Can marijuana be used as medicine?

The National Institutes of Health reports that drugs containing cannabinoids (a group of substances found in the cannabis plant) may be helpful in treating some conditions.

These include rare forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and loss of appetite and weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS. There may also be modest benefits in using cannabis or cannabinoids for chronic pain and multiple sclerosis symptoms.

Research on the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for treating other conditions is in the early stages.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also notes that the marijuana plant has chemicals that may help symptoms for some health problems. There is not enough research to show that the whole plant works to treat or cure these conditions. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine.

There are several concerns with using marijuana as medicine:

• Because marijuana is often smoked, it can damage your lungs and cardiovascular system (e.g., heart and blood vessels). These and other damaging effects on the brain and body could make marijuana more harmful than helpful.
• The ingredients aren’t exactly the same from plant to plant. There’s no way to know what kind and how much of a chemical a person is getting