Four million Americans suffer from the eye disease glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in the United States. There have been treatments in the past with severe side effects even though research today has advanced with more reliable treatments, but at least 10% of all cases fail to be completely controlled by the available prescription drugs. Even though other alternatives are available for glaucoma, we shouldn’t turn away the natural medical use marijuana has provided for thousands of years. Understanding marijuana’s history, understanding glaucoma, and understanding what marijuana does to the brain people can

Glaucoma can strike people of all ages, but people over sixty-five have more of a chance dealing with eye troubles. The most common form of glaucoma is open angle, which is characterized by increased pressure within the eye. Normally fluid circulates and drains through tiny funnels along the rim of the iris where it meets the cornea. The Inner Ocular Pressure (IOP) allows the eye to regulate the watery fluid called aqueous humor. When ones IOP level rises the optic nerve can be crushed leading towards blindness. The angles at the opening of the tiny funnels cause them to close resulting with the backup of aqueous fluid creating that dangerous pressure. Cannabis helps by dehydrating the eye; therefore, it relieves the IOP not being as dangerous as before.

The Ohio Medical Society completed America’s first extensive study of cannabis in medicine in 1860. Physicians reported success in treating stomach pain and gastric distress, psychosis, chronic cough, gonorrhea and neuralgia. Being difficult to store, cannabis began to fall out of disuse at the turn of the century. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was most effective in prohibiting medical use, and was intended to prohibit its social use. New synthetic drugs replaced cannabis. Finally, in 1942, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics convinced the U. S. Pharmacopoeia to remove the drug from its listing. Cannabis was rediscovered as a medical substance in the 1970’s. Even though federal regulations have made any studies to research cannabis difficult, controlled studies have found therapeutic utility in the treatment of cancer chemotherapy side- effects, glaucoma, and spasticity ailments.

The facts are that smoking cannabis can be harmful, but cannabis can be taken orally or may be used as a relaxer by applying the medicine with heat to the body. Forms of eye drops, made of cannabis, are still being studied. But the facts stay as they are, and there has been proof of cannabis helping relieve the IOP level one might induce. In a controlled study at

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