The legalization of marijuana was only brought to effect after the drug had been tested to prove it had positive effects on a user’s health. There has been much debate about the drug’s effects on the brain, psychological health of a person and the benefits of marijuana in treating illnesses. Many people use marijuana mainly for recreational purposes. However at times, they are in pain or are suffering from an illness because of which they take the drug in order to alleviate some pain. But if the drug helps them then it is beneficial for their health, and they can actually use marijuana for medicinal purposes which can help them deal with the illness they have. It is true that many people who are pro-marijuana legalization claim that the drug has numerous benefits, yet it might not be the case. Nevertheless, latest research advocates that marijuana has numerous health benefits which can help its users. Smoking too much of it can be harmful as the excess of everything is bad, but when taken in controlled and moderate amounts, marijuana benefits human health in many ways.
In the year 1999, the National Institute of Medicine laid down a report which contained the various, unique benefits of marijuana use and it urged that further research needs to be conducted in this field, yet it was ignored (Chapkis and Webb 14). The research included some important details relevant to the safety of the drug. Marijuana is safer than most of the other drugs that are smoked and taken in by people. It contains two basic active chemical ingredients which are mainly linked to medicinal application and effects. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD and Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, are the named two. CBD has been known to impact the brain without giving the ‘high’ feel whereas THC is known to act as a pain reliever and carries other properties as well (Chapkis and Webb 15). In light of these active ingredients and their effects on users, marijuana is suggested for medicinal use and can be employed for various illnesses as well. Mainly, the effect it carries is acting as a pain killer and soothing the senses.
The psychoactive effects of the drug with doses ranging from a couple of milligrams have no lethal effects on the human brain or body. As far its comparison with other drugs is concerned, such as cocaine, aspirin, opiates, nicotine and alcohol, an overdose of marijuana cannot be fatal for a person. In 1988, the Drug’s Enforcement Administration confirmed that marijuana can have many useful effects when the drug is used in its natural form. So far, no deaths from an overdose of cannabis have been recorded.
There are various benefits of marijuana which can be reaped by using the drug correctly. An immense amount of research has been done in this respect whereby conclusions have been reached that marijuana can be used to treat diseases such as Glaucoma (Welsh and Loria). This is a disease which causes the pressure in the eyeball to increase significantly; that can damage the optic nerve and can cause blindness. The effect of marijuana is related to the decrease in the pressure of the eye which is also reported by the National Eye Institute. They revealed that studies conducted in the 1970s showed that when marijuana was smoked it decreased the intraocular pressure or the IOP in people who had normal pressure as well as in those who had glaucoma. The effect of lowering the pressure in the eye can be a precursor to slowing the progression of this disease and eventually preventing a person from blindness.
Medical marijuana is also helpful for the lungs. It may seem ironic since marijuana is a drug and it is smoked by addicts in large amounts, however according research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in 2012, marijuana has no effect on decreasing the lung function or impairing it. Rather, marijuana can actually improve and increase a user’s lung capacity. An intensive research study was carried out on the lung function of about 5,115 young adults over a time span of 20 years (Welsh and Loria). It was seen that the adults who had smoked tobacco over the years showed significant loss of lung function and impairment.
However, those who smoked marijuana showed an increased lung capacity. There are several points raised in this such as the increased lung capacity might be a result of the long breaths that are taken in every time for inhaling the smoke, and there might not be anything to do with the chemical itself. Nevertheless, even if the lung capacity is increased only by taking long breaths and there is nothing negative happening to the lungs, then medical marijuana can only benefit health and not harm it (Gieringer and Rosenthal).
