(Newswire.net — November 11, 2018) — Medical marijuana is defined as the medical use of the plant cannabis sativa, also known as cannabis indica, to get rid of symptoms of or treat an illness or a medical condition. The use of the plant as medicine has been around for centuries up until in the early 1900s.
The topic of medical marijuana is very contentious and strong opinions exists, pros and cons. As a result, there is little facts or resources on the facts of this method of treatment.
Many states have thrown their support behind the legalization of medical marijuana in recent years, this is due many researches done about its therapeutic importance for a wide range of health conditions. Among the many numbers of illnesses that cannabis can treat as seen on Seedsman blog, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Epilepsy. Despite the fact that medical marijuana helps treat a huge variety of chronic diseases, it is still one of the most heavily regulated methods of treatment. Although in some states in the U.S., the regulations vary significantly and in order to qualify for prescription, one must meet some few conditions like being 18 years and above (a minor patient can still qualify for medical marijuana provided he or she has been diagnosed by not less than two licensed certifying physicians in state where marijuana is legal, as a “debilitating life-limiting illness”)
In the UK, the medicinal marijuana prescription will be available for everyone as from the month of November 2018. But in order for it to be considered medicinal, it must pass some requirements, first “it needs to be a product of cannabis, cannabis resin, Cannabidiol or cannabinol derivative, second, it is produced for medical use in humans and third, is a medicinal product, or a substance or preparation for use as an ingredient of, or in the production of an ingredient of, medicinal product”, as per Mr. Javid’s statement, the Home Secretary, UK.
The health benefits of the cannabis plant are credited to it binding to the system endocannabinoid resulting in modulating the immune system and stimulating neuroplasticity.
Below is the list of common conditions that medical cannabis is prescribed for.
• Multiple Sclerosis
This condition affects the brain and spinal cord. It has varying symptoms depending on type and severity, but the most common ones are the pain, spasms, balance issues, tingling, and vision complications among many more. Many types of research published in the medical journals concluded that medical marijuana can hugely reduce the spasticity and pain linked with multiple sclerosis. Above all, the cannabis-based medicinal sources have very few side effects on the patients.
• Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord injury occurs due to trauma to the spine. The most affected area is motor skills and may lead to potential loss of some other body functions. Medicinal marijuana can be used to treat the main and muscle tremors that are indicators of a spinal cord injury. It has also been found that “Cannabis medical extracts can improve neurogenic symptoms that are unresponsive to standard treatments”.
• Spinal Cord Disease
The spinal cord disease is caused by other factors other than the trauma to the spine. There are varieties of spinal cord diseases including multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, syringomyelia, and spinal stenosis. Cannabis extract medicine has the quality of alleviating spasticity and pain, which are the two major spinal cord disease.
• Cancer
It is one of the leading causes of deaths in the world, statistically responsible for 30% of all global deaths. While there is no real cure for cancer, and cannabis is not even close to being one, it can hugely help reduce the severity brought about by the symptoms of cancer. Cannabis extract medicine can significantly improve the quality of life for cancer patients. Research shows that the two active components of cannabis, THC, and CBD stimulate appetite thus helping the patient prevent excessive weight loss, anorexia and cachexia that is a common experience for many cancer patients.
• HIV/AIDS
Although HIV/AIDS treatment has improved significantly over the last decade, which has enabled those affected with the disease to lead a healthy long life, the side effects of these therapies have increasingly been hard to deal with. As medical marijuana has little to no side effects, studies indicate that it can help improve symptoms related to HIV/AIDS like anorexia, weight loss, severe nausea and many more. For example, a study showed that around 97% of patients suffering from HIV reported having improved appetite with the help of medical cannabis therapy. The same study found that 93% of the patients reported improvements to nausea and anxiety.
• Arthritis
Arthritis widely means the inflammation of a joint. There are over 100 different kinds of arthritis, the most common types being osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and finally psoriatic arthritis. The most common symptoms include swelling and redness in the regions around the joint, reduced motion range, stiffness, weakness and severe constant pain. Cannabis can help improve the severity of all these symptoms but the later one in which the medicine is most effective at treating. A study on how effective cannabis medicine is at relieving pain for rheumatoid arthritis, it was noted by researchers that “a significant analgesic effect was observed and the disease activity was significantly suppressed”.
• Epilepsy
According to statistics by a Canadian agency, epilepsy affects around 140, 000 Canadians. Epilepsy is a type of neurological condition that is characterized by seizures, ranging from relatively mild to extreme. It has been found that a cannabis extract medicine, with CBD-dominant products, is quite effective at cutting down the frequency and severity of epilepsy seizures. It is hugely recommended that medical cannabis is used only in resistant cases of seizures therapy.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
This disease is associated with inflammation of the digestive tract and two main types include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. A study found that IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) patients underwent a range of health benefits from using the cannabis-based medicine. Issues associated with IBD such as physical pain, social pain, social functioning, general health perception and ability to work efficiently and the level of depression all significantly improved.
• End of Life Care
The use of cannabis medicine will come in handy for many nations struggling to deal with the aging population. Cannabis medicine can be used to offer “further relief from distressing symptoms and spiritual suffering” while hugely improving patients overall life quality.
• Insomnia
Cannabis-based medicines with THC- and CBD-dominant provide an effective therapy for a wide range of sleep disorders, of course, insomnia included. Cannabis can be used to reduce sleep dormancy and improves sleep quality by inducing drowsiness.
• Chronic pain
CBD compound that is dominantly present in cannabis plant acts as a natural remedy for pain.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Commonly abbreviated as PTSD, is basically a mental health disorder that occurs after someone has experienced a life-threatening event like a natural disaster or a car accident. Some of the symptoms associated with PTSD include depression, paranoia, anxiety, and insomnia. Use of cannabis medicine can help patients improve these symptoms. It can also change how the receptors found in the brain respond to serotonin.
• Huntington’s disease
This condition is an incurable and hereditary disorder that affects the brain. It is highly degenerative and as it progresses, its effects include diminishes the patient’s ability to walk, talk and reason. The disease can also lead to a change in personality for patients. Most of the time, patients would experience spontaneous twitching movements. The study has shown that cannabis medicine can function as neuroprotectants through improving the functioning of mitochondria and decreasing the cellular remains caused by inflammation.
• ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
It is one of the highly degenerative forms of the neurological disorder that majorly affects the nerve cells specifically in brain and spinal cord resulting to muscle weakness, wasting, loss of speech control, paralysis of limbs, breathing and swallowing. Cannabis can help prevent inflammation and protect neurons from being affected thereby slowing down the progression of the disease.
• Parkinson’s disease
This disorder is closely related to the ALS, only that Parkinson’s disease affects the nervous system impacting movement. One of its characteristics is that is gradually growing. It has been discovered that substances THC and CBD found in cannabis significantly help to alleviate the tremors and shakes, the two main symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease. This can be efficiently achieved through vapor inhalation of the THC and CBD compounds.
• Neuropathy disorder
This disorder also affects the nerves but not the spinal cord and the brain. It is associated with tingling, loss of bodily functions, numbness, weakness and continuous pain.
Although there is still a lot to be done on medical cannabis and its efficacy in treating illnesses, it has so far brought a sense of hope for many patients suffering from devastating conditions. One of the main stumbling block on the path of medical cannabis is the debate for and against it that has been ongoing for so a long period of time. It is important for both parties to reach a neutral ground for the benefit of patients worldwide.