Medical marijuana or cannabis is legal in over 25 states and has long been used to cure different illnesses in China, the United States, Japan and other parts of the world. However, some say that it is of no legitimate therapeutic value and should be banned permanently. Some states even say that marijuana or cannabis has the high potential for abuse and is suitable for nothing. Irish doctor William O’Shaughnessy was the first to launch different varieties of cannabis in America, India, and England. In the 20th century, with new drugs being introduced, the attitude of people toward marijuana changed to an extent. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not mention medical marijuana in its guidelines, proving that the substance was of no value. In this post, we will look at the pros and cons of marijuana and try to understand whether it is beneficial for human health or not.
The medical advantages of cannabis or marijuana
Researchers have yielded a number of results to support their arguments regarding the health benefits of marijuana. They claim that this can help cure the following illnesses.
- Multiple sclerosis
Using cannabis for a few days, once the doctor allows, can improve the symptoms and signs of multiple sclerosis. Experts suggest that cannabis must be used if someone has multiple sclerosis for months and all other treatments have failed.
- Epilepsy
The previous year, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that cannabidiol, a compound present in cannabis, can help treat a large number of diseases especially epilepsy. Children and teenagers in the United States suffer from epilepsy in a large number, but it has not been revealed whether marijuana should be recommended to them or not.
- Chronic diseases
Previously, experts from American and European universities mutually conducted a research project and came up with the conclusion that marijuana can help treat chronic diseases especially chronic pain that might cause disability in a large number of people.
- Depression, anxiety, and restlessness
It’s safe to say that drug addiction and alcoholism lead to feelings of restlessness and hopelessness. Some people may not consider it a disease, but it actually is one of the most severe mental disorders. a study published in the Clinical Psychology journal proves that medical marijuana or cannabis can help get rid of all types of addictions that eventually cause depression, anxiety, and restlessness in different addicts.
- Cancer
Cancer has long been cured with chemotherapy and radiation. However, studies reveal that cannabis can help recover from the disease at a fast speed. It means patients suffering from breast cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, blood cancer or other types of cancer may opt for medical marijuana after the recommendation of their doctors.
The medical disadvantages of cannabis or marijuana
Besides its so many benefits, medical marijuana has some disadvantages too. A plethora of studies found that marijuana might cause serious physical and mental problems. Some of them have been discussed below.
- Ovarian cancer
A significant number of studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that cannabis can cause ovarian cancer in women especially young girls. According to the National Academies of Sciences, women using marijuana on a regular basis may lose their power of producing babies and have to suffer from ovarian cancer, which can eventually cause death. In addition, the use of cannabis is forbidden because it can cause testicular cancer.
- Respiratory disorder
Regular and long-term smoking of marijuana increases the risks of respiratory diseases especially chronic cough and asthma. A study published in 2015 suggested that lung disease has a strong link with that of marijuana, meaning its significant use can lead to lung cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease or other similar complication.
- Sleeping problem
Do you find it difficult to sleep at night? Are you having breathing problem while trying to sleep? If it is so, then the chance is that you are using marijuana in a large quantity and this has led you to suffer from the sleeping problem. Various people in the world buy weed and smoke it day and night and their too much dependence on this substance causes sleeping disorders, which eventually leads to stress. Thus, you should either lower your reliance on cannabis or consult a doctor as soon as possible to get rid of the disease before it’s too late and you develop some severe illnesses too.
- Bipolar disorder
Using marijuana or cannabis on a daily basis may cause bipolar disease. This mental health problem has taken a severe form of recent years. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that people using marijuana every day have high risks of developing the bipolar disease.
- Schizophrenia
Just like the bipolar disease, cannabis or marijuana may cause psychosis especially schizophrenia in a large number of people. As of now, there is no evidence regarding what types of measures need to be taken to deal with schizophrenia. Experts have only been able to claim that marijuana can damage one’s memory and reduce his brain power to an extent.
Conclusion — Is cannabis bad or good for human health?
There has been a debate over the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana. For some people, it may prove to be beneficial, but for the others, it will certainly be harmful. We would have to understand that the excessive use of anything is bad, so as of marijuana. The notion that this can cure all types of cancer has nothing to do with reality because cannabis does cause ovarian cancer in women and testicular cancer in men. Plus, even when it has a lot of health benefits, we may never be able to recommend marijuana or cannabis to our children and teenagers. That’s because they are likely to increase their dependence on this substance and may lose interest in studies, until or unless marijuana is not provided to them in the required quantity. Thus, we can say that marijuana has more disadvantages than that of advantages. In various parts of the world, it has already been banned, so those 25 states where marijuana has been legalized cannot be counted toward the total number. From a positive point of view, it may help recover from depression and anxiety, but at the same time, it causes stress too, which is a severe mental disease and should be treated with another, reliable product. In conclusion, we can say that our too much dependence on marijuana or cannabis might cause severe complications. Even when we plan to use it to cure an illness, we should never opt for the substance without the written permission of a doctor.