Medical Marijuana: Its Rise and Controversies

Marijuana holds a long history of constant changes -- from being an ancient herbal medicine that’s abundantly used by emperors back then to becoming one of the world’s most addictive substances to regaining its medicinal title once again. It really has been quite a journey.

In spite the inconsistency that marijuana demonstrated all through these years, it has never stepped out of the spotlight and instead, shone brighter as the controversies surrounding it lift it higher. Today, marijuana is not just an addictive drug that ruins people’s lives but a great breakthrough in the medical field.

Statistics prove that the <a href="http://www.circalifesciences.com">medical marijuana industry</a> is continually expanding and reaching far heights. In a survey conducted just recently, at least 84% of America’s total population shows great favor in legalizing marijuana for medical purposes while a large percentage of 61% pours massive support to legalize marijuana for recreational uses. In fact, an electoral voting was held in the states of Colorado and Washington in 2000. Citizens stood hand in hand as the majority of their population voted yes to legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana. In 2012, the pot prohibition officially came to an end after laws of restraining the use of marijuana for medical purposes were invalidated. Two years after, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C joined the Mary J. revolution in 2014. And fast-pacing to 2016, the year when the cannabis plant swung openly in the global scene, a lot of essential medical journals and researches were published due to the increasing number of nations supporting and embracing medical marijuana.

With marijuana now being more accessible — legally — than ever, especially in areas where buying and using it for both medical and recreational purposes, more researchers are weighing in on the health effects that it could cause and trigger. Although innumerable studies are being done, there is still a lot unknown and not understood about the cannabis plant.

Here’s an essential information that you must know before you switch on to using marijuana-based treatments and medications. So basically, there are at least two active chemicals in marijuana that scientists believe have medicinal impacts. These are cannabidiol (CBD) — which seems to affect the brain without a high— and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which owns the pain relieving properties of cannabis and is largely the component responsible for the high. In addition to CBD and THC, there are over 400 other chemical compounds in marijuana. More than 60 of which are cannabinoids. A lot of these could also have medical uses but without intensive research, we won't know how to make the best use out of those compounds.

Don’t take this matter like an internet bandwagon you have to join. Consult your doctor first to avoid any complications.