Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions. Each of these applications has been deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature, and/or government agency in the United States.
Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.
People currently suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, for whom the legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options:
1. Continue to suffer without effective treatment; or
2. Illegally obtain marijuana and risk the consequences associated with its illegality, such as:
- AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications. Observational research has found that by relieving these side effects, medical marijuana increases the ability of patients to stay on life-extending treatment. (See also CHRONIC PAIN below.)
- HEPATITIS C. As with AIDS, marijuana can relieve the nausea and vomiting caused by treatments for hepatitis C. In a study published in September 2006, European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, patients using marijuana were better able to complete their medication regimens, leading to a 300% improvement in treatment success.
- GLAUCOMA. Marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure, alleviating the pain and slowing—and sometimes stopping — damage to the eyes. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the UnitedStates. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)
- CANCER. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.
- CROHN’S DISEASE. A placebo-controlled clinical trial that was published in 2013 found that complete remission was achieved in five out of 11 subjects who were administered cannabis, compared to one of the10 who received a placebo.
- MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)
- EPILEPSY. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.
- CHRONIC PAIN. Marijuana can alleviate chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries. Since 2000, seven published clinical trials have found that marijuana effectively relieves neuropathic pain (pain cause by nerve injury), a particularly hard to treat type of pain that afflicts millions suffering from diabetes, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses. In addition, a yearlong trial in Canada that was published in 2015 found that marijuana reduced chronic pain and had a reasonable safety profile.
Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.
People currently suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, for whom the legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options:
1. Continue to suffer without effective treatment; or
2. Illegally obtain marijuana and risk the consequences associated with its illegality, such as:
- Arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, criminal record, loss of benefits, and loss of employment or professional license;
- Insufficient supply and/or inflated prices that result from marijuana prohibition; and
- Impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana