Public opinion on the medical value of marijuana has been sharply divided. Some dismiss medical marijuana as a hoax that exploits our natural compassion for the sick; others claim it is a uniquely soothing medicine that has been withheld from patients through regulations based on false claims (Joy).
For thousands of years, the drug marijuana has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments ("The Need toÉ"). Between 1840 and 1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 papers on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as Cannabis Indica (or Indian hemp) and now as marijuana. It was recommended from such things as an appetite stimulant to a muscle relaxant ("Marihuana as MedicineÉ").
There is a 5,000-year medical history of marijuana. This history has almost be
The question of whether or not marijuana should be used for medical purposes has emerged once again. For many illnesses, marijuana is considered a medical necessity. Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known ("The Need toÉ"). According to a National Academy of Sciences report released in 1999, "Marijuana's active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting, and other symptoms." Loss of appetite and wasting are among the most lethal side effects of cancer treatments. Glaucoma, AIDS, cancer and MS patients have all benefited from the drug. Researchers have found evidence that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and other cannabinoids have a direct effect on pain signals in the central nervous system, by tracing the biochemical pathway that pain signals foll
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