The scientific and medical community is looking very incisively into the question of how to utilize the beneficial properties of Marijuana for medical purposes especially as a pain killer.
Marijuana is a herb. It comes from a plant. It is called Cannabis. The active chemical substances it contains are called cannabinoids. The important cannabinoids are 1. Cannabidiol and 2. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabidiol has beneficial properties like suppression of inflammation, protection of nerves, anti-tumor effect and a predominant pain relieving quality, while THC is a potent euphoric. The marijuana that is utilizable medically (medicinal Cannabis or medical marijuana) has high content of Cannabidiol and very low content of THC. The marijuana used for recreational purpose has high content of THC and an extremely low Cannabidiol content. The medical marijuana is considered to be of high and refined quality while the recreational marijuana is of crude and low quality.
Medicinal Cannabis (marijuana) is actually supеrior to morphine and other narcotic pain killers when standard first-line pain medications have failed to relieve chronic pain. It does not cause respiratory suppression or constipation and has fewer drug-drug interactions.
Speaking at a conference titled “Medical Marijuana: Science, Practice, Policy & Ethics” Dr Gregory Carter MD, MS Clinical Professor at the University of Washington Seattle strongly advocated the need to legalize this valuable herb for its beneficial properties in pain relief. He also highlighted the modes of administration of medi- cal marijuana. The Cannabinoids it contains vaporize when heated to between 285F and 392F. Vaporization is most effective at 338 F. He said inhalation of vaporized marijuana is the most ef- fective route of administration. It can also be given through a skin patch or as a tincture for ingestion by mouth.
Medical use of marijuana is legal in 20 states in the US. But it is illegal under Federal Law, stopping many doctors in those states from prescribing it for legitimate medical indications. As regards its intoxicant effect, all narcotic pain killers that are being used are intoxicant to greater or lesser degree. Its beneficial properties, lack of bad side effects compared to other pain killers make it a far superior pain relieving medicine. With proper research to further refine its quality by enhancing its cannabidiol content, marijuana it seems, is bound to be legalized in future. Its natural benefits simply cannot be ignored.
There are many herbs with excellent properties on human health. Not all are known to human beings. The beneficial effects of marijuana are well known. It is no doubt nature’s answer to effective pain management.