5 Science-Backed Benefits Of Marijuana

Updated on January 28, 2020

Even though the attitude towards the consumption of marijuana for medical purposes is slowly changing, there are still people who are opposed to it and scoff every time they pass next to one of the Las Vegas marijuana shops. The reason behind it is usually the fact that instead of looking deeper into the matter, they stick to the wrong idea that they have about cannabis. 

However, science is on the side of the advocates of marijuana’s legalization, as plenty of studies have confirmed and gave proof of the beneficial effect cannabis has on the human body. And even though more research is still needed, some benefits have substantial evidence behind them. 

For example, researchers have proved that marijuana can be used in case of… 

Nausea

One of the things that we are certain of when it comes to cannabis’ health benefits is its usefulness when it comes to treating nausea, which has been confirmed by several studies and clinical trials throughout the years. However, it’s important to remember that nausea is just a symptom, and cannabis can provide relief from it, but it cannot stop or change the cause of it. 

One of the earliest studies regarding this matter comes from 1975 when three researchers found out that all of the participants of their research have found relief from nausea when using certain types of THC. A more recent study found that one of the types of CBD can also work as an antiemetic. 

Problems With Appetite

It is common knowledge that people who smoke marijuana have an increased appetite, as they experience the so-called “munchies”, which by definition is a sudden, strong desire for food. However, few know what’s the reason behind it. 

Marijuana improves appetite because:

  • It enhances the person’s sense of smell, which affect the flavour of the food and makes it more tasteful
  • medical marijuana causes a hormone called ghrelin to be produced, which spreads through the body and makes the person hungry 
  • When medical marijuana is consumed, the brain produces dopamine – a chemical that makes us feel happy – which makes the brain create a positive association with marijuana consumption

Many studies have been conducted regarding this matter. One of the recent ones revealed that THC, which is one of the components of marijuana, slows down the neurons in the brain that signalizes to a person that they are full. 

Chronic Pain 

Chronic pain can easily make anyone’s life miserable, especially since it usually lasts for several months. Not only does it affect your physical state, but it can also easily affect your psychic by making you feel anxiety or develop depression. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people have tried everything in their power to find an effective treatment – cannabis being among the things they’ve tried. 

And it turns out that it was a bull’s eye. Cannabis has drastically decreased the number of people that suffered from chronic pain. Furthermore, chronic pain is nowadays one of the main reasons people consume medical marijuana. 

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an illness that attacks your nerves, spinal cord and brain. Some of the symptoms of MS include pain and spasticity, which every person suffering from this disease will experience at some point. 

An influential group of scientific institutions concluded that marijuana could help ease the stiffness and muscle spasms that are very common symptoms of multiple sclerosis. There is also some evidence that it can help in handling the sleeping problems and fibromyalgia. 

Seizures

Over the years, there have been countless studies regarding whether cannabis can be used to treat epilepsy. In 2017, a study was performed on 120 children and young adults who were given either CBD or a placebo. The purpose of the study was to see if there will be a change in the number of convulsive-seizures. The results showed that 43% of people using CBD had at least a 50% reduction, while 5% of people became seizure-free. On the other hand, in case of those who were using a placebo, 27% experienced a 50% reduction, and 0% became seizure-free. 

Its usefulness has been further proved in June of 2018 when the FDA approved Epidiolex, which is a purified extract CBD extract coming from the cannabis plant. 

Conclusion 

Even though some people are still skeptical when it comes to using cannabis for medical purposes, they cannot deny the health benefits that it brings – especially since several studies and researches have confirmed some of them. 

There are over 400 compounds in the marijuana plant, many of which could bring more health benefits to people – that’s one of the reasons as to why further research is needed. However, since marijuana is still considered as a Schedule 1 drug by the FDA (apart from Epidiolex), it is tough to conduct it. 

Fortunately, many people are slowly changing their mind, and more of them start thinking that medical marijuana should be legal. So who knows – maybe one day even the FDA will think so and will make the research easier. Only time will tell. 

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