The marijuana plant contains several chemicals that may prove useful for useful treating different illnesses or symptoms, leading many to argue that is should be legal for medical purposes. Many states have legalized the plant for certain medical uses.The study of the active chemicals in marijuana called cannabinoids has led to the development of two FDA approved medications. There are at least two active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think have medicinal application. Those are cannabidiol
(CBD) which seems to impact the brain without a high and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which has pain relieving properties.
Cannabinoids can serve as an appetite stimulants, antiemetics, antispasmodics and have some analgesic effects and may be helpful in treating chronic noncancerous pain or vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy.The use of cannabis in neurological problems, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and movement problems, is not very clear.Studies of the efficacy of cannabis for treating multiple sclerosis have produced varying results. The combination of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) extracts give subjective relief of spasticity, though objective posttreatment assessments do not reveal significant changes. Evidence also suggests that oral cannabis extract is effective for reducing patientcentered measures of spasticity. A trial of cannabis is deemed to be a reasonable option if other treatments
have not been effective. Its use for MS is approved in ten countries. A 2012 review found no problems with tolerance, abuse or addiction. there was a lot more cons on this subject than i thought when i began. examples like,The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved smoked cannabis for any condition or disease as it deems evidence is lacking concerning safety and efficacy of cannabis for medical use.
The FDA issued a 2006 advisory against smoked medical cannabis stating: "marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states, "Marijuana itself is an unlikely medication candidate for several reasons: (1) it is an unpurified plant containing numerous chemicals with unknown health effects; (2) it is typically consumed by smoking further contributing to potential adverse effects; and (3) its cognitive impairing effects may limit its utility."The Institute of Medicine, run by the
United States National Academy of Sciences, conducted a comprehensive study in
1999[dated info] assessing the potential health benefits of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids. The study concluded that smoking cannabis is not to be recommended for the treatment of any disease condition, but that nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety can all be mitigated by cannabis. While the study expressed