Refinery29.com offers an interesting article “We Are Gonna Be Blunt: The Truth About Weed” that explores the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This story moves from exploring how more women are becoming comfortable talking about their cannabis consumption to how little is known about how cannabis effects men and women differently to the real risk of cannabis consumption, which is arrest or incarceration. They have done a good job of outlining that the body of cannabis science shows cannabis as a fairly safe medicine and recreational intoxicant while acknowledging the fact that there is so much more to know.
FYI what you see bellow is an excerpt of an article written by written by Annie Tomlin and Miles Raymer at Refinery29.com. We have taken the liberty to rearrange two paragraphs for flow but have not altered the content. We appreciate your comments on this article.
We Are Gonna Be Blunt: The Truth About Weed
The past decade and a half has seen a massive reduction, if not the outright elimination, of many of the social and legal stigmas that have been attached to marijuana use in the U.S. for over a century. So far, 22 states have carved out legal protections for pot users, ranging from decriminalization in some places to medical exemptions in others, to outright legalization in Colorado and Washington. Forty-eight percent of Americans say they’ve used it, and judging by the relative lack of widespread outrage over this wave of drug-law reform, it’s safe to say that many more have no problem with adults sparking up a joint in the privacy of their own homes.
Changing Political Landscape
Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, MD, Ph.D., a resident at a large medical center in New York City, says the national conversation is indeed evolving. “Cannabis is something people use to relieve stress and relax,” he says. “The fact that people are talking about it more publicly has a lot to do with the changing political landscape. There’s a window of talking about it more normally, without the fear of prosecution or stigma.”
The Benefits of Cannabis
The most powerful and successful argument that marijuana advocates have made so far is that it can be realistically considered a medicinal drug as well as a recreational one. A combination of scientific and anecdotal evidence indicate that pot has an ameliorative effect on a wide range of ailments. “[Medicinal marijuana use] has been shown to be beneficial in neuropathic pain,” Dr. Corn says, adding that it can also help with ALS, multiple sclerosis, HIV neuropathy, and trauma, among other problems.
What is the Truth About Cannabis?
As pot becomes a more broadly accepted part of our lifestyles, the question of how using it can affect our health becomes more relevant. It’s a question that doctors and scientists are still exploring. Even Dr. Stephen B. Corn, MD, an academic clinician at Harvard Medical School who educates other physicians on medical marijuana, says that it’s not as simple as categorizing marijuana into a “good” or “bad” category. “I wish I could give you a bottom line,” he says. “But, it’s an evolving field of study.” The serious, neutral scientific study of marijuana consumption is still a relatively new field, and the information it’s turned up is still incomplete, but it’s finally starting to give us a clearer picture of pot’s benefits and risks. And, it looks like it has some of both. Read the full story at http://www.refinery29.com/marijuana-facts?page=2
I don’t know if this is the right place to ask this but I’ll do it anyway.
I’ve been suffering from a back injury for months now, and been dosing my self with a lot of pain relievers. I’m starting to think that I might take away the pain of my back with the meds i’m but at the same time punishing my liver slowly. So I started reading articles about marijuana and it’s medical aspect and found this along the way http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/medical-marijuana-has-profound-effect-on-pain-relief/.
I am already 34 years old and haven’t tried smoking or any other means of using marijuana and I have nothing against it. My question is that if i try it would I be dependent at the same time addicted to it? And will it really ease the pain? Thanks in advance to those who’ll answer
Peter, thanks for your comment. I’m sorry you are in pain. Cannabis can be extremely effective at helping manage pain for many people. Take a look at this article http://www.cannabinologist.org/Documents/CJP-final.pdf . Cannabis is less addictive than caffeine. When used responsibly, it is not addictive for most people. In fact, it is used successfully by some people to help them overcome addiction to opiates, heroin, alcohol and other drugs. I cannot say for sure if it will ease your pain but the science is on your side. I hope it works for you. Keep in mind that cannabis is biphasic which means that at a low dose it may be very effective but in some people high doses can actually increase the pain. We would love to hear about your experience.
I’ve been using medical marijuana for almost 4 years now and it really helped me ease the pain. I’m smoking once in while or every time I feel the pain coming back, I stopped the meds that I’m taking and went natural. I already bought a grinder and a rolling tray to make things easy.