Posted on April 14, 2022.

According to the National Institutes of Health, people have used marijuana, or cannabis, to treat their ailments for at least 3,000 years. However, the Food and Drug Administration have not deemed cannabis safe or effective in the treatment of any medical condition, although cannabidiol, a substance that is present in cannabis, received approval in June 2018 as a treatment for some types of epilepsy.

This tension, between a widespread belief that cannabis is an effective treatment for a wide assortment of ailments and a lack of scientific knowledge on its effects, has been somewhat exacerbated in recent times by a drive toward legalization.

Twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have now made cannabis available for medical — and, in some states, recreational — purposes.

A recent studyTrusted Source published in the journal Addiction also found that use of cannabis is increasing sharply across the United States, although this rise may not be linked to the legalization of cannabis in participating states. Nevertheless, this rise in use is prompting major public health concerns.

In this article, we look at the scientific evidence weighing the medical benefits of cannabis against its associated health risks in an attempt to answer this simple question: is cannabis good or bad?

What are the medical benefits of cannabis?

Over the years, research has yielded results to suggest that cannabis may be of benefit in the treatment of some conditions. These are listed below.

• Chronic pain
• Alcoholism and drug addiction
• Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety
• Cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy

So, is cannabis good or bad for your health?

There is evidence that demonstrates both the harms and health benefits of cannabis. Yet despite the emergence over the past couple of years of very comprehensive, up-to-date reviews of the scientific studies evaluating the benefits and harms of the drug, it’s clear that more research is needed to fully determine the public health implications of rising cannabis use.

Many scientists and health bodies — including the American Cancer SocietyTrusted Source (ACS) — support the need for further scientific research on the use of cannabis and cannabinoids to treat medical conditions.

However, there is an obstacle to this: cannabis is classed as a Schedule I controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which deters the study of cannabis and cannabinoids through its imposition of strict conditions on the researchers working in this area.

If you happen to live in a state where medical use of cannabis is legal, you and your doctor will need to carefully consider these factors and how they relate to your illness and health history before using this drug.

For instance, while there is some evidence to support the use for cannabis for pain relief, you should certainly avoid cannabis if you have a history of mental health problems.

Remember to always speak to your doctor before taking a new medicine.

Original Post: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320984#So,-is-cannabis-good-or-bad-for-your-health?