Medical Marijuana



Medical cannabis (or medical marijuana) refers to the use of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), as medical therapy to treat disease or alleviate symptoms. The Cannabis plant has a history of medicinal use dating back thousands of years across many cultures.

Cannabis has been used to reduce nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy and people with AIDS, and to treat pain and muscle spasticity; its use for other medical applications has been studied, but there is insufficient data for conclusions about safety and efficacy. Short-term use increases minor adverse effects, but does not appear to increase major adverse effects. Long-term effects of cannabis are not clear, and there are safety concerns including memory and cognition problems, risk for dependence and the risk of children taking it by accident.

Medical cannabis can be administered using a variety of methods, including vaporizing or smoking dried buds, eating extracts, and taking capsules. Synthetic cannabinoids are available as prescription drugs in some countries; examples include: dronabinol (available in the United States (US) and Canada) and nabilone (available in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom (UK), and the US).

Recreational use of cannabis is illegal in most parts of the world, but the medical use of cannabis is legal in certain countries, including Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. In the US, federal law outlaws all cannabis use, while 20 states and the District of Columbia have decided they are no longer willing to prosecute individuals merely for the possession or sale of marijuana, as long as the individuals are in compliance with the state's marijuana sale regulations.

However, an appeals court ruled in January 2014 that a 2007 Ninth Circuit ruling remains binding in relation to the ongoing illegality, in federal legislative terms, of Californian cannabis dispensaries, reaffirming the impact of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Read more ...




Medical Marijuana: How the Evidence Stacks Up   Scientific American - April 21, 2014

New York is on track to become the 21st state to legalize medical marijuana this year, and two states - Colorado and Washington - have decriminalized recreational use as well. Americans now overwhelmingly support fewer restrictions on marijuana, with 86 percent saying doctors should be allowed to prescribe the drug for medical purposes. Despite its surging popularity, the jury is still out on whether marijuana is truly the panacea its supporters claim it to be. Until recently, the drug's illegal status impeded rigorous study of its effectiveness. Several research groups are now taking advantage of today's looser laws to seek out answers. Here is where we stand for the six most studied conditions.

Cancer
Numerous trials have indicated that medical marijuana increases appetite and reduces chemotherapy-related nausea in the short term. Yet it may not be as effective as other recently developed drugs, so marijuana is not considered a first-line treatment for these symptoms.

Epilepsy
Multiple animal studies have suggested that THC, one of the main psychoactive chemicals in cannabis, may inhibit the brain processes thought to cause seizures. High-quality human studies are lacking, however, leaving many open questions.

Glaucoma
Several studies have found that smoking marijuana lowers pressure inside the eye, relieving glaucoma-related discomfort for about three to four hours. Yet a number of pharmaceutical drugs have been shown to be more effective and longer lasting than medical marijuana.

HIV/AIDS
In one randomized controlled trial, patients given a cannabislike compound were twice as likely to gain weight as patients given a placebo - a boon for people battling the wasting effects of this disease. The treatment's long-term effectiveness remains untested.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)
A large trial published in 2012 found that a cannabis extract significantly decreased muscle stiffness and other MS symptoms. A smaller study found that smoking cannabis worked better than a placebo in reducing both spasticity and pain in treatment-resistant participants. Given the few therapies available for MS, a 2011 review concluded that medical marijuana might be a viable way to manage certain symptoms.

Pain and inflammation
Studies have suggested that marijuana is only slightly better than a placebo in reducing acute inflammation, and it may even increase the perception of pain in some patients. When taken in combination with other medications, however, various cannabis-derived drugs have been shown to be moderately effective for reducing chronic neuropathic pain.




Medical Marijuana's Deep Roots


2700 B.C.:
Legendary Chinese emperor Shennong is said to discover the healing properties of marijuana.

1500 B.C.:
Medical papyri from Egypt mention marijuana as a cure for sore eyes and inflammation.

600 B.C.:
Bhang, a drink of cannabis and milk, is used widely as an anesthetic in India.

A.D. 79:
Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder cites boiled cannabis roots as a treatment for gout, pain and cramped joints.

