Does Marijuana have Medical Value?

Does Marijuana have Medical Value?

You’re sick. Someone offers you marijuana, saying that it will alleviate your suffering. Do you take it? Many patients and doctors have insisted that marijuana is uniquely beneficial, while others say the dangers of cannabis far outweigh the benefits. We know that marijuana is a drug, but is it a medicine?

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Regarding Argument
Marijuana Relieves Pain When Conventional Drugs Fail
- From Marijuana Policy Project
Yes Side
By Marijuana Policy Project - Reforming U.S. Marijuana Laws

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  • flowerchild613
    Conform to FDA scrutiny

    Many of the pain meds available are plant derivitives. If marijuana can pass muster in clinical trials for safety and efficacy, then yes it should be legal. If it must be smoked to be effective, then set up centers (like infusion centers for cancer patients) where delivery system controls the dose. Marijuana is fine if it works.....just play by the rules.

    - flowerchild613US August 23, 2008 2:21AM

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    • clinton
      Actually

      Modern pharmaceuticals have little relationship to their plant origins. They are chemically produced. Yes you start with opium, boiled with slake lime as a starter to make morphine. These drugs are addictive, toxic, and deadly.

      Cannabis is nontoxic, not addictive, and safe. There is a large body of research which shows it's efficacy in treating illnesses. I am a patient and grower in a state where MMJ is allowed. I have seen it destroy cancer, help the wasted to regain weight, stop certain pain better than opiates - I have seen its use in hospice where it greatly relieves the suffering of the dieing.

      It needs not to be smoked to work. In fact the cannabis oils which is mostly non-psychoactive - are very healing. We make our own canibinoids - they are vital to regulating our metabolisms. We are just starting to learn about it.

      You refer to the rules. Those rules were made law when a big lie was sold to Americans in 1936. At that time there was 95 medicines based upon cannabis being sold in the USA. Bayer owned the patent on making hemp oil. Those rules need to be changed. We should all be allowed to grow our own medicine - after all it can only make you feel good.

      clinton

      - clintonUS October 6, 2008 11:17AM

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    • Serothis
      Marinol

      Actually, in 1986 the FDA approved a substance called Dronabinol which is the active ingredient in Marinol. Dronabinol is a synthetic duplicate of THC. Marinol is a schedule III drug . It doesn't get wide use because it's grossly expensive, and it's not as effective as marijuana . The leading hypothesis for explaining that is because Marinol only contains Dronabinol (THC duplicate), whereas marijuana contains numerous cannabinoids such as THC, CBC, CBD and CBN.

      - SerothisUS March 24, 2009 8:52PM

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  • cc76
    it did for me

    I am not a marijuana user. I am a SAHM of 3. I don't drink or do drugs. Of recent I had a root canal go wrong. Nothing relieved the pain. The dr had done a number jabbing me through the bone with his novacaine needle. I was popping advil 3 every four hours to no avail. Finally after 3 days of no sleep and chronic pain I was desperate and asked a friend if I could take a bong hit. I was VERY desperate. I was so sad because between the advil and the antibiotics I had to stop breastfeeding my son. So at this point I was willing to try anything. The advil had dried up my milk supply.
    So with a baby on formula and Dad in charge of taking care of the kids I took one bong hit...within 10-15 minutes my face was numb. I went to sleep and the next day the pain was still there 1 more smoke I was fine the rest of the day until night, I took one more. The next day I felt much better. The pain was distant. I had no desire to smoke any more. I let it clear from my system for a couple days and worked on getting my milk supply back up and resumed breastfeeding. If there was anything in my breastmilk from the marijuana my son showed no difference in personality of patterns. I actually was more fearful over the amount of advil I was taking compared to a few bong hits. So yes I would say medical marijuana is a medicine if used as such. When it impairs your ability to participate in life then no it is abuse just like anyother dr prescribed liver killer. My only regret is that I didn't take it sooner. I live in a state were it is totally illegal. I had no side effects or withdrawal symptoms.

    - cc76US March 21, 2009 11:42PM

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    • Lucky13
      Very useful for pain

      I don't use marijuana either, but have seen it successfully used for intractible pain. My aunt had lymphoma, and could not eat from the nausea the chemo caused her...she tried everything else, and the only thing that helped her deal with the pain and the nausea was a few hits off a joint. My aunt was not a pothead by any means of the word, and I am glad to hear that you were able to get some relief from your botched root canal...that can hurt like hell!

      - Lucky13US March 25, 2009 5:32PM

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  • BJJMikeR
    What is the Answer?

    Over priced, dangerous and addictive perscription pills? No thanks. I'll keep smoking my marijuana whilst the prohibitionist throw their temper tantrums. And you know what? I don't even have a medical condition! Ha! I just like to smoke marijuana! (sticks out tounge and makes raspberry noise)

    - BJJMikeRUS October 15, 2009 9:47AM

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Is Marijuana a Medicine?

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