Marijuana demonstrates an aptitude for several applications of medical use. It has been used to combat, nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain associated with cancer and aids. THC already exists in synthetic pill form sold on the market as Marinol. From 1996 to 2001 eight states approved the use of medical marijuana in the U.S (Mack & Joy, 2001).

Pain Relief

THC has shown a great deal of promise in the area of pain relief. THC has less of a potential for physical dependence and is more resistant to tolerance build-up. Cannabiniods relieve pain through a different mechanism than opiates. This finding has led to the suggestion that pain killer pills could employ THC as well as an opiate to provide a more holistic pain relief. Cancer and AIDS patients have been largely resistant to opiate based pain relievers due to the chronic nature of their pain and the build up of tolerance to opiates. It has been demonstrated that 10 milligrams of THC produces the relief of 60 milligrams of codeine as rated in self report by a large sample of cancer patients. Cannabiniod receptors are abundant in peripheral nerves that detect pain. Animal studies suggest THC can block some peripheral nerve pain. Cancer patients also reported a greater sense of well being and lower anxiety in relation to the THC verse codeine (Mack & Joy, 2001).

Migraines

A high density of cannabinoid receptors are present in the periaqueductal gray region of the brain. This brain area is supposedly the spot of origin for migraines. Marijuana has been shown to reduce migraine pains as well as, and in some cases better than the leading migraine medications (Mack & Joy, 2001).

Cancer & AIDS, Nausea & Vomiting

Marijuana has long been associated with the “munchies” for the majority of recreational marijuana smokers. This is not a myth; marijuana has proven to statistically increase human appetite. This is an important factor for the sufferers of AIDS and Cancer, which whom most of suffer from a loss of appetite and nausea. Marinol (pharmaceutical THC) has demonstrated experimentally to stimulate appetite and reduce nausea. This helps prevent against wasting which consists of a drop in lean body mass and liver (cachexia) and an overall drop in weight. Wasting is one of the foremost causes of deaths in both cancer and AIDS patients. THC has also been shown to reduce vomiting (emesis), although not as effectively as today’s best medicine (Joy, Watson, and Benson, 1999).

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis has no know cure. It is a degenerative disease in which nerves in the CNS are inflames and die leaving scars on the CNS. An immune malfunction occurs and results in the eventual destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding the neurons. This lack of myelin sheath inhibits the ability to transmit signals. Eventually the damaged neurons die. Some common resulting effects of MS are loss of voluntary muscle control, muscle spasticity, coordinational difficulties, vision difficulties, depression and fatigue (Mack & Joy, 2001). A survey in done in 1997 (Consroe et. al., as cited in Mack & Joy, 2001) found that out of 112 Multiple Sclerosis (MS) suffers that smoke marijuana, nearly every participant said that muscle pain and spasticity diminished under the influence of THC. It is thought that muscle spacticity and coordinational deficits arise in the sclerosis (scaring) of the cerebellum and other spatially coordinating areas. These areas are particularly high in cannabinoid receptors, which by be the reason THC minimizes in some way MS symptoms (Mack and Joy, 2001).

Glaucoma



Glaucoma is an eye disorder that affects the intraocular pressure of patient’s eyes. The most common form of glaucoma is (POAG) Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. Unfortunately this disorder is progressive in nature causing the symptoms to worsen as the days pass on. The disorder is caused by restriction of fluid drainage out of the eye; this in turn reduces the flow of nutrients to the optic nerve. Multiple clinical studies have revealed that cannabinoids (marijuana) reduce intraocular pressure that is formed from the lack of drainage (Mack, 2001).