A.D. 800:
Islamic physicians prescribe cannabis for a variety of ailments, although some decry it as a Òlethal poison.Ó

A.D. 1542:
German physician Leonhart Fuchs names the plant Cannabis sativa.

A.D. 1842:
British army surgeon William Brooke OÕShaughnessy introduces marijuana into medical practice as a treatment for pain, nausea and convulsions.

A.D. 1850:
The United States Pharmacopeia, which issues the official handbook for dispensing medications, classifies marijuana as a legitimate medical compound.

A.D. 1925:
A League of Nations treaty limits cannabis use to medical or scientific purposes. Aspirin and other newly developed drugs begin to replace cannabis as treatments for pain.

A.D. 1930:
Harry J. Anslinger is appointed commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He considers marijuana a corrupting influence and helps to turn public opinion against the drug.

Happier Days
Although clear evidence for medical marijuana is lacking for many ailments, it is important to note that these clinical results do not consider improvements in overall quality of life. Many users report improved mood and decreased anxiety and insomnia as invaluable benefits of the drug. Furthermore, some of the pharmaceutical treatments that have outperformed marijuana come with unpleasant side effects. Consider Megestrol, a drug frequently given to people with cancer or AIDS to increase appetite. It encourages more sustainable weight gain than marijuana does but has the distressing side effect of impotence. For taxing conditions with few treatments, such as MS, medical marijuana may be the only way to provide relief for patients who have exhausted conventional therapies. So although most doctors do not recommend medical marijuana as a first-line treatment, they often prescribe it either in combination with other medications or as an alternative for patients with a low tolerance for side effects.




If You Support Legal Marijuana, Memorize These 13 Stats   Huffington Post - April 22, 2014

Regardless of your feelings about legalizing marijuana, it's hard to deny that legal weed would be a bonanza for cash-strapped states, just as tobacco and alcohol already are.

With Colorado and Washington starting to tax and regulate recreational weed sales, and medical marijuana legal in 18 other states, we can finally start to put some hard numbers on the industry's value.

Numbers like:

$1.53 billion: The amount the national legal marijuana market is worth, according to a Nov. 2013 report from ArcView Market Research, a San Francisco-based investor group focused on the marijuana industry.

$10.2 billion: The estimated amount the national legal marijuana market will be worth in five years, according to that same ArcView report.

$6.17 million: The amount of tax revenue collected in Colorado on legal marijuana sales in just the first two months of 2014.

$98 million: The total tax revenue that Colorado could reap in the fiscal year that begins in July, according to a recent budget proposal from Gov. John Hickenlooper

$40 million: The amount of marijuana tax revenue Colorado is devoting to public school construction.

7,500-10,000: The estimated number of marijuana industry jobs that currently exist in Colorado, according to Michael Elliott, the Executive Director of the Marijuana Industry Group, a trade association that advocates for responsible marijuana regulation.

$190 million: The amount in taxes and fees legal marijuana is projected to raise for the state of Washington over four years starting in mid-2015, according to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, an independent agency that advises the state government on the budget and tax revenue.

$105 million: The estimated annual sales tax revenue generated by medical marijuana dispensaries in California, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports legalization.

$142.19 million: The estimated size of the medical marijuana market in Arizona in 2014, according to the ArcView Market Research report, up from $35.37 million last year. Arizona has a record 80 medical pot dispensaries currently open, with more expected to open this year, according to AZMarijuana.com.

$36 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Maine would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to a 2013 estimate from the Marijuana Policy Project. Portland, Maine's largest city, voted to legalize weed in November, and a grassroots campaign to get state legalization on the ballot in 2016 is underway.

$21.5 to $82 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Rhode Island would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to an April 9 report from the non-profit organization Open Doors. Rhode Island legislators are considering a bill this session that would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol.

$134.6 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Maryland would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to a 2014 estimate from the Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a law legalizing medical marijuana on April 14, and state lawmakers are considering a bill this session to legalize weed for recreational purposes, too.

$17.4 billion: The estimated total amount that marijuana prohibition costs state and federal governments every year, according to a 2010 study by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron.





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