'Therapeutic' reasons for marijuana

• April 18, 2024

Resorting to the use of marijuana to combat certain medical conditions is a topic that divides opinions.

Scientific studies of some of the chemicals in marijuana, calledcannabinoids, have led to the creation of two drugs in the form of pills approved by the FDA (The Food and Drug Administration of the United States).

Interest in the marijuana plant's chemical, cannabidiol (CBD), re-emerged because a US doctor implemented it as a treatment for a girl who had been diagnosed with Dravet's syndrome or myoclonic epilepsy and had not responded to any treatment until the marijuana was administered orally.

A recent study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatric raises the possibility of using it to treat epilepsy in children.

As medical marijuana is more and more accepted, there is a greater interest in testing it in children and adolescents with disorders such as autism, hyperactivity and attention deficit.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) of the United States argues that smoking marijuana would reduce the high pressure of eye fluid that occurs in those who suffer from glaucoma. This plant has also been shown to be able to dissipate certain pain resistant to conventional analgesics, characteristic of those suffering from multiple sclerosis, as well as the nausea experienced by people undergoing aggressive chemotherapy sessions, as well as helping to whet the appetite It could help AIDS patients who suffer a great weight loss, by collaborating in the difficult task of recovering lost muscle mass.

Video Medicine: The Health Effects of Marijuana - Expert Q&A (April 2024).