The most important benefit of medical marijuana till date is the evidence related to its use and extracts in the treatment of fighting cancer (Welsh and Loria). As common as it has gotten in the present day, cancer needs a strong cure and evidence of this was given by proof of the cure by marijuana oil by a woman who was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. Cancer had then spread to other parts of the body, spreading to the lymph nodes and the lining of her stomach. After going through intensive treatment and chemo, she was still in a lot of pain and the cancer was not going away. It was then that she read about the therapeutic effects of cannabis oil in treating cancerous cells and preventing it from spreading. The woman began to take a small dose of cannabis oil orally, and she did it daily (Grant et al., 18). As the effects of cannabis weren’t harmful, she increased the dose and also took a clean diet with it. It was then that the doctors noticed that within a matter of months,
her tumor in the lung had shrunk to twice its size and the lymph nodes were also back to their normal size. After using the cannabis oil for a period of seven months, the woman had scans again which showed her body was tumor free (Graham). This proved that medical marijuana was helpful in fighting cancer, and this very story helped her to fight cancer, and it also became a positive point in the legalization of marijuana. The medical terms of the reaction proved in a study that CBD, the active ingredient in marijuana was helpful in preventing cancer. Cannabidiol helps to stop cancer by turning off the gene named Id-1 (as per the study recorded in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics). Cancer cells, as readily multiplying as they are, make more copies of this gene than normal cells. Thus, the cells are spread all over the body rapidly, and they are gradually helpful in curing cancer. There are also researches which concluded that medical marijuana contained compounds that could actually kill cancer cells and eliminate cancer (Grant et al., 20).
Even more, the drug is helpful in curing nausea. Cancer patients undergoing chemo would find it helpful as it helps to reverse the nauseous feeling. It is also helpful with pain and anxiety and acts as a soothing agent, therefore, helpful in relieving the side effects and illness accompanied with chemotherapy. Research conducted at Harvard Medical School in 2010, revealed that the drug benefits the user by reducing anxiety and soothing the brain. It can help to improve mood, and if administered in lower doses, it can also act as a sedative to provide comfort if sleeplessness occurs with the illness (Graham). However, the amount given has to be carefully administered because if anxiety disorders or general anxiety persists, then high doses of the medical marijuana can lead to adverse reactions such as paranoia and mental disturbance.
Medical marijuana is also helpful in treating Hepatitis C and improving the person’s health by lessening the side effects. The treatment of Hep C is harsh, and there are many negative side effects like loss of appetite, depression, aches, nausea and it is a persistent illness with side effects lasting for months (Harvard Health). However, the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology discovered that 86% of all their patients who used medical marijuana during their treatment were able to complete it because marijuana helped to lessen the side effects and improved strength (Graham). Not only that, but marijuana also helped to lower the viral levels, where 54% of the Hep C patients had quite low viral levels in their systems in comparison with the 8% of those who did not smoke marijuana.
There are also various other proven benefits of marijuana such as improved metabolism and better health. However it is also helpful in curing patients who have any kind of inflammatory bowel diseases e.g. Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Marijuana’s main active ingredients, the THC, and the CBD can be very helpful in interacting with the inflamed cells and the cells which are helping the body fight the infection and inflammation as well as improving the immunity of the body (Harvard Health). The body produced compounds resembling THC, which increase the permeability of the intestines, allowing more bacteria to enter. The CBD in marijuana blocks the body made CBDs thus preventing permeability and making the intestines stronger (Harvard Health).
Hence, medical marijuana has numerous benefits for human health. It does not prove fatal if a person would overdose. It also helps in improving lung capacity and is helpful in treating glaucoma. Medical marijuana has a lot of benefits in curing cancer, and cannabis oil is a very effective agent. It is also helpful in fighting side effects of chemotherapy and prevents anxiety. It also helps to overcome the side effects of Hep C treatment and it is helpful in curing intestinal diseases.
Works Cited
Chapkis, Wendy, and Webb, J. Richard. Dying to get high; Marijuana as medicine. New York
Gieringer, Dale, and Rosenthal, Ed. Medical Marijuana Handbook: Practical Guide to
Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana. 2008. Print.
Grant et al., Medical Marijuana clearing away the smoke. PMC. 18-25. 2012. Web. 4 May 2016.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358713/
Graham, Ruth. Is Marijuana good for public health? Jstor. 2014. Web. 4 May 2016.
http://daily.jstor.org/marijuana-and-public-health/
Harvard Health. Medical Marijuana and the mind. 2010. Web. 4 May 2016.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/medical-marijuana-and-the-mind
NIH. Is marijuana medicine? 2015. Web. 4 May 2016.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine
Welsh, Jennifer, and Loria, Kevin. 23 benefits of marijuana. Business Insider. 2014. Web. 4 May,
2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4
