Medicinal marijuana is a term that has been in the news over the past few years for various reasons. Several states in the US have already legalized medicinal marijuana while others may be on the way to doing so. For the uninitiated, marijuana or weed is made from dried seeds, flowers, stems and leaves of the cannabis plant. It is also known by other names such as pot and hash and is primarily used for recreational purposes as it is a drug that provides a ?high?. While it is not a new discovery, weed has been a topic of discussion lately on account of the demand to legalize marijuana.
Today, we answer the all important question ? what is the difference between medicinal marijuana and recreational marijuana. The answer is quite simple actually ? Nothing.?Medicinal marijuana is when weed or recreational marijuana is used for medicinal purposes.?Marijuana has a number of unexpected health benefits?which is why it is considered as an important drug in medicine.
It helps treat ailments like:
- Alzheimer?s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscle spasms
- Cancer
- Pain relief
While it has not been medically proven to treat all of these ailments, there have been individual narratives of people finding some relief. What can be said with quite certainty though is that cannabis has the ability to reduce chronic pain, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, and muscle spasms caused from MS. It may also help prevent Diabetes as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in cannabis may help regulate insulin in the body. Since cannabis lowers pressure on the eyeballs, it may also help in cure of Glaucoma which is an eye disease caused by excessive pressure on the eyeballs. Perhaps the most important medicinal use of marijuana though is that it can fight cancer cells. A study conducted in 2012 hinted that a compound in marijuana can restrict the metastasis in certain types of aggressive cancer. Researchers in the United Kingdom were able to successfully use marijuana to kill cancer cells in Leukemia patients. With such wide medicinal benefits of the drug, it is natural that more and more countries are considering legalizing it. However, since marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug like heroin and LSD, several states and countries are skeptical about the move.
