What is Legal Cannabis Used for?
Legal cannabis, whether in the form of medical marijuana or recreational marijuana, is becoming more available around the world. But why do people use it? How do they use it, and what are its benefits? What about its downsides? In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more. Read on!
What is Legal Cannabis?
Legal cannabis, or medical marijuana, uses the marijuana plant and the chemicals in it as treatment for specific conditions and diseases. It also comes in the form of recreational marijuana.
But how does it work? Marijuana contains over 100 cannabinoids, and each of them have different effects on the human body. In medical marijuana, the most active chemicals are the Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the chemical that induces the feeling of being high when smoking marijuana or eating foods containing it.
What is Legal Cannabis Used for?
Legal cannabis is available to people in specific places. If you’re in the UK, you can get it from a good Cannabis clinic in London. People use it to treat various conditions, and researchers have gathered some evidence that it can treat diseases like:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Loss of appetite
- Cancer
- Crohn’s disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Eating disorders like anorexia
- Glaucoma
- Epilepsy
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
- Muscle spasms
- Pain
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Wasting syndrome
The cannabinoids in legal cannabis and medical marijuana resemble bodily chemicals that induce appetite, aid movements, and dampen pain. Some research suggest that cannabinoids can also:
- Decrease anxiety
- Reduce inflammation
- Relieve pain
- Control vomiting and nausea due to cancer chemotherapy
- Kill cancer cells
- Slow down the growth of tumors
- Relax tight muscles for people with MS
- Improve weight gain
- Stimulate appetite
Certain legal cannabis-based drugs have also proven to help people, specifically children, who have severe or hard-to-treat seizure disorders. Epidiolex is one such drug; people claim to have eased their seizures after taking this cannabis-based drug.
How Can You Take Legal Cannabis
You can take legal cannabis or medical marijuana is various ways, such as:
- Smoking it
- Inhaling it through weed vapes
- Eating it in the form of a brownie or lollipop
- Using it as an ointment, spray, oil, or cream
- Placing a few drops of its liquid form under your tongue
Each method works differently with your body. Vaporizing or smoking legal marijuana allows for a much faster effect. Eating it takes longer. The symptom relief will also vary.
Potential Side Effects
Although legal cannabis has proven to have many benefits, they aren’t free of side effects and downsides. These include:
- A decline in short-term memory health
- Impairment of cognitive abilities
- Damage in your lung tissue
- Increase in lung cancer risk
- Impairment of driving skills
Another practical downside of legal cannabis is that it’s not legal everywhere (despite its name). For instance, under the US federal law, marijuana is still illegal.
Other physical downsides include:
- Having bloodshot eyes
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Hallucinations
- Low blood pressure
- Dizziness
Marijuana also has a high potential for abuse among users. The National Institute for Drug Abuse reports that marijuana is addictive and often cites it as a gateway drug to other types of stronger, more dangerous drugs. According to experts, the high level of THC chemicals in legal cannabis makes users more dependent on it, which prevents them from stopping its usage even after their symptoms disappear.
In the end, while legal cannabis is becoming increasingly available in many countries and regions, more studies are still needed to understand its benefits. The clinical research done to prove or disprove the effectiveness of medical marijuana have also been restrictive and limited, partly due to the legal challenges imposed on the substance. Until now, expert reviews continue to advocate for better and more conclusive research into legal cannabis use.
