. So, they are often believed to help reduce the symptoms of several other disorders, says Dr. Grinspoon. Other conditions include:
- Arthritis
- Migraines
- Dystonia (muscle dysfunction)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
With strong supporters from each side of the issue, the reasons for and against the legalization of marijuana are hot subjects.
What Are The Pros and Cons Of Medical Marijuana Discussed?
The Pros Of Medical Marijuana
Let’s describe some of the common medicinal properties that medical marijuana has on the human body.
Medical Marijuana For Cancer Treatment
Cancer cure has been reported as the most potent medicinal properties in medical marijuana. Chemotherapy causes fatigue, vomiting, and pain. Marijuana has Cannabinoids. These help to reduce nausea and almost prevent vomiting after chemotherapy.
Medical Marijuana For Multiple Sclerosis
It can relieve muscle spasticity, a tendency of multiple sclerosis cases.
Medical Marijuana As a Pain Reliever
It is more powerful and better than conventional pain killers. Legal marijuana is safer and a healthier choice when it comes to pain control instead of opioids. Also, opioids are not recommended for long-term use due to their toxic properties. But medical marijuana is safer and not habit-forming.
Medical Marijuana As An Alternative To Tobacco
Researchers showed that consuming marijuana is better and non-addictive than smoking tobacco. Also, unlike the above, smoking marijuana has not been associated with the risk of lung cancer.
Medical Marijuana Is A Pro In All Forms
Other than smoking, you can use medical cannabis in a number of ways. So, it can be helpful in various ways, from the use of medicinal properties by CBD (Cannabidiol) oils, topical creams and lotions, edibles to even better, non-smoking applications.
Medical Marijuana To Stimulate Appetite In Patients
It is linked with the treatment of loss of appetite in many diseases. These include HIV/AIDS and some types of cancers. Cannabinoids in medicinal marijuana tend to bind to receptors that signal a feeling of “hunger.” And thereby, stimulate patients’ appetite.
Medical Marijuana For Parkinson’s Disease
As discussed above, medical marijuana has an important pain-relieving effect. So, it is great for chronic pain, even neuropathic pain. Because it reduces pain and reduces tremor, weakness, and pain in PD patients (Parkinson’s disease).
Medical Marijuana For Alzheimer’s Disease
People also use medical marijuana for various psychiatric conditions. For instance, these include anxiety, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc. In reality, positive signs in Schizophrenic patients are known to increase. Hence, Alzheimer’s disease increases food intake, improves sleep efficiency, and decreases anxiety or agitation.
Medical Marijuana For Seizures Treatment
Dronabinol and Nabilone are medical marijuana medications. These are approved to treat two extremely severe forms of epileptic seizures.
Medical marijuana For Hepatitis
Medical marijuana also treats symptoms of various diseases. So these include hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.
The Cons Of Medical Marijuana
For other drugs, medical marijuana has a flip side, too. The feeling of “high” is often used in marijuana for a chemical compound called THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) when consumed in certain amounts.
This can induce some adverse effects in the body and mind. This makes medical marijuana a potential drug in the unacceptable or illegal group of drugs.
Let’s See The List Of Cons That Hold The “Illegal” Status Active At The Federal Level
- Marijuana, when taken excessively, can increase the risk of short-term memory loss. It can also impair cognitive ability or thinking skills.
- The pro says it’s non-addictive. There’s no denying that it can destroy lung tissue if you smoke regularly. Not with the same severity as tobacco does, but will.
- Smoked marijuana has chemical compounds that may cause cancer or carcinogenic effects.
- Marijuana carries the risk of abuse and addiction. This is why the “illicit” status of cannabis does not allow the government to accept it.
- Marijuana causes cognitive inability, lack of control, and co-ordination while “high.” So this state has also caused people to engage in irresponsible driving actions. So this leads to worse car crashes and accidents at work.
- Marijuana induces apathy, drowsiness, and sadness. It can affect the personality of an individual through prolonged use.
- Marijuana is known to induce acute psychosis to the tune of hallucinations, such as symptoms when taken regularly. These may also occur as signs of withdrawal. Not to mention extreme fear, anxiety, and panic as some of the most common side effects.
- Long-term use of medical marijuana as a means of treatment is known to affect and suppress the body’s immune system.
- Long-term use of medical marijuana, in any form, often raises the risk of heart attacks, chronic coughing, and respiratory infections.
- The reduction in sexual capacity is often attributed to the long-term use of marijuana. The drug has a negative effect on male sex hormones in the long term.
The list of pros and cons continues to increase with every passing study and research. We still have a long way to go to offer medicinal marijuana unconditionally. Also, we have a long way to get the much sought-after “legal” status.
Scientific Evidence Remains Limited
In the past, clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of marijuana in treating certain diseases were restrictive and limited. Nowadays, medical marijuana is becoming more prevalent around the world. So, researchers are conducting more studies.
However, expert analyses of recent research continue to argue that we need more experiments. Many of the challenges include:
- Controlling the efficacy
- Dosing of marijuana with what is legally available to researchers
One review of the research noted that the long-term effects of marijuana are still unknown. There will be scientific evidence about the medicinal effects of marijuana with further research into dosage and adverse effects.
The Bottom Line
Medical marijuana remains controversial. But it is gaining popularity as a legitimate recommendation for a number of symptoms. Also, several states have approved the use of marijuana for medical uses (and a few for recreation). Furthermore, there are more moves by policymakers and the U.S. government to accept it and sell it nationwide.
However, this would likely take a much larger body of legal, scientific research to prove or disprove the effectiveness of medical marijuana and potentially loosen restrictions on its use.
