# Is Marijuana Medicine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087 "2011-08-17T22:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/1 "2011-08-17T22:20:38Z")
There is currently a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620731) Pitting Romney for telling a MD patient in 2007 that he was not in favor of medical marijuana. Pursuant to that discussion, it has been my impression that most of the hype about medical marijuana is just that - hype. I am not aware of hard scientific evidence that marijuana is any better than standard painkillers. bup, in the other thread, opined that there was such evidence, particularly that marinol (synthetic marijuana/THC) did not work as well as regular ol’ weed for treating muscular dystrophy. A little superficial research found the following - > [@](#): > > Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation; smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances. [Cite.](http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/11/u-s-rules-marijuana-has-no-medical-use-what-does-science-say/#ixzz1VKJhRIvk) However, the same cite says - > [@](#): > > The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ruled on Friday that marijuana has “no accepted medical use” and should therefore remain illegal under federal law — regardless of conflicting state legislation allowing medical marijuana and despite hundreds of studies and centuries of medical practice attesting to the drug’s benefits. Further research is equivocal - > [@](#): > > Surgical pathology reports for the last four years were scanned for patients under the age of 40 with the diagnosis of respiratory tract carcinoma. A total of ten patients were identified and subsequently investigated for a history of marijuana use. Among these, seven revealed a history for significant exposure; five were categorized as heavy users and at least two as regular users. In view of these findings and a recent literature sampling, regular marijuana use appears to be an additional significant risk factor for the development of respiratory tract carcinoma. [Cite.](http://journals.lww.com/smajournalonline/Abstract/1988/10000/Marijuana_as_a_Potential_Respiratory_Tract.3.aspx) Not a lot better than anecdote. Nor, really, is this - > [@](#): > > Marijuana, if rescheduled by the Drug Enforcement Agency, would be the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug to be administered by smoking. American physicians need timely, factual information about probable usage patterns and potential adverse effects of medical marijuana, and a factual complete review of the literature on the subject. We mailed a survey to 1,500 American clinical oncologists. Of particular interest was whether and how often in the past 24 months these physicians recommended smoked marijuana, synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, or 5-HT3 (serotonin) antagonists (ondansetron [Zofran], granisetron [Kytril]) for their patients. We also inquired whether and how often the oncologists would prescribe marijuana in the form of cigarettes, were it to be FDA-approved. Completed surveys were received from 1,122 (75%) of the oncologists. The percentages of oncologists who prescribed or recommended selected antiemetics more than five times between 1992 and 1994 were 98% for 5-HT3 antagonists, 6% for dronabinol (Marinol), and 1% for smoked marijuana. We also found that 332 (30%) of the oncologistrespondents to this nationwide survey supported rescheduling of marijuana for medical purposes; however, two thirds (67%) of the 332 respondents who were in favor of rescheduling estimated that they would write less than one prescription per month for marijuana cigarettes. A comprehensive literature review failed to provide persuasive evidence to recommend marijuana as a needed antiemetic medicine [Cite](http://journals.lww.com/smajournalonline/abstract/1997/02000/marijuana_to_prevent_nausea_and_vomiting_in_cancer.1.aspx). Obviously this is fairly superficial, but I hope the SDMB can do better. What hard evidence is there in favor of medical marijuana? Disclaimer: I am in favor of legalizing it completely, not because I think it is worth a damn medically, nor because it will be the economic panacea that NORML and such claim. I just think it is (relatively) harmless, and people should be able to get wasted if they want to. Discuss, if you please. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/2 "2011-08-17T22:27:08Z")
It’s a cure for not having the munchies. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/3 "2011-08-17T22:31:33Z")
Was going to post a thoughtful, reasoned explanation but instead I had a bong. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/4 "2011-08-17T22:37:08Z")
Well, the newest of those reports is from '97. According to [this](http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5838) from 2009, the AMA recognizes some medical benefits from marijuana, though the site is a medical marijuana advocacy site and I haven’t read the linked PDF yet, so it could well be bullshit, while [this](http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=134) site, also from 2009, says the AMA is neither pro nor con on the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/5 "2011-08-17T22:38:05Z")
Part of the problem behind a lack of overwhelming, conclusive studies on the subject is that, because it is a controlled substance, research is hindered by a difficult federal approval process and ability to legally obtain research-grade marijuana. Here is the [American College of Physicians](http://proxychi.baremetal.com/csdp.org/research/medmarijuana.pdf) position paper supporting research in marijuana therapies and advocating legalizing it’s medical use and prescription by doctors based on what evidence exists now. [This site](http://guides.library.fullerton.edu/marijuana_research/)also has a wealth of links, cites, studies, etc. for unbiased research on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/6 "2011-08-17T22:40:07Z")
