For more than 3,000 years, people have been using cannabis to treat various health concerns. The FDA, however, has not declared cannabis to be effective or safe to use for any medical condition, although in June 2018, the agency granted approval to cannabidiol (a cannabis component) for the treatment of some forms of epilepsy.
With Increasing Legalization across the US, Is Cannabis Safe?
There is currently a hot debate on the safety and efficacy of cannabis. On one side, there is a popular belief that it can effectively treat a wide variety of health conditions. On the other side is the argument that there is yet no sufficient evidence to show that it is effective, and it didn’t help that many states have been batting for its legalization.
The use of cannabis is on a sharp rise in many states, but this may be due to the fact that the states involved have legalized the use of cannabis. The rise in patronage, however, has spurred major public health issues.
This post will attempt to answer the question, “is cannabis safe?” We will discuss the various cannabis health benefits and the scientific evidence to support the claims.
What Are the Cannabis Health Benefits?
Various studies tend to show that cannabis may be beneficial in treating some medical conditions. These include the following:
Chronic Pain
A review done by the National Academies of Sciences involved over 10,000 studies on cannabis’ health benefits and side effects.
One area where the report focused on was the use of cannabis for chronic pain treatment. Chronic pain affects over 25 million people in the US, and is among the leading causes of disability.
According to the review, cannabis (and cannabinoid-containing products) is effective in chronic pain relief.
Drug Addiction and Alcoholism
In a comprehensive evidence review published in the Clinical Psychology Review journal, it was revealed that the use of cannabis may help opioid and alcohol dependents in fighting their addictions.
However, this may be a touchy finding. According to the review of the Nat’l. Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering, the use of cannabis actually triggers heightened risk for abuse, and may lead to the use of other substances.
Likewise, increased and more frequent use of cannabis may increase the risk of developing problems with the use of the substance. People who start using cannabis at a younger age are more likely to develop substance dependency.
Cancer
There is evidence suggesting that oral cannabinoids may be effective in relieving vomiting and nausea triggered by chemotherapy, and some smaller studies report that smoked cannabis can also potentially address these symptoms.
Some cancer cell studies indicate that cannabinoids may either kill some cancer types or slow down cell growth. But some earlier studies on this assumption in humans showed that while cannabinoids are safe to use as treatment, they’re not effective in curing or controlling cancer.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Societal Anxiety, and Depression
The Clinical Psychology Review reported an assessment on all published studies on the use of cannabis for the treatment of mental illness symptoms. There is evidence that suggests cannabis can help in treating certain mental health conditions.
The authors found supporting evidence that prove the effectiveness of cannabis in relieving symptoms of PTSD and depression. Having said that, they warn that cannabis may not be the appropriate treatment for other mental health issues such as psychosis and bipolar disorder.
The review tends to indicate that cannabis may alleviate social anxiety symptoms. However, this is again opposed by the Nat’l. Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering review that instead said that regular cannabis use may actually increase social anxiety risk.
Multiple Sclerosis
The use of oral cannabinoids on the short term may improve spasticity symptoms in people afflicted with multiple sclerosis. However, the encouraging effects, as well as the benefits, were found to only be modest, at best.
Epilepsy
The FDA approved a drug that contains cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of two specific, severe, and rare types of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gestaut syndrome. These are difficult to control using other types of medication. The CBD-based medication is called Epidiolex.
CBD is among the many naturally-occurring substances in cannabis, but it isn’t psychoactive. The drug comes in purified CBD form. Positive findings of clinical trials and research led to the FDA approval.
A 2017 study found that CBD use, compared to placebo, resulted in fewer seizures in children suffering from Dravet syndrome. Seizures triggered by Dravet syndrome are repetitive, prolonged, and can be lethal. 1 in 5 children afflicted with Dravet syndrome, in fact, don’t reach 20 years of age.
In the study, 120 teenagers and children with Dravet syndrome, aged from 2 to 18, were assigned randomly to receive either a placebo solution or an oral CBD solution for 14 weeks, in addition to their usual medication.
The kids that got the CBD solution had fewer monthly seizures – from 12 to 6, and 3 of them didn’t experience any seizure. Children on placebo also had fewer monthly seizures – from 15 to 14 – during the study.
According to researchers, the 39% reduction in seizure frequency offers strong evidence that CBD can help sufferers of Dravet syndrome, and the encouraging results was among the early scientific data in support of the finding.
The study, however, also discovered the high rate of occurrence of side effects associated with CBD use. 9 of 10 participants that received CBD treatment experienced side effects, particularly fatigue, fever, and vomiting.
Final Thoughts
While there have been many studies done on cannabis health benefits, more are necessary to conclude their positive effects on various health conditions. And although the use of medical cannabis is legal in many states, it is still best that you consult your doctor before using the substance. Never attempt to treat any medical condition on your own using cannabis or any other prescription medication, for that matter.
If you need more information on the benefits of using cannabis, or to learn how you can set up and grow your own cannabis business, visit the Industrial Green Solution website.
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