Medical Cannabis - 10 Pros and Cons of Medicinal Marijuana

pros and cons of medical marijuana

Medical cannabis is certainly a part of the cannabis industry that has grown and received enormous acceptance all around the world. The role medical cannabis has played in the rapid development of the cannabis industry over the past decade cannot be overemphasized. The presence of cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis make it beneficial for numerous numbers of illnesses and conditions. The discovery of the full scope of the applications of cannabis in the medical world is far from complete as there are continuous works of research being conducted yearly.

In this article, we'll be looking into some of the pros and cons of medicinal marijuana. This can serve as an indicator of the enormous impact and potential of medical cannabis, and an eye-opener on some issues that can be improved on to take medicinal cannabis therapy to the next level.

Pros
The application of cannabis in some medical conditions has been revolutionary to say the least, as a natural product, cannabis easily avoids a number of the side effects that have been known to follow a large number of pharmaceutical products that are normally used for such conditions. A closer look shows some of the benefits that cannabis has brought to the table. They include

Natural and versatile: As stated earlier, cannabis is a beneficial natural product that is very useful and applicable for medical use through different modes of application. It can be smoked, vaped, used as topical creams, lotions, tinctures and infused into edibles. It contains a good network of cannabinoids like THC, CBD which account for a good number of its medicinal activities and it also contains terpenes that give an additive effect to its medicinal activity.

Pain and Inflammation: Pain and inflammation are two common characteristics that plague numerous conditions. This, among many others have made the effectiveness of cannabis in dealing with pain and mediating inflammation response through the endocannabinoid system very important and unique. The cannabinoids like THC and CBD and terpenes like linalool and limonene are very important in this ability to deal with pain and inflammation.

Nausea and Vomiting: Both nausea and vomiting are very common and quite prominent in terms of conditions that have to do with gastric irritations. They can also be premeditated by some types of therapy and certain classes of medication which further makes the antiemetic activity of some of the cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis very beneficial.

Depression and Anxiety: Due to its ability to act on moods and elicit an elevated and euphoric high in patients, cannabis has found good application in helping some patients deal with depression and anxiety. The relaxed high thanks to the entourage effect of CBD and THC gives cannabis a good ability to manage depression and anxiety.

Seizure: Different anecdotal trials and patients have given accounts to corroborate the anticonvulsant effect of cannabis. CBD has prominently been identified as the cannabinoid with this activity and its ability to mediate actions through the endocannabinoid system to reduce the risk of seizures puts the use of cannabis in attending to possible risks of seizure episodes very accurate.

PTSD: Much like depression and anxiety problems, cannabis has also found possible activity in helping to deal with PTSD along with some other mental health problems. The use of cannabis has been found to have activity on some patients in reducing the risk of episodes of depression that comes with PTSD.

Existing for a long time: One of the surprising things that one will find out about cannabis and its medicinal application is that it has actually been around for quite a while. Cannabis is referenced in old pharmacopeias such as the Pen Ts’ao from 1500 for use in dealing with pain and constipation.

Nothing in life is all positives, and It would not be right to only look at the benefits of medical cannabis and not point out some of the drawbacks that can be worked upon or that still need to be looked at to make our goal of a better future a reality.

Restricted access: Despite the growing acceptance, some regions still have laws that restrict the access and use of cannabis as a medicinal product. These restrictions hamper the growth of medical cannabis and limit its growth and application.

Limited research: The need for more studies and research when it comes to the application of cannabis as a medical product cannot be overemphasized. An increase in relevant studies in such areas will surely go a long way in improving this sector of cannabis use.

THC and the euphoric high: As beneficial as cannabis has proven to be, the euphoric high that accompanies its use is yet to be accepted in many quarters which is why extracted products of CBD are commonly being used for many medical applications.