I don’t know how we got to this point, but there are so many claims about the medical uses of cannabis, you would think it was the miracle drug of all time. Smoke some cannabis and suddenly everything from pain to cancer to neurological disorders disappear.
Since I don’t take medical claims lightly, and I always want to determine if there is good, solid clinical evidence, what is called science-based medicine, supporting these claims, I decided to dig into a few of them. And what I found is that either the evidence is lacking or that the evidence shows it doesn’t work. I’m not surprised.
I personally have no issue with smoking marijuana, since other “drugs”, like alcohol, are completely legal and socially acceptable. I think that the legalization of cannabis will reduce much of drug trafficking, reduce the burden of law enforcement and penal system costs, and have other beneficial effects for society.
But if you’re going to make wild claims about the medical benefits of cannabis, which don’t stand up to real scientific evidence, then I got to say “stop.” If you want to smoke cannabis because it relaxes you, fine, but if you’re going to get into my face with fake medical information, don’t be insulted if I laugh heartily.
This article will tackle a few of the most popular claims, but it won’t cover them all. Leave a comment if you want me to look into a medical claim about cannabis that I didn’t cover.
Read More »Medical uses of cannabis — a scientific review