Clinical applications
“Victoria”, the United States’ first legal medical marijuana plant grown by The Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana.
A 2002 review of medical literature by Franjo Grotenhermen states that medical cannabis has established effects in the treatment of nausea, vomiting, premenstrual syndrome, unintentional weight loss, insomnia, and lack of appetite. Other “relatively well-confirmed” effects were in the treatment of “spasticity, painful conditions, especially neurogenic pain, movement disorders, asthma, [and] glaucoma”.
Preliminary findings indicate that cannabis-based drugs could prove useful in treating inflammatory bowel disease, migraines, fibromyalgia, and related conditions.[8]
Medical cannabis has also been found to relieve certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis[9] and spinal cord injuries by exhibiting antispasmodic and muscle-relaxant properties as well as stimulating appetite.
Other studies state that cannabis or cannabinoids may be useful in treating alcohol abuse,[13] amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,[14][15] collagen-induced arthritis,[16]asthma,[17] atherosclerosis,[18] bipolar disorder,[19][20] colorectal cancer,[21] HIV-Associated Sensory Neuropathy[22] depression,[23][24][25][26] dystonia,[27]epilepsy,[28][29][30] digestive diseases,[31] gliomas,[32][33] hepatitis C,[34] Huntington’s disease,[35] leukemia,[36] skin tumors,[37] methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),[38] Parkinson’s disease,[39] pruritus,[40][41] posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),[42] psoriasis,[43] sickle-cell disease,[44] sleep apnea,[45] andanorexia nervosa.[46] Controlled research on treating Tourette syndrome with a synthetic version of tetrahydrocannabinol, (brand name Marinol) (the main psychoactive chemical found in cannabis), showed the patients taking Marinol had a beneficial response without serious adverse effects;[47][48] other studies have shown that cannabis “has no effects on tics and increases the individuals inner tension”.[49] Case reports found that cannabis helped reduce tics, but validation of these results requires longer, controlled studies on larger samples.[50][51]
A study done by Craig Reinarman surveyed among why people in California used cannabis and it found many reasons why people had used cannabis. It was used to relieve pain, muscle spasms, headaches, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, depression, cramps, panic attacks, diarrhea, and itching. Others used cannabis to improve sleep, relaxation, appetite, concentration or focus, and energy. Some patients used it to prevent medication side effects, anger, involuntary movements, and seizures, while others used it as a substitute for other prescription medications and alcohol.[52]
