Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) affects the brain and in turn the body through receptors called endocannabinoids. These receptors are can be found in multiple areas of the brain and lymphatic tissues. Extensive research has found that marijuana users are able to consume more foods with lot of calories and less nutritional content and still maintain a normal body mass index better than or similar to non-marijuana users. The reasoning behind this hypothesis is centered around the observation is that the occurrence of Diabetes Mellitus would be lessen in people who use marijuana since their bodies contain components from the marijuana that helps to users to control and regulate the digestive system in addition to preventing inflammation of…
Joy, Janet E., et al. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington, DC: The National Academic Press. 1999. Print.…
The article contains research numbers on the therapeutic effects of CB1 and CB2 receptors and also notes the difference in the two different cannabinoids. From a medical point of view, Mechoulam explains the surprising contrasts in experiences by differentiating the different components of medical marijuana use. These components known as “THC the psychoactive component” and “CBD a nonpyschoactive constituent” affects the users susceptibilities to the drugs and forms of marijuana used in today’s culture. The article does a very detailed description of the pharmacokinetics of THC and CBD in the body and is mainly aimed at the understanding of marijuana by healthcare professionals or those who have general knowledge in pharmacokinetics or medical…
The use of illegal drugs in the twenty-first century is very common. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, and other well-known names, are among the most frequently used drugs today. Marijuana comes from cannabis sativa, which is a hemp plant. The plant contains a chemical which is known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some people smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes or in pipes or water pipes while other mix marijuana in foods such as brownies, cookies, or candy, or brew it as a tea. There are a few benefits of using cannabis. It’s used as a medicinal drug and can minimize physical pain and alleviate psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression. However, the use of cannabis…
R. Mechoulam et al. 2003. Cannabidiol: an overview of some pharmacological aspects. Neuroscience Letters 346: 61-64; J. McPartland and E. Russo. 2002. Cannabis and cannabis extracts: greater than the sum of their parts. Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 1: 103-132; A. Zuardi and F Guimaraes. Cannabidiol as an anxiolytic and antipsychotic. In: M. Mathre (Ed): Cannabis in medical practice: a legal, historical and pharmacological overview of therapeutic use of marijuana. McFarland Press: 1997: 133-141.…
In the book “Cannabis and Cannabinoids” that Franjo Grotenhermen wrote in 2002, which mostly deals with the medical aspects of marijuana. There was a study that was recorded about the effects that THC the active ingredient in marijuana and the results were a little surprising. Marijuana was found to treat a wide range of various ailments such as: Tourette-Syndrome, appetite loss, weight loss, nausea, depression, HIV-infection, migraines, asthma, back pain, hepatitis C, sleeping disorders, epilepsy, spasticity, headaches,…
The essential questions are whether the active ingredient in marijuana, a cannabinoid (chemical compound) known as THC, has any medicinal value; whether the risks associated with its use outweigh the benefits; and whether THC answers a need not currently met by any other medications on the market. In the course of that debate, several health risks are often cited:…
Cannabidiol, also known as "CBD", is a major constituent of medical cannabis. CBD represents up to 40% of extracts of the medical cannabis plant. Cannabidiol relieves convulsion, inflammation, anxiety, nausea, and inhibits cancer cell growth. Recent studies have shown cannabidiol to be as effective as atypical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia. In November 2007 it was reported that CBD reduces growth of aggressive human breast cancer cells in vitro and reduces their invasiveness. It thus represents the first non-toxic exogenous agent that can lead to down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness. It is also a neuroprotective antioxidant.…
In the article "Medical Marijuana: Benefits, Risks & State Laws." Medical Marijuana is available in several different forms and works in the body differently (zimmerman). This would help because it is a form of showing that medical marijuana can be used differently and also when inhaled work different for your body. It also talks about how medical marijuana is used as a placebo in the person’s body once ingested to use it as a part of their body. Then it shows how cannabinoid has 60 active ingredients which then the body uses to make its natural on its…
