• Is Medical Marijuana Really Beneficial?

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Is Medical Marijuana Really Beneficial?

Jan 19 2017

Pioneered by forward thinking nations like Canada, the medical marijuana revolution is quickly gaining momentum. But despite claims that the cannabis plant has bona fide medicinal properties, a new study is now suggesting that the benefits are inconclusive.

No doubt about it, the concept of puffing away on a joint for therapeutic purposes is controversial. Until recently, marijuana has been classed as an illicit drug in most western countries. But recently, it’s also emerged as a hugely popular, yet admittedly avant-garde medicinal solution. From treating back pain and managing anxiety to easing the side effects of chemo and calming severely autistic children, it’s uses are vast and varied.

US government vetoes cannabis as a cure

Though despite its popularity, a new study led by the US government has revealed that there is not enough solid research to sanction marijuana as an effective solution for most of the cases its used to treat.

After delving into more than 10,000 reports spotlighting the medicinal value of cannabis, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) found that there was only enough evidence to support its use as a therapeutic treatment for a trio of conditions. The first is reducing nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, the second is treating chronic pain and the third is reducing spasms from multiple sclerosis.

“There’s been an explosion of literature since 1999 … We reviewed thousands of abstracts,” asserts Robert Wallace, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. He was also one of 16 members of the NAS committee that carried out the review, made up of neurologists, oncologists, epidemiologists and child psychiatrists. “A lot of the report is really where the state of the evidence is,” he adds.   

NAS claims evidence is “limited” and “insufficient”

As far as the rest of its uses are concerned, the team found that there was either “limited evidence or insufficient evidence” to support its use as a treatment for ailments like weight gain, ADHD, epilepsy and more.

“Really, most of the therapeutic reasons people use medical marijuana aren’t substantiated beneficial effects of the plant,” comments Sean Hennessy, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, and NAS committee member.

Whether the report slows the pace of global marijuana reforms is yet to be seen. Already, medicinal marijuana is legal in 29 US states. Furthermore, it’s also an approved recreational drug in eight states, as well as in Washington DC. So, while NAS may claim otherwise, chances are that the medical marijuana industry will continue to smoulder.  

Want to know more about the medical marijuana revolution? Don’t miss ‘Evaluation of Evaporative Techniques in the Extraction and Preparation of Cannabis Oil,’ a fascinating article exploring the complex extraction and refinement process used to produce Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil.


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