What
Is Medical Marijuana?
Medical marijuana is any part of the
marijuana plant that you use to treat health problems. People use it to get
relief from their symptoms, not to try to get high.
Most marijuana that's sold legally
as medicine has the same ingredients as the kind that people use for pleasure.
But some medical marijuana is specially grown to have less of the chemicals
that cause feelings of euphoria.
Ingredients
in Medical Marijuana
Marijuana plants have hundreds of
chemicals, known as cannabinoids. The two main ones are THC and
CBD. THC gives
some of the pleasurable effects that pot smokers are looking for, but it also
has some effects that may treat medical problems.
Some research suggests that CBD may
be helpful for some health issues, but it doesn't cause you to get high.
How
Marijuana Works on the Brain
People who smoke marijuana begin to
feel its effects almost immediately, while those who eat it may not feel it for
up to an hour.
When you smoke pot, THC goes from
your lungs to the bloodstream and causes your brain cells to release the
chemical dopamine, leaving you feeling high.
Experts know less about how CBD
works. They think it may work sometimes with THC, and sometimes on its own, to
have an effect on the brain.
Uses
for Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana may help ease
pain, nausea, and loss of appetite in people who have cancer and HIV. There's
not a lot of research on these areas yet, though.
Some research suggests medical
marijuana may cut down seizures in people with epilepsy. Some studies show it
also may ease multiple sclerosis symptoms like muscle stiffness and spasms,
pain, and frequent urination.
Short-Term
Side Effects
Medical marijuana can change your
mood, making you feel happy, relaxed, sleepy, or anxious. It can also disrupt
your short-term memory and decision-making ability. These side effects can last
1 to 3 hours.
Large doses of medical marijuana can
make some people have hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Research
suggests that smoking marijuana can make breathing problems, like bronchitis,
worse.
Long-Term
Side Effects
Regular smokers of medical marijuana
may get respiratory problems, such as a daily cough and a higher risk of lung
infections.
Studies also link routine use to
mental illness, depression, anxiety, less motivation, and suicidal thoughts
among young people. Marijuana use during pregnancy can raise the risk of health
problems in babies. Marijuana use can result in addiction.
Drugs
Made From Marijuana
The FDA has approved two drugs that
include ingredients also found in marijuana. Dronabinol has THC and is used to
treat nausea from chemotherapy and extreme weight loss in AIDS patients.
Nabilone is used for the same
reasons, but it has a man-made chemical that's similar to THC.
Forms
of Medical Marijuana
Users smoke medical marijuana in
paper-rolled cigarettes or pipes.
You can also brew it into a
beverage, eat it in cooked foods, or take it in pill form. The effects of a
marijuana pill can be strong and long-lasting. This makes it hard to predict
how it will affect a person.
You can also inhale it through
vaporizers.
Where
Medical Marijuana Is Legal
California voters were the first to
legalize medical marijuana, in 1996. It's now legal in almost half of U.S.
states.
If you live in a state where it's
legal and your doctor has OK'd it, you can buy it from an authorized seller
known as a dispensary. Some people may legally grow their own medical
marijuana.
Medical
Marijuana for Children
Some studies suggest medical
marijuana may help relieve seizures in children with hard-to-treat epilepsy.
A type of medical marijuana known as
"Charlotte's Web" may help kids without getting them high, because
the strain has very little THC.
Source: Web MD
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