Every year more than 100,000 people die from prescribed medicines as compared to marijuana or weed has never caused a single death whether it was used for medical purposes or recreational purposes. It is estimated that Pharmaceutical companies will lose more than 20 billion dollars anually if medical marijuana is legalized worldwide. It is no secret that Big Pharma companies has lobbied against medical (and recreational) marijuana legalization as they stand to lose this much amount of money.Another interesting fact is that a former national administrator in the United States Government Marijuana research program, Dr. Tod Mikuriya, suggested that nearly 200 medical conditions respond favorably to Marijuana. While we cannot document all 200 conditions, we are listing 10 of the major medical conditions that can be effectively treated using Marijuana.
10 –ALZHEIMER’S
Photo credit:roche
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is often thought of as a disease that only affects seniors. While age can bring an increased risk, Alzheimer’s disease can also strike early, leaving families confused and heartbroken. THC or 9 tetrahydrocannibinol found in Cannabis prevents enzymes that are responsible for Alzheimer’s plaque which leads to dementia and memory issues. Medical Marijuana can also prevent protein clumps which interfere with cognitive brain function.
9 – ARTHRITIS
Photo credit:everydayhealth
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. People suffering from pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis reported improved sleep quality after taking marijuana. (Note that the drug does not curb the disease but it certainly helps with its debilitating pain).
8 –DEPRESSION
Photo credit:psychologyonparade
In a huge study conducted on more than 4000 participants in SUNY Albany, it was observed that people who used marijuana occasionally (or daily) had lesser depressive symptoms than those who didn’t. The study further showed that users also had more positive outlook and fewer somatic complaints than people who did not use it at all.
7 – Spinal Cord Injury
Photo credit:dolmanlaw
Caused by trauma to the spine, spinal cord injuries are known to affect motor skills and can potentially lead to total loss function in some parts of the body. Research suggests cannabis can help patients treat the pain and muscle spasms that are often symptomatic of a spinal cord injury, with investigators from the Oxford Centre for Enablement noting that “Cannabis medicinal extracts can improve neurogenic symptoms unresponsive to standard treatments”.
6 –Insomnia
Photo credit:BBC
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. Research indicates that both THC- and CBD-dominant cannabis based medicines offer effective therapy for a range of sleep disorders, including insomnia. Cannabis is thought to reduce sleep latency, induce drowsiness and improve quality of sleep.
5 –Epilepsy
Photo credit:royalholloway
Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Cannabis based medicines – and CBD-dominant products in particular – have proven to be very effective at reducing the frequency and severity of epilepsy seizures. With that said, medical cannabis should only be used in treatment resistant cases of seizures.
4 –HIV/AIDS
Photo credit:standardmedia
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It damages your immune system, making it easier for you to get sick. While modern therapy allows those with HIV/AIDS to live a long and mostly healthy life, the side effects of the treatment can be challenging to deal with. This is where medicinal cannabis comes in. A number of studies show that medical cannabis can improve many HIV/AIDS-related symptoms, including anorexia, weight loss, severe nausea and more. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found 97 percent of HIV patients reported improved appetite with medical cannabis treatment, while 94 percent experienced reduced muscle pain and 93 percent reported improvements to both nausea and anxiety.
3 – HEPATITIS C
Photo credit:healtheuropa
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV): the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. A study conducted in San Francisco University showed that conventional medicines for Hepatitis C (which affects nearly 3 million Americans each year) have a variety of undesirable side effects like loss of appetite, depression, muscular aches and fatigue etc. Patients who smoked marijuana daily actually had a better blood report in that there was no sign of the virus left in their body.
2 – Multiple Sclerosis
Photo credit:krcu
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a long-lasting disease that can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions. Research published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal found that cannabis based medicinal extracts can significantly reduce the spasticity and pain associated with multiple sclerosis while having few adverse effects on patients.
1 – Cancer
Photo credit:BBC
Cancer is the uncontrolled development of cells. After heart disease, it is the second most common cause of death in most countries. While cannabis can’t cure cancer, it can drastically reduce the severity of symptoms and improve quality of life for patients. How? Well, research shows that both THC and CBD (two of the key active components found in cannabis) can stimulate appetite, which may help with the weight loss, anorexia and cachexia that many cancer patients experience. In addition, cannabis is very effective at combating the nausea caused by conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.
