Reducing Pain with Medical Marijuana
Reducing Pain with Medical Marijuana
Reducing Pain with Medical Marijuana
It should be noted that this article is for information purposes only and should not, under any circumstances, be accepted as health advice
To some people, the use of medical marijuana is something that remains controversial, while to others it is an established and proven method of pain reduction.
Reasons for the controversy
When looking at the whole of human history, it's not easy to identify too many substances that have generated the amount of debate and confusion as has been the case with marijuana. But there is clear and irrefutable evidence that marijuana has been used for medical purposes for centuries. There are documented uses of it in the ancient Chinese, Indian and Persian cultures going back thousands of years. In Europe it was used in the classical period, then appears to have disappeared for a long period, only to surface again in the 19th century as a treatment for various forms of pain. For much of that time, it was relatively unknown in the western world as a recreational' substance. When it was used in a medical capacity, it seems to have generally been little publicized and it remained largely uncontroversial. This, rather relaxed, position changed radically from the earlier 20th century onwards. Many western countries began passing laws to control or prohibit the use of medical marijuana. The reasons for that varied from country to country and even today, trying to objectively analyze the progression towards restrictions and banning is not easy task as it's a veritable mire of politics, economics, racism and outright speculation. There are numerous and sometimes mutually exclusive theories as to the processes involved, but some points are perhaps generally accepted.
Confusion between medical marijuana and recreational use
The use of various substances and chemicals for recreational purposes has an almost equally long history. In the late 18th and 19th centuries the use of things such as opium and its derivatives had become popular amongst some of the educated western-world classes that could afford it. Marijuana seems to have been relatively rarely used in this category (in Europe and the USA), but medical marijuana was more widely used in conventional medicine as well as what we would call today, alternative or complementary medicine. Towards the end of this period and into the 20th century, in some countries there was a growing concern about the addictive qualities of many of these recreational substances and their possible effects on wider society. Quite unscientifically, medical marijuana became conflated with these substances almost by default. Some of the growing anti-marijuana sentiment also seems to have been of racist origin, as the use of such substances was often associated (frequently incorrectly) with immigrant communities of Chinese and South American origin, and sections of the African-American population in the case of the USA. Marijuana's use in alternative medicine also didn't do it any favours, as from the mid-late 19th century onwards there was a mass movement in western circles against natural remedies (often described as quackery') towards synthetics developed by the scientific process. Many traditional remedies were lost in this period without serious scientific evaluation of their efficacy and only now are some of them being subject to serious re-evaluation by medical science medical marijuana amongst them. What is clear is that by the earlier 20th century, the United States had started to pass laws against the use of many substances, including marijuana, but with little empirical evidence to support the expressed concerns relating to the presumed dangers of its use.
Confusion and inconsistencies
Paradoxically, medical treatments based upon far more addictive opiates and derivatives became accepted, if tightly regulated, while for reasons that remain complicated and confused, marijuana continued to be regarded as a substance that had no medicinal purposes. Around the 1920s, the position and perceptions of Europeans and the USA begin to differ. For example, in the British parliament, a debate on marijuana was greeted by apathy and was so poorly attended that the session almost had to be cancelled. The UK and many other European countries drifted into the 1925 international treaty controlling many substances, in a state of mild indifference as far as medical marijuana was concerned. Today, The Netherlands allows its use in small quantities for personal and medicinal purposes and several other European countries do not enforce their own laws against it. By contrast, in the USA marijuana was one of a number of substances that had become a major moral as well as legal and health issue. More rigid laws were enforced and in spite of numerous test cases and appeals, the position was increasingly adopted that medical marijuana had no benefits. Today, the position in the USA is perhaps best described as even more confused with some state laws supporting the controlled use of medical marijuana while federal law bans it -though this may or may not currently be subject to rigid enforcement in those states that permit its use for medical purposes. The position remains in a state of flux and you should consult your own state government to ascertain the law.
The underlying reality
In the end, each individual must make up his or her own mind about the efficacy of medical marijuana. There are medical studies and personal testimonials that appear to indicate that very significant benefits may be obtained for sufferers of certain types of pain and medical conditions. Other studies appear to be unwilling or unable to support those claims. Yet further studies appear to show benefits but also cite potential undesirable side effects. Perhaps what is being increasingly asked is why the debate continues to have such a strong moral dimension when such discussions rarely, if ever, arise when other forms of medication become available. It would seem as if 21st century medical science should be able to objectively answer the question once and for all as to whether or not medical marijuana has legitimate benefits.
Medical Marijuana Cafes Medical Marijuana and Celebrity Culture Medical Marijuana – To Cook or to Smoke? Medical Marijuana on the West Coast Critical Illness Cover- Because its not just about Medical Expenses Bath Medicine Cabinets - Variety in Bath Decor Medical Marijuana – What to Expect 3 Tips to Getting a Medical Marijuana Card Medical Marijuana in Ancient China 4 Strains of Medical Marijuana Plants International Medical Marijuana How to Privately Take Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana on the East Coast