Get a Better Understanding of Medical Marijuana
Get a Better Understanding of Medical Marijuana
At its most basic level, marijuana is a plant that has chemicals that act on the brain and that can change a person’s mood or level of consciousness. It’s long been vilified in the United States as being dangerous on an individual level and a societal level. However, these fears were unfounded and were often associated with the War on Drugs and the desire to incarcerate people, which helps to perpetuate the incarceration system in the country.
The Medical Benefits of Marijuana
Research with marijuana found that it could provide a host of potential medical benefits and that it did not pose the types of dangers that people often believed. It was shown to be a beneficial drug that has a lot of potential in the medical field. This led to states starting to legalize marijuana for medical use. Over the years, many states have opened up to legalizing recreational use of marijuana, as well. This will be touched on later in the article.
Currently, many states allow for the medical use of marijuana for different types of treatments. Although it is still illegal at the federal level, the FDA has approved marijuana for the treatment of Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, which are severe types of epilepsy.
Marijuana contains cannabinoids, which are chemicals. These chemicals all have different effects on the body. THC and CBD are the ones that are most often used in medical treatments. THC is also the chemical that provides people with the feeling of being high when they use marijuana.
Researchers have looked into marijuana to see how it can treat a wide range of different types of conditions. This includes issues such as cancer, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, appetite loss, epilepsy, eating disorders, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, muscle spasms, pain, nausea, and wasting syndrome. It has also been used to treat a range of mental health conditions including PTSD and schizophrenia.
Some of the best evidence from research shows that medical marijuana can be used to help with those who are suffering from chronic pain, vomiting, and nausea associated with chemotherapy, as well as those who have MS.
Some research shows that cannabinoids could help to reduce inflammation, which can help with pain relief. It could also help to reduce anxiety and relax muscles. It could help to improve weight gain by increasing appetite in cancer patients, and patients with AIDS. However, the research is still limited.
Why is Research Limited?
Although the potential for medical marijuana is great, you have to remember that it’s still illegal at the federal level. The DEA has classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, which puts it at the same level as heroin. This means that anyone who wants to research marijuana will need to have a special license to do it, and these licenses are not always easy to get. Therefore, it means less research being conducted despite the fact that so many states have legalized medical marijuana.
How Do People Take Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana users will often have a range of ways that they can consume marijuana. It will depend on their preferences in many cases, although the doctors may suggest some methods for different conditions. The most common method is to roll the marijuana into a joint and to smoke it. It’s possible to buy pre-rolled joints through most dispensaries for those who do not know how to roll their own and who do not want to take the time to learn.
It is also possible to smoke it in a pipe or a bong. It could be brewed like a tea, it could be vaped, or it could be mixed into food and taken as an edible. Edibles, whether they are gummies, cookies, brownies, or another type of food, are very popular.
Those who are using marijuana, whether it’s for medical purposes or recreational use, will want to experiment to see which method of consumption they prefer. Additionally, consider any other products that you might need for the marijuana. This could be a vape pen, a pipe, or containers to hold the marijuana, for example.
Recreational Adult-Use Marijuana on the Rise
Medical marijuana has helped to pave the way for recreational use. While many believed that legalizing the use of marijuana for recreation would never happen, the past couple of decades helped to change things substantially. California was the first state to legalize the use of medical marijuana in 1996. In 2012, Colorado and Washington led the way to recreational use for adults. More and more states started to follow suit as they realized that it could be a boon rather than a bane.
Marijuana was as safe or safer than other legal drugs, such as alcohol. By making it legal and taxing it, the states were able to raise a substantial amount of money that could be put to good use. The level of crime didn’t skyrocket in the states that have allowed for the use of marijuana for recreational purposes either. There have not been any downsides, just benefits.
The latest states to legalize recreational cannabis include New York, Virginia, and New Mexico. It’s only a matter of time before more states start to do the same thing.
Will It Be Legal at the Federal Level?
Although it’s impossible to answer this question with 100% certainty, there is a good likelihood that it will be legal federally in the next 10 years. As more and more states hop on board, it simply doesn’t make sense to keep it illegal federally. However, President Biden currently opposes federal legalization and says that further research needs to be done. There is a current push to attempt to pass legalization, but it’s unclear how it will play out.
In time, though, there is a very good chance that it will be fully legal for both medical and recreational use. The only question that remains is just how long this will take. Most feel it will happen in 10 years or less. After all, it was less than a decade ago that the first states allowed recreational use, and things have moved quickly thus far.
Resources:
https://medlineplus.gov/marijuana.html
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq