Marijuana should continue to be used as it is a great natural alternative to modern medicine because it contains endless benefits from the components of CBD, cannabinoids that are a raw painkiller for chronic pain, and helps fight symptoms of diseases.
One of the main components of the marijuana plant is called cannabidiol which is also known as CBD. This substance has many components that can help treat many different types of disorders. Unlike THC, CBD is not a psychoactive substance, so it does not affect your brain in the same way.
With CBD there is an endless array of treatments to many people, all with different issues and different stories. CBD, can be used to treat many mental health issues. It does a major contribution to helping many people’s ability to cope with disorders like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and even has been used for an antipsychotic in European countries.
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“The range of conditions for which CBD has been assessed is diverse, consistent with its neuroprotective, antiepileptic, hypoxia-ischemia, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, and antitumor properties” (Cannabidiol (CBD) Pre-Review Report”, 2017).
One disorder that can specifically treated by CBD is insomnia. CBD as a natural sedative, which can help you to become calm and relaxed, especially in people who are restless before bed. It can even help people cope if they have trouble sleeping due to nightmares or bad dreams.
“Cannabinoids interact with your endocannabinoid system, which helps your body maintain a state of balance and stability, or homeostasis” (Ferguson, n.d). “It found that CBD improved the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a disorder in which a person acts out their dreams. RBD is associated with poor sleep and nightmares” (Ferguson, n.d).
After a new study by the American Psychiatric Association, we know can confirm that CBD is found effective for treating opioid addiction. This works in many different ways, if you are addicted to pain killers because of chronic pain, you could switch to CBD which is a non-addictive medicine used to treat pain. CBD could also help you wean off of opiates by giving you an alternative that is less harmful than opiates but has similar effects, decreasing the desire to use these drugs. “Given to patients with heroin addiction, cannabidiol, also known as CBD, reduced their cravings for illicit drugs as well as their levels of anxiety” (Kounang, 2019).
Cannabinoids are a great source to be utilized as a natural painkiller to treat chronic pain. Cannabinoids found in marijuana are proven to reduce pain and treat it as once used, peripheral nerves become blocked.”Peripheral nerves that detect pain sensations contain abundant receptors for cannabinoids, and cannabinoids appear to block peripheral nerve pain” (Mack, 2018).
Many people even claim that CBD relieves chronic pain even better than other alternatives. Marijuana’s contents comes into play again explaining how the Cannabidiol serves multiple purposes like relieving chronic pain. Weil (2015) states that “Research indicates that cannabinoids—the active compounds in marijuana—can relieve pain, nausea, and other debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis and cancer and the drugs used to treat them” (para. 2).
Another positive of using marijuna for pain, is that it replaces the use of opioids which are extremely addictive. Hamers (2010) writes that there are a lot of cannabinoid receptors in certain sections of the brain that interpret messages, but not many exist in the brain stem. This implies that cannabinoids are less inclined to impact breathing than the common opioid.”
Marijuana used medically can prevent and ease the constant pain and symptoms those with diseases suffer from. Marijuana use can help treat diabetes in many different ways. It relieves pain, keeps clogged blood vessels, regulating blood sugar etc. The marijuana provides an abundant amount of treatments for diabetes and helps people suffering with this disease feel more hopeful and healthy.
Research by the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC) has suggested that cannabis can help with stabilizing blood sugar, lowering blood pressure and decreasing artery inflammation…” (“Cannabis and Diabetes”, 2019). In people who have Parkinson’s disease there has been substantial evidence that marijuana use has shown considerable improvement in their symptoms and coping skills.
This is because there is a relationship between the part of the brain affecting motor skills and the part of the brain affected by cannabis. “Clinical studies have evaluated whether marijuana can ease Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms as well as levodopa-induced dyskinesia, involuntary movements that may result with long-term use of levodopa and many years of living with PD” (Dolhun, 2019).
In addition to the effects from marijuana on Parkinson’s disorder, there has been new found evidence that claims that those who experience seizures and who struggle with epilepsy now have the option to use Epidiolex, derived from CBD which is endorsed by the FDA. “The FDA recently approved the use of Epidiolex (a plant-based formulation of CBD) to treat seizures for people 2 years of age and older with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS)” (Patel & Kiriakopoulos, n.d.). Using Epidiolex has been proven to reduce seizures in those suffering from Epilepsy, in fact marijuana derivatives have been used to treat epilepsy for over 100 year.
Among the positive contributions from marijuana, there are also some negative health issues and even myths that are proven wrong. Including, the effect on one’s lungs and the stigma of marijuana addiction. There are many ways to use marijuana, but smoking it can cause substantial risk to one’s lungs. Contrary to popular belief, smoking this drug is correlated with a higher airway resistance, lung inflation, airway inflammation, and even chronic bronchitis. Many people disagree with this information. Some may even say it improves your lungs, which scientifically is not the case. Another negative effect of marijuana is called Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), this is a condition that can occur to those who regularly smokes marijuana.
In this case, smoking marjuana can cause you to be extremely sick, CHS brings extreme nausea and constant vomiting after using marijuana. If you keep consuming marijuana, the symptoms can last longer, become stronger and can affect you by deterring their mental and physical abilities.” A study from 2012 states that marijuana does not cause the deflation nor destruction of one’s lungs as it is a natural substance. “Low to moderate users actually showed increased lung capacity compared to nonsmokers on two tests, known as FEV1 and FVC. FEV1 is the amount of air someone breathes out in the first second after taking the deepest possible breath; FVC is the total volume of air exhaled after the deepest inhalation” (Szalavitz, 2012).
Marijuana tends to keep its benign “no harm” status, as many believe marijuana is not an addictive drug. This is not true, many people do get addicted or dependent on this substance. Marijuana use can be addictive once adapting somewhat of a tolerance, causing a physical and mental dependence. “Tolerance can develop after a few doses. In some people, tolerance can eventually lead to physical dependence and/or addiction” (Addiction to Cannabis, 2019). The medical term for marijuana addiction is “Cannabis Use Disorder” which characterizes having strong desires to take cannabis, using it uncontrollably and prioritizing its use over obligations.
Marijuana, the natural alternative of over the counter medication, should continue to be used as such because it can produce multiple benefits to one’s health like CBD, induces the reduction of chronic pain from cannabinoids, and it fights symptoms of many diseases.
