For example , cannabis has been found useful in the treatment of :
• Mental disorders , including posttraumatic stress disorder , mood disorders and Tourette ’ s syndrome
• Seizure disorders such as epilepsy
• Pain ( in one study , three puffs of marijuana a day for five days decreased chronic nerve pain )
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spasticity , dystonia and tremors
• Heart disease
• Multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune issues
• Autism
• Parkinson ’ s disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Cancer , including melanoma , leukemia and cancers of the brain , breast , prostate , lung , head and neck , thyroid , colon and pituitary
• Nausea , vomiting and lack of appetite
• Insomnia
• Glaucoma
• HIV / AIDS
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Crohn ’ s disease
• Anorexia
• Alzheimer ’ s disease ( the U . S . government , through the Department of Health and Human Services , holds a patent on CBD as a neuroprotectant )
• Hepatitis-C
• Cachexia ( wasting syndrome )
• Asthma
• Drug dependency and withdrawal
• High blood pressure
Among the most exciting research is that on cancer . Not only does cannabis help with the unpleasant side effects of traditional chemotherapy ( including pain , nausea and insomnia ), but the cannabis itself appears to be a natural chemotherapy agent .
Researchers have found cannabis is proapoptotic , meaning it triggers cellular suicide of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched , and anti-angiogenic , meaning it cuts off a tumour ’ s blood supply . Dozens of studies point to marijuana ’ s effectiveness against many different types of cancer . For example , Harvard researchers found THC cuts tumour growth in lung cancer while significantly reducing its ability to spread .
Medicinal Marijuana Can Help Stem Death Toll From Narcotic Pain Killers Another area where cannabis offers great hope is in the treatment of pain . Overdoses from narcotic pain killers are now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50 , and pharmaceuticals in general have for decades been among the leading causes of death in the U . S . According to Dr . Margaret Gedde , owner and founder of Gedde Whole Health and the Clinicians ’ Institute of Cannabis Medicine , research clearly confirms that cannabis is safer and less toxic than many prescription drugs . This includes liver and kidney toxicity , gastrointestinal damage , nerve damage and death . Moreover , cannabinoids often work when pharmaceutical drugs fail , so not only is cannabis safer but it ’ s typically more effective . Besides treating intractable seizures , one of the strongest areas of research regarding marijuana ’ s health benefits is pain control .
In 2010 , the Centre for Medical Cannabis Research released a report on 14 clinical studies about the use of marijuana for pain , most of which were FDA-approved , doubleblind and placebo-controlled . The report revealed that marijuana not only controls pain but in many cases , it does so better than pharmaceutical alternatives . If you compare opioids to marijuana , marijuana is unquestionably safer .