Health Benefits Of Marijuana

Owners of the commercial establishments selling marijuana across Colorado say that they’ve already generated a combined total of roughly $5 million in sales since it became legal for adults to purchase and use marijuana for recreational reasons on January 1, 2014. The main reason shoppers give for buying it: “medical reasons.”

But what really is medical marijuana?

History

The marijuana plant is made up of more than 500 chemical compounds. Many of these compounds are cannabinoids, which bind to receptors in your body and then affect your immune system and brain. Researchers have pinpointed two main cannabinoids: THC and cannabidiol, or CBD—as beneficial to the human body. The biggest difference: CBD doesn’t make you high, but THC does.

Trouble is, when exposed to the high temperature (like that of a burning joint), the 500 or so chemical compounds in marijuana can produce hundreds or thousands of byproducts—many of which are thought to be carcinogens. Research suggests that marijuana smoke can contain up to 70 percent more carcinogenic materials than tobacco smoke. While many researchers think that—logically—marijuana smoke should cause lung cancer, studies remain inconclusive.

In 1970, the government classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug—alongside heroin and LSD—as a substance with high abuse potential and no accepted medical purpose. But in 1967, medical doctor and researcher, Dr. Lester Grinspoon’s teenage son was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Chemotherapy left him with no appetite, vomiting spells, and nausea—“the kind you feel right down to your toenails,” the doctor remembers. The drugs that were supposed to ease the pain didn’t. So Dr. Grinspoon’s wife pulled up to Wellesley High School and asked her son’s friend for weed.

A few minutes before his treatments, Dr. Grinspoon’s son would take a few puffs.

“We never—for as long as he lived—had to deal with that awful experience of seeing what he went through again,” he says.

This is one reason why the FDA approved Marinol—a low-dosage formulation of synthetic THC that comes in capsule form. The drug is used to stimulate appetite in HIV-positive patients and control the nausea and vomiting that’s associated with chemotherapy. Many believe that it’s a good option for people with conditions like cancer who don’t respond to commonly prescribed drugs. It’s been medically proven to lower intraocular pressure for glaucoma patients, reduce anxiety, and stimulate patient’s appetite.

But there’s a problem: Marinol is one of only two FDA-approved THC-based drugs. Also, your body doesn’t absorb it as well as many over-the-counter drugs. Only about 10 to 20 percent of the dose becomes available for your body to use. That makes it unpredictable: For some, the drug works great, while others see no benefit.Which leaves a clear challenge for researchers: Create a THC delivery method that leads to better absorption while reducing its psychoactive effect. A patch is being developed that would be applied above your gum line and deliver THC in a way that circumvents Marinol’s absorption problems. If approved, the product could be effective for relieving everything from nerve and cancer pain to glaucoma and anxiety.

Side Effects

Researchers believe that regular cannabis use can have neurotoxic effects on maturing brain structures. A 2012 study found that people who started smoking before age 18 showed a greater decline in IQ and cognitive functioning than people who started as adults. Also, heavy teen users—an average of four or more times a week—who continued to smoke as adults experienced an 8-point IQ drop which could not be blamed on alcohol, other drugs, or less education.

THC has what doctors and researchers know as biphasic activity. At low doses it has certain effects, and at high doses it can have opposite effects. In fact, somebody using it to get high with the right dose will be calm, have an appetite, see medical benefits, etc. But, take in too much THC, and a person can become irritable, even psychotic.

In 1937, the federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act to prevent its recreational use. In the past 10 years, enforcing pot laws has cost taxpayers more than $211 million in the state of Washington alone, according to recent research by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State.

Medical Marijuana: Fact vs Fiction was originally published on blackdoctor.org