The biggest argument made by proponents of legalizing marijuana are claims about its health benefits. Where once the herb was demonized as a “gateway drug,” a term that indicated you were one puff away from heading down the road to perdition, it’s now regarded as no big deal in most social settings. The idea of marijuana as the drug of the crazed is an alleged condition that has been displayed to great comic effect in films and television over the years, becoming a joke among the hipsters who were the largest consumers of marijuana in the days when it wasn’t sold over the counter in public. No one believes any longer that zonked-out people pose a public threat after marijuana use.
Since its legalization in many states and decriminalization in most locations, marijuana has become almost mainstream. That’s quite a change in attitudes in a relatively short period of time. In 1969, the Gallup poll found that just 12 percent of Americans favored legalization. Researchers now peg support at 53 percent of Americans, most of its acceptance arriving in the past five years.
While not everyone is a total supporter (Pew Research polls indicate that just 39 percent of Republicans support legalization, while only 40 percent of Hispanic Americans believe in legalization), it’s clear that marijuana as part of the American cultural landscape is becoming more like alcohol. In other words, it’s available for consumption by responsible adults in social settings and medicinal purposes.
Marijuana Research Still Scarce
Part of the reason for the rising tide of support for medical marijuana is its health effects. While scientific research is still somewhat scarce, owing to the difficulties of testing a highly restricted Schedule 1 drug, there is a large body of anecdotal evidence and enough medical testing to confirm that there are health benefits to partaking of marijuana.
In trial testing, medical researcheres assigned patients to take cannabis-related products or placebos, and marijuana was found to help chronic pain sufferers and alleviated such symptoms as loss of appetite from drug regimens, nausea from chemotherapy, depression and anxiety, multiple sclerosis spasms, psychosis, and Tourette’s syndrome. However, more studies are needed because the statistical differences between those who take the placebo and those who used cannabis are slight and may not be statistically relevant.
Part of the problem with marijuana studies is the relative range of its potency and the various dosages. There is also the matter of marijuana-laced foods, many of which have varying levels of the drug baked in. Most of the research focuses on specific effects of the chemicals derived from marijuana in purified forms, which may affect results. Others take the naturally occurring cannabinoids that our bodies manufacture and then combines them with other chemicals.
The result is a range of purified and synthetic substances that have a wide range of potential effects, leaving much room for interpretation and further study.
That said, doctors in 23 states and counting now recommend cannabis products for medical reasons.
THE MEDICAL USES:
Among the recommended uses:
1) Glaucoma – Medical marijuana has been used as both a treatment and preventive for the eye disease. Glaucoma creates pressure in the eyeball, which gradually damages the optic nerve and can lead to loss of vision or blindness. Marijuana use has been shown to lower the pressure, which may slow the disease.
2) Lung function – An American Medical Association study released in 2012 found that marijuana may increase lung capacity. In a look at young adults older than 20 years, marijuana users have shown an increase in lung capacity.
3) Seizures – The calming effects of marijuana have been shown to work with all sorts of spasms. Marijuana’s tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is effective in promoting relaxation.
4) Cancer retardant – Researchers discovered that marijuana may help in the battle to prevent cancer from spreading in the body, and some research indicates it may help kill cancer cells.
5) Increased appetite – Many medical regimens kill appetite. As numerous studies and late-night experiments by college students have shown, marijuana use can promote the urge to eat.
6) Alzheimer’s disease – Some studies show that marijuana may work to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by blocking the formation of amyloid plaques.
7) Hepatitis C treatments – Many undergoing treatment for this debilitating disease report extreme fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and depression. Marijuana enables them to complete the grueling drug regimen needed to battle the disease, and some studies claim it may improve the efficacy of the treatments.
8) Bowel Problems – Irritable bowel syndrome affects many Americans, but marijuana helps with the condition by increasing the permeability of the intestines, allowing good bacteria to thrive and easing inflammation.
9) Aches and Arthritis – By reducing inflammation and increasing relaxation, many chronic pain sufferers report that marijuana has helped reduce their pain significantly and promoted sleep.
10) Strokes – There are studies indicating marijuana has a protective effect on the brain, helping isolate damaged areas and reducing potential damage from future strokes.
11) Chemotherapy – This may be the most well-known application of medical marijuana. The extremely toxic chemicals used in chemotherapy can kill appetite, leave the patient nauseated and lethargic. Marijuana eases the side effects, and there are numerous cannabinoid drugs with THC that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
While much work still needs to be done to underline the medical uses of marijuana, it’s clear that its use as a prescription drug will only grow with time and new discoveries. It may be that marijuana may someday be regarded more as medicine than a recreational drug, quite a change from the days when people were imprisoned for using small amounts.