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Recreational marijuana and its legalization may be driving many people to try this treatment option, but the fact is that the medical use of cannabis is not something new. The use of this plant for treatment purposes can be traced to ancient times when marijuana was prescribed for digestive problems, pain relief and even psychological disorders, just to mention a few conditions. There are proven health benefits that can be traced to several of the active ingredients that are in marijuana.

The different forms

When you decide to try medical marijuana, you need to know that it is available in different forms. The product can be smoked, eaten in an edible version or ingested in pill form. You can get the product in any form that appeals to you. While to some people the pill makes the process feel more medical, others prefer to smoke it while many more prefer the marijuana added to cookies, brownies or chocolate bars. Marijuana in pill form is called nabilone or dronabinol.

The different ailments

Medical marijuana can be used to treat a wide range of ailments such as nausea, chronic pain, the effects of several progressive diseases as glaucoma and multiple scleroses. A medical marijuana investment is worth making if you are suffering from psychological disorders like PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical marijuana is often used when treating patients going through chemotherapy as it helps to ease nausea and vomiting.

The debate on the use of medical marijuana in the United States has long been ended. In fact, marijuana now can be purchased legally within 23 states of the US. It is also legal for marijuana to be used for recreational purpose in the states of Washington and Colorado. It goes to show that the medicinal value that is attached to the use of marijuana far outweighs any negative effects that comes along with its use. However, not everybody is convinced that medical marijuana is a good thing. There are now other countries such as Australia that are debating on the legalization of marijuana use. Here are some of their arguments.

Pros. As early as 2737 B.C., marijuana has been used for treating gout, malaria and rheumatism in China. The use of marijuana spread throughout Asia until it reaches India where it was used for pain and stress relief. The medical use of marijuana soon got the attention of US and European countries.

Marijuana for medical use can be taken in several forms such as smoking, vaporizing and ingestion. There are 60 active ingredients called cannabinoids found in marijuana that are associated to its medicinal capabilities. Our body naturally produces cannabinoids that are responsible for modulating the amount of pain that our body is feeling. The main cannabinoid found in marijuana is the THC which is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. This THC triggers the CB1 receptors found in the brain, the nervous system, and other primary organs of our body. When the CB1 receptors are activated, they release hormones that will quell stress and pain caused by damaged tissues or nerve cells. Studies have also revealed that medical marijuana reduces muscle spasms and other symptoms related to muscles becoming stiff.

All the analogy describes is a typical sequence in which events occur, not a causation. Just as riding a bicycle does not lead to motorcycle usage, medical marijuana usage does not lead to cocaine - it's simply a typical sequence based on a high prevalence activity (smoking marijuana) versus a low prevalence activity (heroin, cocaine, or lsd use).

There have also been some studies in animals looking at an association between THC and the increase of dopamine availability. Researchers have said marijuana is "priming" the brain for heroin and cocaine use. However, no studies have ever shown that "priming" animals with THC injections increases their desire to self-administer cocaine or heroin. The theory has no basis in reality.

Studies from the National Institute on Drug Abuse have shown that of the 72 million Americans who have used marijuana (probably more like 100 million since the studies were done), only 17% used cocaine more than one hundred times. This means that for every 100 marijuana users, only one currently uses cocaine.

Marijuana is by far the most commonly used illegal drug in the US today. People who have used less popular illicit drugs, like heroin, cocaine, or LSD, are likely to have also utilized marijuana. The vast majority of marijuana users never use any other illegal drug and marijuana is typically an end drug, not a gateway drug.

Pain is the core reason why patients seek pain-relieving alternatives. Opioid substances including heroin are usually readily available and prescribed to patients. These medicines consumption is intended for shorter time lengths as per the doctor's prescription. However, some patients end up taking them without a physician's prescription. Some also consume a larger quantity than prescribed. This overdosing, in turn, makes these patients have a tolerance to the pain-relieving effects generated by the opioids. Subsequently, the patients see a need to increasing the dosage and end up developing a dependency on the drug for pain relief.

Marijuana has been classified as a schedule-1 drug. Despite this, research does not identify marijuana to have any habit-forming properties. In fact, the long-term effects of marijuana on the human body are still unidentified.

Marijuana acts as a substitute for hard drugs and alcohol

Medical marijuana studies have shown that the recently legalized drug can serve as an alternative to other hard substances. Amanda Reiman conducts a case study on methamphetamine users seeking to practice harm reduction in San Francisco. Amanda is the author in the Harm Reduction Journal 2009 study cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs. In her case study, the methamphetamine users admitted that marijuana use gave them mindfulness. The users, therefore, would choose to stone and sleep as opposed to taking meth.

The use of medical cannabis also led to the reduction use of other drug substances such as tobacco, opioids as well as alcohol. For instance, patients who that were addicted to alcohol confessed that medical cannabis had manageable symptoms, unlike alcohol. Also, unlike tobacco and opioids, marijuana studies do not show signs of drug addiction and dependability by users.

Green Health I Medical Marijuana I Website: https://greenhealth.org/