Cannabis, or marijuana, should be legalized for medicinal usage because of its beneficial effects on a wide array of patients and diseases. It is a natural plant that is grown containing THC, a chemical that causes psychoactive reactions. Cannabis is an effective way to treat Alzheimer 's disease, symptoms of the terminally ill, mood disorders, chronic pain, conditions in which conventional medicines have no effect or have negative side-effects on the patient, Tourette 's Syndrome, HIV symptoms, and incontinence. In short, Cannabis has many positive and beneficial uses within the medicinal field.…
First, marijuana has not been shown or verified to have any detrimental effects on the human body. Also, marijuana has a substantial history of medical and clinical applications for people with certain conditions. Medical marijuana is often used as an anesthetic in a large number of countries all around the world (Koch, 2006). Glaucoma is another condition in which medical marijuana is distributed to patients, as it helps alleviate the symptoms and increase comfort in the person suffering, including lowering eye pressure (Southall, 2010). Fifteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, currently allow medical marijuana to be sold and prescribed to its citizens to this day (New York Times, 2011). Ostensibly, medical marijuana’s purpose is to relieve pain, nausea, and loss of appetite in those patients who have debilitating conditions, such as cancer or AIDS.…
In the past year, many medicinal benefits of marijuana have been discovered. Two scientists from the California Pacific Medical Center “found that a compound derived from marijuana could stop metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer” (Wilkey). One of the scientists discovered Cannabidiol, found in marijuana, also works with other types of aggressive cancers that have high levels of ID-1 present. Cannabidiol is also used to help with anxiety and nausea. Marijuana, which can also be used to help all fight obesity related diseases, contains an ingredient called THCV, and when this substance and Cannabidiol is introduced into a person’s system, it can help suppress hunger. Also, “tests in mice show the compounds boost the animal’s metabolism, [which led] to lower levels of fat in the livers and reduced cholesterol in the blood stream. THCV also increase[d] the animal’s sensitivity to insulin” (Gray).…
Cannabis is the main ingredient in marijuana. The National institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that its effect on the body is just like any other natural made chemical in the body. The benefits range from treating simple headache to slowing down cancer cells. Drugs sold over the counter are more dangerous than marijuana yet those drugs are approved and are sold. Donald Abrams, chief of hematology-oncology at San Francisco general hospital, has done more research on marijuana than anyone in the United States (Weil, 127). He concluded in his research that inhaling cannabis can help reduce pain associated with nerve damage and can also increase effect of opiate pain relievers as well help patients sleep. This is greatly important because of how tough nerve damage can be on a person. They are usually recommended to use over the counter pain relief pills but if marijuana is stronger in relieving pain as well as helping them sleep more calmly why would anyone decline. Another usage for marijuana is that the cannabinoids have an ability to relieve chronic pain which included nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy (Park). Cancer is something that troubles every human because currently the current treatments to battle it are very costly on the human body physically and mentally. Chemotherapy is so frightening that some people are even tempted not to try to that method. If they were told about marijuana,…
One of the advantages of medical marijuana is the fact that it can help manage pain felt by trauma patients, cancer patients and patients experiencing nerve damage. Marijuana has an active chemical component called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, which can act as an analgesic that helps patients relax and deal with the pain. Another benefit that scientists have found in medical marijuana is that it can help prevent the worsening of Alzheimer’s disease among the elderly. According to studies, THC in marijuana has the ability to arrest the formation of plaques in the brain. HIV/AIDS patients as well as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy also benefit from the use of medical marijuana. These patients are known to have difficulty in stimulating appetites and in throwing up what they eat. Studies have shown that marijuana helps them eat by inducing their appetite. The plant also helps them keep their food down. Among brain cancer patients, it is revealed that THC in marijuana causes cancerous cells to undergo a process called autophagy. It means that the cancerous cells feed upon themselves and thus disappear, leaving healthy brain tissue alone. (testcountry) With all of the health benefits of medical marijuana, it seems beneficial to legalize this drug so that a wider range of patients can be…
Joy, J.E. (editor), Stanley W. J. (editor), and Benson J. A. (editor), Institute of Medicine (author). (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.…