Medicinal Properties of Cannabis: Why Is It a Hot Topic in American Congress?

Before, the benefits of marijuana were widely known, in the mid-60s of the 20th century Professor Raphael Mechoulan described the fundamental molecules of marijuana and the endocannabinoid system of the human body that allows its assimilation and therapeutic use.

Currently, dozens of research groups and the most prestigious universities on the planet focus on knowing the mechanisms of interaction of marijuana with the human body to discover its full therapeutic potential and further expand the benefits of marijuana already known for treating different diseases.

The investigation does not stop. Every day there are new studies, and the number of clinical trials in humans grows little by little. The benefits of marijuana are becoming better known. New cannabis is soon to be added to cannabinoid-based medications. There is already a certain consensus among the medical community that cannabis will be part of the official formulary, and patients will have access similar to that of the rest of the drugs sold in pharmacies.

It is why entrepreneurs and businesses are always looking for legal and legislative support in the cannabis sector. With great progress made in the United States in the last decade, the businesses have myriads of opportunities to capitalize on.

This is from hard work and effort put together by experts who lobby in government offices and make Congress and Senate meddle in it. Jay Matos, the Founder of Jay Matos Consulting has practiced as a consultant, helping businesses and dispensaries in the medical and recreational cannabis sector seek compliance and regulation support.

Matos played a pivotal role in passing the legalization bill in Nevada, and it remains one of the strongest highlights of his career. He’s a highly revered compliance expert in the industry whose representation and public assistance has earned him a grand standing within the local cannabis business.

With that being said, let’s look into the medicinal properties of cannabis:

1. Nausea and vomiting

Multiple kinds of research indicate that controlled doses of THC improve the efficacy of other antiemetic drugs when administered together. There is evidence from clinical studies that cannabinoids are also effective for nausea and vomiting secondary to radiation therapy and those that occur in the postoperative period.

Cannabinoids are very popular in traditional medicine and have often been used for nausea caused by other diseases, such as AIDS, hepatitis, and morning sickness.

2. Anorexia and cachexia

Appetite stimulation has been observed as an effect of THC when a total dose of 5 mg has been administered fractionally. When necessary, the daily dose can be increased up to 20 mg. In a long-term study with 94 AIDS patients, the appetite-stimulating effect of THC continued for several months. Satisfactory data on weight gain were also obtained in a study of 15 Alzheimer’s patients who had refused to eat. Furthermore, cannabis derivatives can improve the appetite of patients with cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

3. Spasticity

In many clinical trials with THC, nabilone, and cannabis, a rewarding effect was determined in terms of spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries. Also, an improvement in pain, paresthesia, tremors, and ataxia was also observed.

In popular medicine, there are references to improved sphincter control. There is also some anecdotal evidence of cannabis benefit in spasticity caused by brain injury.

4. Tourette syndrome and other movement diseases

There are some anecdotal reports about the therapeutic benefit of cannabis in Tourette syndrome, dystonia, and tardive dyskinesia. Use in Tourette syndrome is currently being investigated in clinical trials. Benefit in reducing ataxia and tremors has been observed in some MS patients after THC administration. Despite there being published anecdotal cases of improvement in parkinsonism and Huntington’s disease, this data could not be objectified.

5. Pain

Extensive clinical studies have tested the analgesic properties of cannabis derivatives. Possible indications include neurological pain from multiple sclerosis, pain caused by damage to the brachial plexus, in HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, headaches, dysmenorrhea, chronic intestinal inflammation, and neuralgia. For the benefits of Marijuana in fibromyalgia, we collect the testimony of Lola, a fibromyalgia patient whose quality of life changed after learning about cannabis use.

6. Itching

According to small clinical studies, cannabinoids, both generally and topically in the ointment, reduce itching caused by different causes, such as severe itching that occurs in liver diseases.

7. Glaucoma

In 1971, during a methodological investigation of cannabis users’ health effects, cannabis was found to reduce intraocular pressure. In the following 12 years, a large number of studies were carried out with cannabis and different natural and synthetic cannabinoids on the effects on the human body as well as on glaucoma patients, observing that cannabis drops intraocular pressure in a range of 25- 30%, occasionally reaching up to 50%.

8. Epilepsy

Coping with epilepsy is another of the popular therapeutic indications for cannabis. Animal experiments have presented the antiepileptic effect of some cannabinoids, and the anticonvulsant activity of phenytoin and diazepam are enhanced with THC in cannabis. According to a few cases collected throughout the 20th century, through the use of cannabis, some epileptics have been able to fully control symptoms. Cannabis can occasionally precipitate seizures.

9. Asthma

Experiments on the anti-asthmatic effects of THC or cannabis date back mainly to the 1970s and are all rigorous studies. The effects of a cannabis cigarette (2% THC) or oral THC (15 mg), corresponding approximately to the benefit obtained with the therapeutic dose of a regular bronchodilator (salbutamol, isoprenaline). Since inhalation of cannabis products can irritate the mucosal surface, other alternatives for systemic administration should be developed together with the oral route. Some patients experienced bronchoconstriction after inhaling THC.

10. Dependence and withdrawal syndrome

According to cases recorded throughout history and in recent documents, cannabis is a good remedy to combat withdrawal syndrome caused by dependence on benzodiazepines, opiates, and alcohol. For this reason, some have referred to it as the exit door for drugs. In this sense and according to the observed benefits, they can be useful in reducing the physical symptoms and the stress that occurs after leaving the drug of abuse.

11. Psychiatric symptoms

An improvement in mood in reactive depression has been observed in some studies with THC. There are also reported cases of benefit with cannabinoids in other symptoms and psychic diseases, such as sleep disorders, anxiety, bipolar disease, schizophrenic psychosis, and dysthymia. According to some clinical cases, THC is effective in severe compulsive disorders refractory to conventional treatment. Cannabinoids can also reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Different authors have expressed different points of view regarding psychiatric syndromes and cannabis, while some emphasize the problem caused by cannabis, others promote its therapeutic possibilities. Quite possibly, cannabis products can be beneficial or dangerous, depending on the particular case.

12. Other benefits of marijuana and medicinal uses of cannabis

There are a series of cases with good results obtained in medical situations with difficult classification, such as hiccups, high blood pressure, tinnitus, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, restless legs syndrome, among others. Different authors have described hundreds of possible indications for cannabis and THC. An example is the satisfactory treatment of a case of chronic hypo secondary to surgical intervention. No medicine was effective, but after smoking a cannabis cigarette, his symptoms completely disappeared.

Cannabis products often show very good results in diseases with multiple symptoms that fall within the therapeutic spectrum of THC, for example, in painful situations of inflammatory origin (as in arthritis), or that accompany muscle spasms (as in menstrual spasms or spinal cord injuries) or diseases where nausea and anorexia coincide with pain, anxiety, and depression (for example AIDS, cancer, hepatitis C).