The debate on whether or not cannabis can benefit our overall health is never ending, and there will always be anti-weed advocates in the world. But no matter how many people argue that weed only has negative effects on our bodies, it has been scientifically proven that there are plenty of health benefits when it comes to cannabis. Marijuana has been tested and proven to treat everything from anxiety to glaucoma, and some doctors within Canada even consider it to be a miracle drug for a variety of diseases.
If the high cost of purchasing medically prescribed weed is not for you, it has recently become much simpler to legally grow your own medical plants within Canada. Obtaining a valid Health Canada legal grow license is fairly simple, and you can start reaping the wide range of health benefits of medical weed right away. Check out the top five health benefits of using medical marijuana and why those people who are strongly anti-cannabis should not be so quick to judge this miracle plant.
Glaucoma
Treating glaucoma is one of the most common uses of medical marijuana. Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that can eventually lead to a damaged optic nerve and cause permanent blindness. The main symptom of the disease is pressure within the eyeball, and the use of weed has actually been scientifically proven to decrease this pressure.
Alzheimer’s Disease
The effects of cannabis on Alzheimer’s have been studied since the early 2000’s, and since that time it has become evident that the active compound in weed – known as THC – can at least slow the progression of the disease. The main cause of dementia is the formation of something called amyloid plaques within the brain which ultimately kill brain cells and lead to Alzheimer’s. When used properly, THC ingestion significantly slows down the formation of these plaques.
Epilepsy
The compound in cannabis known as cannabidiol (CBD) is thought to help people with epilepsy who suffer from chronic seizures. This is especially true for epileptics who have tried other treatments and have found no success, and CBD for young children with seizures has been proven to work in many cases. The FDA has even recently approved a drug called Epidiolex that contains a CBD compound to treat epileptics over the age of two.
Cancer
Research on medical marijuana and cancer has been ongoing for over a decade now, and CBD has been effective in preventing the growth of cancer cells in many patients. Using the proper dosage, lab studies have shown that the CBD and THC in cannabis can stop the growth and even reduce the size of brain tumors, but more research and clinical studies on this topic are being performed.
Anxiety
Many people assume that smoking weed or consuming edibles causes paranoia and anxiety, but this is not always the case. Sure, consuming several high-dose edibles can cause a person to feel paranoid, but ingesting the right amount is shown to relieve stress and greatly reduce anxiety. The best cannabis for this is one that has a low THC content, and requires just a few puffs to show benefits.
