The Medical Values of Cannabis
The hemp family includes the plant Cannabis sativa. This plant is popularly called marijuana. It has been a controversy around the world for many years. The Chinese used Cannabis as long as seven thousand years ago. It is called Huang Ma in Chinese. The Chinese used marijuana for its comforting effects that are produced when one consumes it. During World War II when hemp and other fibers from the Philippines were scarce American farmers were paid to grow hemp. All of the different hemp plants produce superior quality natural fibers. However, among the hemp family most do not produce significant amounts of the chemical that has psychotropic and medical properties, which is named tetrahydrocannabinol, or abbreviated THC. Interestingly the very best fiber is produced by the marijuana variety, which also has high amounts of THC.
Marijuana has largely been made illegal around the world in recent decades. It is often grouped together with far more dangerous and addictive substances like cocaine, opium, etc. The recreational use of alcoholic beverages is more dangerous for one’s health and as the cause of antisocial behavior. Marijuana can be considered beneficial because it is able to help mitigate symptoms and conditions in a number of diseases such as anorexia, epilepsy, AIDS, glaucoma, various carcinomas and chronic pain. Consuming marijuana has often caused psychological dependencies. However, technically speaking marijuana is not generally physiologically addictive.
Marijuana is a natural plant and it has many beneficial pharmaceutical properties. Consequently medical marijuana should ideally be allowed for medicinal uses. Many products from the pharmaceutical industry, including over-the-counter drugs, are actually quite toxic and dangerous, yet physicians are permitted to legally prescribe these dangerous substances. In one year in the United States at least 350,000 patients under doctor’s care die from drug interactions and errors in dosage. Many states do not allow cannabis to be used for its medicinal properties despite its comparative safety. However, a growing number of states now have legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Because of attempts to suppress alternative and holistic medical treatments Big Pharma has increasingly come under attack, eventually freedom of the individual to choose his or her own medical treatment modalities and therapies will triumph.
