Cannabis Verstile In Medicine
Until recently, the medicinal properties of marijuana and cannabinoids have fallen out of favor with the general populace, and the focus on cannabis has been largely negative due to its use as a recreational drug. However, The Times newspaper in the U.K. are now exploring the possibility and believe that it could have a large number of potential uses in modern medicine.
Roger Pertwee has now called for more trials into the effects of the cannabinoid, CBD, arguing that the potential for it could be great and that it has the capability of treating otherwise hard-to-treat diseases such as Parkinson’s and arthritis. However, his words arguments for the legalization of cannabis coincide with comments by Dame Sally Davies, England’s Chief Medical Officer, comparing the use of cannabis oil medicinally as being akin to opening Pandora’s Box.
Cannabis oil first came to the U.K. after the mother of a young boy with severe epilepsy, (which was incurable by normal medicine) who was left to suffer through agonising fits numerous times per day, discovered its use in certain American states. She called on the British government to reconsider the existing laws on cannabis use. Her campaign drove a wave of new thought on the use of cannabis oil. According to NewScientist, the U.K. government has now changed its previously hard stance and agreed to discuss the potential of using it in such cases as this where traditional medicine had little or no effect on severely distressing symptoms.
This is evidently great news for those who are campaigning for marijuana and its cannabinoids to be legalized for use as treatments and ingredients in medicine. Furthermore, a study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently concluded that cannabis oil and cannabinoids could be a reasonable solution for those with severe forms of certain illnesses, such as epilepsy, and that it has been shown to be a highly effective treatment. In addition to this, the study claims that the use of certain cannabinoid compounds, specifically cannabidiol, resulted in no symptoms after use which suggested the potential of a dependency (addiction) forming.
On the whole, despite some (arguably weak) evidence that the compound TLC can be used for the management and control of seizures and convulsions, it is still viewed in a negative light. It seems to researchers that this compound can have the highly scorned effects (primarily that of addiction and obsession) traditionally associated with cannabis and marijuana use as a recreational drug, and as such there is no call for it to be considered at any time soon.
Aside from TLC and CBD, however, alternative cannabinoid compounds are a relatively unexplored possibility and may be considered for use in a medical regard in the future, if promising evidence about any of them comes to light. With the leaves of the cannabis plant containing over 64 cannabinoids, along with marijuana, and a staggering 483 known compounds, there is every possibility that we may one day see a whole host of cannabis-derived medications available for purchase or on prescription.