The Benefits and Harms of Marijuana

Introduction

Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. In fact, the first recorded use of cannabis dates back to 2737 B.C. in China by Emperor Shen Nung, who wrote about its benefits for treating conditions like gout and malaria. Since then, marijuana has been used as an herbal remedy across many cultures around the world, including in North America where it was introduced by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and became popular after industrialization led to increased demand for hemp products such as rope and textiles (1). Today, there are over 100 active compounds found in marijuana plants called cannabinoids (2), which interact with receptors throughout your body — especially cells that are part of your endocannabinoid system (ECS) (3). However despite its ancient history as a medicinal herb, there is limited scientific evidence to support claims that smoking weed helps patients manage symptoms associated with concussion or trauma at this time.”

The Benefits of Marijuana

There are a number of benefits to using marijuana, including:

  • Pain management. Marijuana can help with pain management by reducing inflammation and muscle spasms, which can be beneficial for those who suffer from chronic or temporary pain such as arthritis or back pain.
  • Nausea treatment. If you have cancer or another serious illness that causes nausea, marijuana may be an effective treatment option because it reduces vomiting symptoms without the side effects of prescription drugs like Zofran (ondansetron) and Compazine (prochlorperazine).
  • Sleep aid/insomnia treatment. Some people find that using cannabis helps them fall asleep faster at night and stay asleep longer–but others find that it disrupts their sleep cycle instead! This depends on your personal physiology; if you’ve tried other sleep aids without success but think cannabis might work for you, consider experimenting with different strains at different times of day until you find something that works best for your body chemistry (and remember: always consult with your doctor before making any changes in medication regimen!).

The Harms of Marijuana

  • Addiction
  • Memory loss
  • Hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety are also common side effects of using marijuana. They can last for several days or even months after you stop using the drug. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s best to seek help from a doctor or drug counselor who specializes in addiction treatment.

Use of Marijuana: Effect on Brain Health

  • Short-term memory loss. Marijuana use can cause short-term memory loss, especially in people who are new to marijuana or haven’t used it for a long time. This is because THC binds to receptors in the hippocampus region of your brain and disrupts its normal functioning.
  • Long-term memory loss. Research shows that regular marijuana use may lead to cognitive impairment, including problems with learning and retaining information over time (i.e., long-term). Heavy cannabis users have been found to have smaller hippocampal volumes than nonusers–and this type of reduction in size has been linked with poorer verbal recall abilities as well as increased risk for developing schizophrenia later on in life when compared with healthy controls who don’t smoke pot regularly but do have similar IQ scores

Does Weed Help Patients With Concussion?

Concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can be caused by a hit to the head, resulting in headaches and dizziness. Studies have found that marijuana may help patients with concussion by reducing pain, nausea and anxiety. It can also improve sleep quality, appetite and mood as well as decrease anxiety about going outside after being diagnosed with a concussion.

However, there is no evidence that marijuana cures or prevents brain damage from concussions. Also keep in mind that it’s illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy or possess any amount of cannabis–including medical marijuana–in Colorado unless they have a valid prescription from their doctor (or parent). Patients with such needs can visit Missouri Medical Marijuana Doctor and get their medical marijuana card.

Takeaway:

The takeaway here? Marijuana has both benefits and harms. It’s not the case that marijuana is either good or bad; it’s both, depending on how you use it.

The fact that there are so many potential health benefits associated with cannabis make it tempting to conclude that we should all be using marijuana regularly–but this conclusion would be premature at best, dangerous at worst. The fact that we don’t fully understand what long-term effects of smoking weed, including the use of cones for smoking, will mean for our bodies means that we need more research before making any strong conclusions about whether or not weed is going to be good for us overall (or bad).

Conclusion

We hope that this article has helped you to better understand the benefits and harms of marijuana. As with any substance, there are potential risks associated with its use. However, the available research suggests that cannabis may have therapeutic benefits for certain conditions such as epilepsy and PTSD. We encourage patients to discuss whether or not they should use medical marijuana with their doctors before making any decisions about treatment options