Civilization has always strived to find a way to treat illness, methods used have drastically changed Civilization from tribal shamans’ practices to modern day surgeons procedures, but the goal has always been the same; treating the patient.
Personal experiences along with some scientific back up are slowly but surely paving the way for more widespread use of marijuana in medicinal purposes, as it has shown a lot of success in treating various health conditions.
People’s OC shared some of their knowledge with us in painting a clearer picture of what medicinal marijuana really is and how it helps.
Why isn’t medicinal marijuana legal worldwide yet?
Marijuana’s effect on the human body is achieved thanks to chemicals called cannabinoids which affect receptors in our brain and body and help relax muscles and relieve stress. Many people use it casually to relax after a hard day’s work, but more serious conditions like chronic pain are where medicinal marijuana really shines.
No negative side effects like dependency or death by overdose have ever been proven, still, people are different and don’t share the same reaction to various marijuana strains, so if you are enjoying a particular sativa strain, someone else might feel nauseated or even paranoid, but that’s as far as negative effects go if consumed responsibly.
Even though an all increasing number of people have expressed positive feedback on medical marijuana consumption and an overall attitude towards the plant has shifted gradually from taboo to cool status in modern media and everyday life, there are still miles to go until scientific evidence catches up and allows a full-on FDA approval.
Even though some states in the USA have legalized it for both medicinal and recreational use, the climate is still not ready for a worldwide recognition because there is just not enough official evidence to show that legalization would reduce the number of opioid overdoses or increase them.
Science and legislation are still not quite there, but people’s attitude towards the plant is generally positive and that is what matters most.
Cannabinoids:
To put it simply, cannabinoids make you feel ‘’high’’, the most responsible for that is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). There are around 100 cannabinoids in the marijuana plant and many different cannabinoids have been produced in a lab in order to create a wider range of sorts of weed.
Our body is also capable of making its own cannabinoid chemicals which affect our senses, pain receptors, memory, concentration, pleasure receptors, etc.
Medicinal use:
The two main cannabinoids are CBD and THC. They both have shown success in treating various conditions. THC is reserved for recreational use as it produces the effect of high and it has also been reported that it helps with pain, inflammation and muscle control.
CBD is reserved for medicinal use because it does not get people high, it helps treat pain, inflammation, epilepsy, etc. It has also been used to help fight addictions to alcohol or drugs and even treat mental illnesses.
New researches are constantly conducted to uncover more possibilities for treatment. Some tests on animals have proven that marijuana has shown great results in cancer treatment, especially when mixed with radiation to increase its effect.
Science is working hard to unravel the mystery of cannabis inspired by the positive attitude from an ever-growing number of consumers.
Cultivating a more open attitude towards cannabis and legalizing it would make users feel free to legally consume their favourite plant. However, medicine would also benefit immensely if we could find an alternative to legally-prescribed drugs that cause addiction and other problems.
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