What are your thoughts and opinions about the medicinal value of marijuana? Given that more than half of those polled believe that the drug should be legalized for medicinal purposes and 20 states and the District of Columbia have already done so, show that the nation’s sentiments are in favor of medical weed.
Marijuana’s best-known ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is responsible for the high, desired by recreational users. But many people who try smoking marijuana to relieve a health problem, are distressed by its psychoactive effects. As reported in well.blogs.nytimes.com.
Options Other Than Smoking THC-Laden Weed
Physicians who believe in the medicinal value of marijuana think that some people would do better with a derivative of marijuana that offers therapeutic action without the mind-altering baggage. A more precise dose, free of unwanted contaminants, would be safer, and its effects would be reproducible.
Still, access to purified and well-tested drugs derived from marijuana would be a far better approach. One such drug, Sativex, is currently in Phase 3 trials in the United States for the relief of neuropathic pain. It is a combination of CBD and THC in a ratio that minimizes the appetite stimulation, drowsiness and anxiety induced by THC while magnifying painkilling and anti-tumor properties.
The drugs Marinol and Cesamet are THC compounds in pill form, approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS-related anorexia and wasting. Their action is slowed by having to pass through the digestive system before reaching their target.
Sativex, the THC-CBD combination, is available in Canada to treat cancer pain and neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis. It is sprayed under the tongue for quick entry into the bloodstream, as happens when marijuana is smoked.
It will be interesting to see how the future of medicinal marijuana unfolds. As always I am interested to hear your thoughts on the topic.