The potential medical benefits of marijuana and its constituent parts have long been the focus of intense study and discussion. In specific formulations, THC has been shown to have positive medicinal effects. Dronabinol (Marinol®) and nabilone (Cesamet®), two THC-based drugs administered in pill form for the treatment of nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy and to increase appetite in patients with wasting syndrome owing to AIDS, have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Several further marijuana-based medicines have already been authorized or are presently undergoing clinical studies. The mouth spray Nabiximols (Sativex®) mixes THC with cannabidiol (CBD), a substance also present in medical marijuanas australia, to treat the spasticity and neuropathic pain that may accompany multiple sclerosis. It is currently accessible in the UK, Canada, and numerous European nations.
The FDA has also approved the use of Epidiolex®, a liquid CBD-based medicine, to treat Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, two severe forms of pediatric epilepsy. In order to make sure that patients receive the promised advantages, it is being given to them in a consistent dose form and via a repeatable method of administration. The therapeutic effects of THC are not present in CBD.
Researchers believe that using refined compounds from or based on those in the marijuana plant in these drugs has greater therapeutic promise than using the entire marijuana plant or its unprocessed extracts. There are many difficulties in creating medications from botanicals like the marijuana plant. It can be challenging to create a product with precise and reliable doses of the active compounds found in botanicals, which can comprise hundreds of unknown active molecules. Other issues associated with marijuana use as medication include the negative health effects of smoking and cognitive impairment brought on by THC. Even so, an increasing number of jurisdictions have made it lawful to give marijuana or marijuana extracts to persons who have a variety of medical ailments.
The fact that nothing is known regarding the long-term effects of “medical marijuana” usage by those with age- and/or health-related vulnerabilities, such as older adults or those suffering from cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological diseases, is another cause for concern. It will take more investigation to ascertain whether marijuana users are more likely to have negative health effects from their usage if their health has already been harmed by a disease or its treatment (such as chemotherapy).
Results of Prescription Opioid Use and Medical Marijuana Laws
A recent study highlights the need for more investigation into the relationship between medical marijuana laws and opioid overdose deaths and issues a warning about making a causal association between the two. Early studies hypothesized a connection between opioid analgesic overdose mortality and the availability of medical marijuana. In particular, a 2014 NIDA-funded study indicated that, from 1999 to 2010, the rate of opioid painkiller overdose deaths increased more slowly in states with medical cannabis laws than in states without such laws.
