Medical marijuana has both a group of supporters and people who are skeptical about this type of medicine. Doubts are raised by its bad reputation and psychoactive effect, which is why it is so difficult to convince yourself to use marijuana as a medicine. Before we form our own opinion, it is good to know its history and application.
Contrary to appearances, the use of marijuana as a medicine has a long history: along with opium, it is one of the first herbal remedies that came from folk medicine. Opium and morphine are still used by physicians today as remedies for severe pain. Marijuana was also used in ancient times, more precisely in China 2700 BC
Restrictions on the use of hemp did not come until 1942, when it was removed from the American pharmacopoeia. It is worth mentioning that numerous medical circles protested against it. Currently, hemp has returned to the favor of medicine and is used in many US states, as well as, for example, in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
The effects of medical marijuana. No psychoactive properties
Medical cannabidiol (CBD) is a substance devoid of psychoactive properties, which is used as a medicine for drug-resistant childhood epilepsy. The active ingredients contained in hemp are referred to as cannabidioins. The two most known cannabidions are those found in marijuana:
- THC – reduces nausea, pain, vomiting and stimulates appetite. It also causes the so-called “high”, which in medicine is considered a side effect.
- CBD – a component of medical marijuana. A substance devoid of psychoactive properties. It has anti-inflammatory properties, protects nerve cells, and is an antioxidant that is more powerful than other famous antioxidants – vitamin C and vitamin E.
Scientific research proves that although CBD, or medical marijuana, does not work as a means to relieve severe pain, the situation is completely different in the case of pathological pain. It is about ailments such as pain associated with inflammation or neuropathy, which appear in inflammatory diseases of the joints – rheumatoid arthritis and accompanying psoriasis and Crohn’s disease.
Except that, medical marijuana can be used as a drug to relieve anxiety and psychotic states. When should CBD be used:
- In the case of pain – including neuropathic and chronic,
- With nausea and vomiting,
- lack of appetite,
- The destruction of the body that occurs with AIDS or cancer,
- Alleviating the symptoms of spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
Nevertheless, it is important to know that many experts point out that the reaction to marijuana is an individual matter, but does not pose any threat to life.