==== ==== Medical Cannabis and it's impact on human health http://bit.ly/x3Snto ==== ====
Ever since cannabis was made illegal in the United States in 1937, it has been a controversial drug. This has prevented people from seeing marijuana's extraordinary medicinal value, but it seems as if that is starting to change. In the last 15 years, medical marijuana has been legalized in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. In these states, there are certain diseases and conditions a person must have in order to obtain a medical marijuana card. Some of the most common ailments for which people seek medicinal marijuana include cancer, HIV, AIDS, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Medicinal patients praise the plant for having a mild effect on their bodies, while alleviating some of their worst symptoms. Whereas many FDA approved medications cause negative side effects, including things like kidney problems, liver problems, stomach bleeding, and even death, marijuana has very few. Some people may experience mild to severe anxiety, light headedness, loss of coordination and coughing fits. Many of these symptoms, however, are only felt with heavy usage of marijuana. For most patients, smoking or ingesting cannabis alleviates pain, relaxes the body, increases appetite, heightens all the senses, and can cause euphoria, or a least a feeling of well-being and comfort. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical compound found in marijuana, has been found to reduce lung cancer tumor growth by 50 percent and significantly reduce the ability of the cancer to spread. This is according to researchers at Harvard University, who studied the effects of THC on lab rats. Another study, conducted in Madrid, also found that THC destroyed cancerous brain cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Cannabis also stimulates hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, who oftentimes have trouble eating, and would normally lose an unhealthy amount of weight as a result. On top of that, tens of thousands of people have applauded the ability of cannabis to alleviate the excruciating pain that comes with many terminal illnesses. The medicinal benefits of cannabis are undeniable. On top of that, people who are in severe pain strongly prefer to obtain their medicine legally from dispensaries than simply from people they know, where the danger of being caught and jailed is very much present. This is what happens in states where medical cannabis is not legal, and it is just another reason why it would be beneficial for all people if more states legalized medical cannabis.
Allyssa Milan is the co-creator of BoulderMedicalMarijuana.org, a web community and directory for medical marijuana patients in Boulder, CO.
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==== ==== Medical Cannabis and it's impact on human health http://bit.ly/x3Snto ==== ====