There are more and more reports of the remarkable therapeutic effects of marijuana in modern medicine, for example in the treatment of severe epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. However, apart from its advantages, it also undoubtedly has toxic properties. What is the phenomenon of cannabis and what is the so-called medical marijuana?

An important voice in the discussion about the medical usefulness of marijuana is the opinion of an independent commission established in 1999 by the White House. It states that the benefits of smoking cannabis are limited by the toxic effects of the smoke, but can be given under close supervision to patients who do not respond to other treatments.

The use of the term " medicinal marijuana " is somewhat of an abuse because it is one plant but, like there is one opium poppy, it comes in different varieties. Poppy seeds can be used to bake a cake or to produce morphine. It's the same with hemp, or marijuana.

400 chemicals identified in hemp ( Cannabis sativa )

Cannabinoids, which were only identified in the 1960s, have psychoactive properties. Cannabis also contains a large group of terpene compounds and flavonoids called smaller cannabinoids, which also have a pharmacological effect and complement the pharmacological activity of marijuana.

The narcotic drug marijuana is dried and sometimes fermented female cannabis inflorescences containing high levels of cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids are divided into three groups. Phytocannabinoids occur naturally in the cannabis plant. The best known are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Endogenous cannabinoids are found in animals and humans. Synthetic cannabinoids are made in laboratories and are modeled on those found in plants or living organisms.

We all have natural cannabinoid receptors

Both humans and animals have two types of cannabinoid receptors - CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found in many tissues, but most abundantly in the central and peripheral nervous systems. They are especially numerous in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, cerebellum and cerebral cortex. It is worth adding that these receptors are also found in the testes, uterus,the vascular endothelium, eyeballs, spleen, intestines and adipocytes, i.e. cells that store simple fats (triglycerides). CB2 receptors are located mainly in peripheral tissues that play the role of the immune system - the spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, appendix and lymphoid tissue of other organs. They were also found in the central nervous system. One of the functions of CB2 receptors is to control the release of cytokines, i.e. proteins involved in the immune response.

Our natural (endogenous) cannabinoid system is constantly involved in many important functions, e.g. in pain control, not feeling it in stressful situations. It is believed to maintain a constant analgesic, or analgesic, tension in the body. When this tension decreases, treatment-resistant chronic pain (such as migraine or fibromyalgia) develops.

Cannabis helps in the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Researchers of the medicinal use of marijuana have no doubt that it can be helpful in many conditions. In the book "Cannabis Pharmacy", published in 2014, Michael Backes describes the many uses of cannabis compounds for medicinal purposes. Due to the large number of cannabinoid receptors in the skin, treatment with marijuana may be useful in combating eczema and psoriasis. Hemp oil helps soothe acne, itching and inflammation. Cannabis also helps people with asthma because it has the properties of dilating the bronchioles.

When the immune system attacks its own tissues, autoimmune diseases develop. So it was assumed that since cannabinoid receptors affect cells of the immune system, cannabinoids themselves can act as immunosuppressants and limit the damage caused by autoimmunity. In clinical trials, marijuana has been successfully used to treat gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer disease. The mechanisms of treatment are not fully known yet, but marijuana relieves pain and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and also stimulates the appetite, which is helpful in maintaining weight.

Important

The history of marijuana goes on and onWe are not discovering the medicinal benefits of marijuana. They were known much earlier. In the years 1840-1900, over 100 articles describing the use of marijuana in the treatment of many diseases were published in medical journals of the USA and Europe. They were used in the treatment of skin inflammation, urinary incontinence and venereal diseases. The marijuana streak lasted until 1934, when it was legally banned in the United States. The first one was signed in 1961international treaty prohibiting the production and supply of substances considered narcotic. In addition to heroin, ecstasy, LSD, GHB and peyote, marijuana is also completely prohibited. Today, marihualna is allowed to be treated in many medical centers. In some cases with great success.

When does medicinal marijuana help?

  • Spectacular effects have been achieved in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. In one of the little patients, after using the substances contained in marijuana, the number of attacks decreased by 90 percent.
  • Cannabis can also help fight Alzheimer's disease by reducing the number of beta-amyloid plaques that are believed to cause the disease.
  • There is also ongoing research into the use of marijuana in the treatment of diabetes. It turns out that people who smoke pot are less prone to fluctuations in blood insulin levels.
  • There is also a lot of talk about the properties that lower blood cholesterol levels, especially in people with hereditary high levels of cholesterol.
  • There is also evidence that marijuana treats glaucoma as THC lowers pressure inside the eye.
  • In the case of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. in MS), the analgesic and antispastic effect is particularly useful, especially for reducing painful muscle spasms.
  • The beneficial effects of cannabis in the symptomatic treatment of neoplastic diseases: pain, vomiting, loss of appetite are indisputable. It is more and more often said that cannabinoids can destroy cancer cells, which is why they are used in the treatment of breast cancer. In addition, marijuana-based drugs work well for patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced pain.

Joint will not replace drugs made from marijuana

You have to pay PLN 2,600 for a monthly treatment with a cannabinoid preparation registered in Poland. It's expensive, so supporters of marijuana legalization believe that anyone in need should have the right to buy at a pharmacy or grow a plant for their own needs.

Unfortunately, smoking pot and taking cannabinoid drugs cannot be equated. Puffing in smoke is harmful. It is also difficult to estimate the dose of the inhaled active substance, especially since the species of cannabis also counts - one has more, the other has less active substance. On the other hand, drugs contain standardized amounts of THC and CBD, with the appropriate proportions between them, which is important in therapy.

The absorption time is also important. Absorption of inhaled with smoke THC occurs after severalseconds, and the maximum concentration in the blood serum is reached after several minutes. Psychotropic effects are maximal after 15-30 minutes and disappear within 2-3 hours.

When administered orally, the effects appear after 30-90 minutes, are maximal after 2-3 hours and last 4-12 hours. Cannabinoids administered in the form of a mouth spray are usually used in 8-10 doses staggered over time, thanks to which the toxic dose is not exceeded. In addition, the CBD contained in the drug neutralizes the psychoactive effects of THC. So the drug does not get you high and is not attractive to non-medical cannabinoids.

Important

Marijuana in Poland: unclear lawsPolish drug law is one of the strictest in Europe. The Act of 2005 has been amended many times, but many provisions are still imprecise. The aim of all amendments was to adapt the law to new medical knowledge and the possibility of using psychoactive substances in treatment. The amendment, which was made in 2011, allows the possibility of waiving prosecution in some cases for the possession of a small amount of drugs for personal use. The new provisions did not specify what should be understood as "a small amount", therefore, in 2012, another draft was submitted to the Sejm, in which an attempt was made to explain the concept of "small amount" (it failed, currently only on the basis of court judgments it can be concluded that "a small amount" is less than 5 g of marijuana, and a "large amount" is one that is enough to intoxicate several dozen people), but also it was proposed to introduce the possibility of using and growing cannabis by people with appropriate medical indications and prescriptions. We will have to wait for the final legal decisions. Most importantly, the discussion is no longer just around the use of marijuana in medicine, but about how to make it available. This is extremely important, because currently a drug made on the basis of marijuana in Poland is very expensive and little known to doctors. Other drugs not registered in Poland may be imported to the so-called target import, i.e. it is necessary to use a special procedure. Another possibility is the purchase of prescription drugs in the country where they are authorized (transporting drugs across the border is legal in the Schengen area, but you must have a special certificate on the use of the preparation for personal use for medical purposes).

Non-medical uses of marijuana

Marijuana has many uses - however, most only associate this herb as a recreational drug. Hear what it can be used formarijuana.

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