Despite the fact that the Drug Enforcement Agency categorizes marijuana as a schedule I drug, one that has no accepted medical use, a majority of Americans have thought medical pot should be legal since the 1990’s and a majority now support recreational legalization as well. Many researchers have identified some fascinating potential benefits of medical marijuana so far, it’s something that’s still hard to study, making conclusive results tough to come by. The schedule I classification means it’s hard for researchers to get their hands on pot grown to the exacting standards that are necessary for medical research, even in states where it’s legal.
No researcher can even try to make an FDA approved cannabis product while it has that DEA classification, which removes some motivation to study the plant. More research would identify health benefits more clearly and would also help clarify potential dangers just like with any other psychoactive medications. There are risks associated with abuse, including dependency and emotional issues. Its very obvious now that many medical marijuana doctors want to understand the potential befits, risks and effects better as medical marijuana is becoming more and more popular in most state.
There are at least two major active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think have medicinal applications (there are up to 79 known active compounds). Those two are cannabidiol (CBD) — which seems to impact the brain mostly without a high— and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which has pain relieving (and other) properties.
Glaucoma
Marijuana use can be used to treat the eye disease glaucoma, which increases pressure in the eyeball, damaging the optic nerve and causing loss of vision. Marijuana decreases the pressure inside the eye, according to the National Eye Institute: “Studies in the early 1970s showed that marijuana, when smoked, lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) in people with normal pressure and those with glaucoma” — though they still said that pharmaceutical drugs were more effective. These effects of the drug may slow the progression of the disease, preventing blindness. If you’re interested in becoming a medical marijuana patient in North Carolina, we can help.
Seizures
Marijuana use can prevent epileptic seizures in rats. Robert J. DeLorenzo, of Virginia Commonwealth University, gave marijuana extract and synthetic marijuana to epileptic rats. The drugs rid the rats of the seizures for about 10 hours. Cannabinoids like the active ingredients in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC), control seizures by binding to the brain cells responsible for controlling excitability and regulating relaxation. The findings were published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. During the research for his documentary “Weed,” Sanjay Gupta interviewed the Figi family, who treats their 5-year-old daughter using a medical marijuana strain high in cannabidiol and low in THC. There are at least two major active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think have medicinal applications (there are up to 79 known active compounds). Those two are cannabidiol (CBD) — which seems to impact the brain mostly without a high— and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which has pain relieving (and other) properties. The Figi family’s daughter, Charlotte Figi, has Dravet Syndrome, which causes seizures and severe developmental delays. According to the film, the drug has decreased her seizures from 300 a week to just one every seven days. Forty other children in the state are using the same strain of marijuana (which is high in CBD and low in THC) to treat their seizures — and it seems to be working.
Cancer
CBD/THC may also help prevent cancer from spreading says researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Cannabidiol stops cancer by turning off a gene called Id-1, the study, published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, found. Cancer cells make more copies of this gene than non-cancerous cells, and it helps them spread through the body. The researchers studied breast cancer cells in the lab that had high expression levels of Id-1 and treated them with cannabidiol.
After treatment the cells had decreased Id-1 expression and were less aggressive spreaders. But beware: these are studies on cancer cells in the lab, not on cancer patients. Other very preliminary studies on aggressive brain tumors in mice or cell cultures have shown that THC and CBD can slow or shrink tumors at the right dose, which is a great reason to do more research into figuring out that dose. One 2014 study found that marijuana can significantly show the growth of the type of brain tumor associated with 80% of malignant brain cancer in people. Gupta also mentioned a few studies in the U.S., Spain, and Israel that suggest the compounds in cannabis could even kill cancer cells. Get a medical marijuana card for Cancer in North Carolina today!
PTSD
PTSD is a mental health illness that includes worry, PTSD or fear that are so severe that they hinder your daily routine. Medical marijuana has been touted as a useful tool in reducing PTSD by some; however, there are still many who are opposed to its use for PTSD. This article will evaluate the available findings on medical marijuana and its impact on PTSD. We will also discuss what you need to do to get a medical marijuana card. 2000 individuals selected from nine medical marijuana evaluation clinics were studied. 37.8% of these individuals testified to using marijuana to help with PTSD. 20% declared that they use it to relieve panic attacks and 50% reported they use marijuana to relax. The research team discovered that 15% of the people being studied got authorization for their medical marijuana cards as a result of PTSD.
In another study, 1000 medical marijuana users were studied. It was discovered that 60% of this group use medical marijuana for PTSD as a sole treatment. These participants reported that medical marijuana helped to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. Walsh and other research partners reviewed existing literature on this subject and found that medical marijuana was useful in handling PTSD. Multiple cross-sectional studies revealed that medical marijuana users enjoyed PTSD reduction; however, one of the studies postulated that when the medical marijuana user stopped using it, the symptoms of PTSD returned. This means that medicinal marijuana isn’t necessarily able to cure PTSD but can give relief while seeking more appropriate treatment. Get a medical marijuana card for PTSD in North Carolina today!
More Studies
→The THC compound in marijuana has been proven to induce PTSD; however, CBD has been confirmed as a helpful compound in reducing PTSD.
→Those who overuse marijuana must bear in mind that its use can potentially have health risks during withdrawal.
→Medical marijuana users with PTSD or severe levels of pain have experienced a reduction in symptoms related to PTSD.
→There are some research limitations including small sample sizes that present a challenge to categorically state that cannabis use in alleviating the symptoms of PTSD.
Visit MarijuanaCardNorthCarolina.com to get approved by a medical marijuana doctor quickly and easily.