Why do people use medicinal cannabis?
The world has an increasing need for better, safer medicines. With an ageing population and an increase in the incidence of chronic disease, medicinal cannabis is rightly being seen as a revolution in the treatment of many conditions and diseases.
Here are some key reasons why:
- Humans have been using medicinal cannabis for a very long time. The ancient Chinese used it. So did the Egyptians, Romans, and the Greeks. We've been using it for thousands of years. That’s a long, long time to get to know something we’ve smoked or eaten daily.
- Medicinal cannabis has relatively mild short term effects. Another factor that sets medicinal cannabis apart from synthetic drugs are its relatively mild short term effects. In fact, it is impossible to overdose on cannabis. The most common short term side effects of cannabis include dry mouth, sleepiness, and fatigue
- Cannabis extracts interact with the body in unique ways. Unlike synthetic medicines which contain a single active pharmaceutical ingredient (drug molecule) cannabis extracts contain many hundreds of different, naturally occurring, chemicals that act synergistically in the body. This means that cannabis can potentially be effective for conditions ranging from chronic pain, to anxiety and epilepsy, and even nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy.
- Cannabis combines with other natural sources to provide enhanced benefits. An important class of chemicals also found in cannabis are the terpenes. These are aromatic compounds found in many types of plants. Common terpenes found in cannabis include caryophyllene (found in black pepper), linalool (found in lavender, bergamot and rosewood), and even eucalyptol (found in eucalyptus). Each of these has a distinct smell and taste, and provide additional benefits in medicinal cannabis formulations, such as anti-inflammatory properties. It is thought that terpenes act with the cannabinoids to provide enhanced benefits.
Overall, medicinal cannabis is unique, because different strains of cannabis can be grown with different cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Unlike synthetic medicines, this means the pharmaceutical formulation of medicinal cannabis can be tuned to the patient and their needs in a safe way.
Want to know more about medicinal cannabis? Read more from academic, author and Canngea head scientist Dr Nial Wheate
