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Medical marijuana, or medical cannabis, uses the cannabis plant or chemicals in it to treat symptoms or conditions. Medical marijuana mostly comes in the same forms as recreational marijuana, but there are also highly purified and lab-made versions used for certain situations. The cannabis plant contains more than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids. Each one has a different effect on the body. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the main chemicals used in medicine. THC also produces the “high” people feel when they smoke marijuana or eat foods containing it.

What Is Medical Marijuana Used For?

Medical Cannabis is used diversely, countries, where medical marijuana is legal, have approved it for a varying list of conditions. Depending on where you live, these might include:

• Severe and chronic pain
• Multiple sclerosis and muscle spasms
• Severe nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment
• Epilepsy and seizures
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• HIV/AIDS
• Crohn’s disease
• Glaucoma
• Migraine
• Anorexia
• Extreme weight loss and weakness (wasting syndrome)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

It is important to know that many of the uses that states allow aren’t backed by strong scientific evidence. This is partly because researchers find it hard to do studies on a drug that remains illegal under federal law, even when it’s allowed by states. It’s crucial to realize that cannabis is almost always used to treat symptoms — like the muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis and the loss of appetite caused by HIV drugs — rather than the conditions themselves.

Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Cannabinoids, the active chemicals in medical marijuana, are similar to chemicals the body makes that are involved in appetite, memory, movement, and pain. So far, solid studies suggest that these chemicals can:

• Control vomiting in people undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Drugs based on two lab-made forms of THC are FDA-approved for this purpose.
• Modestly reduce pain in people with conditions such as nerve damage, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Reduce muscle spasms in people with multiple sclerosis. (There’s less evidence it helps muscle spasms in people with spinal cord injuries).
• Improve sleep in the short term for people with obstructive sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, or multiple sclerosis.
• Increase appetite and decrease weight loss in people with HIV and AIDS.
• Reduce tics in people with Tourette’s syndrome.
• Reduce anxiety in people with social anxiety disorder.
• Improve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Medical Marijuana Treatment

To take medical marijuana, you can:

• Smoke it
• Vape it (inhale it through a device that turns it into a mist)
• Eat it, in forms such as a brownie, lollipop, or soft candy
• Take it as a pill
• Apply it to your skin using a lotion, spray, oil, or cream
• Place a few drops of a liquid under your tongue
• Insert a suppository in your vagina or anus

You should discuss these methods with your doctor because they work differently in your body and have different pros and cons for different people.

Medical Marijuana Side Effects

Medical marijuana can cause harm. The most serious harms include an increased risk of car crashes in intoxicated users and the risk that children might accidentally ingest these products and have breathing problems and other overdose symptoms. Adults over age 65 may also face an increased risk of injury when using marijuana. Other short-term effects, including some that people enjoy and others that cause distress, can include:

• Euphoria, which means a strong sense of happiness or well-being
• Altered senses, such as seeing brighter colors or smelling stronger odors
• An altered sense of space and time
• Impaired memory and thinking
• Confusion and disorientation
• Poor muscle coordination
• Relaxation or sleepiness
• Dizziness
• Panic attacks
• Dry mouth
• Increased heart rate
• Increased appetite
• Slower reaction times