I don’t have any cites other than a lot of second hand anecdotal data. I just wanted to add that THC can be ingested other than by smoking. CA medical mj shops have baked goods and candy with TCH available for purchase. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/7 "2011-08-17T22:40:44Z")
I think the vast majority of the medical marijuana movement is about getting high. For every story someone throws out there about this dude who is dying of [insert worst cancer ever] and who can barely get the will to live and who gets through his day **only** because of his medical marijuana there’s many more who support medical MJ because they want to get high. I’ve said before anything that’s a plant you should be allowed to sell and grow, period. I do draw the line with processed drugs like heroin and meth, because I’m not comfortable with people being allowed to sell homemade chemicals without any form of regulation. (I’d be fine with meth or something being something sold by a pharmaceutical company, but I imagine the liability issues of a Pfizer or a Merck selling a deliberately marketed recreational drug would be undesirable for them.) I don’t mind that people who want the right to grow, sell, use, or buy weed are trying whatever methods they can to get it legalized. So let’s put that part of it 100% aside. It’s my understanding anytime you burn something and inhale the smoke that is bad for your lungs, period. If you do it chronically it increases your chance of all kinds of disease including cancer and etc. In a thread I believe on these very forums there was a discussion about fake cigarettes that actors use, where it burns paper or something, and the information I saw there was they still carried some risk of causing cancer. Obviously for an actor who would use them extremely infrequently it is not as big a deal. Additionally commercial cigarettes are more dangerous, from what I understand, because additives are in them that increase their harm, but even if you were smoking raw tobacco leaves it would still be bad for your lungs. So I think there’s probably a reason that no other prescription medication is lit and smoked. I have seen asthma treatments that were delivered with a vaporizer, and that might be a better way to deliver it versus having people smoke joints. Additionally, how many beneficial compounds from plants are best for humans in their natural form? Not many that I know of, in fact not any that I know of personally. It makes no sense that if there are true medical benefits they can _only_ be achieved through smoking. Pretty much any of the effects of MJ should be a result of a certain chemical interacting with your body and if we identify those chemicals (I imagine we already have) we could put them in pill form. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/8 "2011-08-17T22:43:15Z")
It has been my impression that there _isn’t_ much more than anecdotal evidence, strictly speaking, because rigorous research on smoked marijuana has been so constrained by law for so long. However, there is a _mountain_ of anecdotes. If you’re willing to visit with genuinely suffering people who have been using marijuana illegally, the level of relief is clear. (A friend of mine in the '90s participated in an operation to provide marijuana illegally to AIDS and cancer patients.) On the specific point of “crude” delivery, the key concept is _titration_. Smoking a joint, or using a vaporizer which eliminates many harmful byproducts, actually allows the patient to regulate the dosage of the moment with greater precision than taking dronabinol (synthetic THC in standard capsules of 2.5 mg and upward). For some patients, this is an advantage not only in terms of medical efficacy, but specifically because they want to _avoid_ getting high. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/9 "2011-08-17T22:48:57Z")
Thanks so far. What I was hoping for is the gold standard of double-blinded studies - something like "we gave ten patients with cancer [granisetron](http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/Drugs_to_Treat_Nausea_Vomiting.pdf) and ten patients smoked 500 mg of really killer Maui Wowie. Compared with controls, both groups increased their consumption of Cheet-os and bad movies, the marijuana group by 44% and the granisetron group by 49%. We therefore conclude that marijuana may be clinically effective in - ah - Say, have you ever really looked at your hand?’ Anything like that? George Carlin observed that marijuana would never be legalized, because they always forgot where they put the petitions. Was he wrong? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/10 "2011-08-17T22:53:37Z")
**Martin** , no doubt smoking it is harmful, but any number of prescription drugs have adverse - sometimes fatal - side effects. If people are made aware of the potential negative effects and still choose to use the medication because it’s better than any alternatives, I don’t see it as an issue. FTR, I don’t smoke pot but support legalization, and have also known a couple people with AIDS who said marijuana helped them (only one of them had used it non-medically previously). I’m sure there will be plenty of anecdotal evidence offered here barring any conclusive reports from the medical community. I also want to add anything the DEA has to say regarding the issue is far more suspect, IMO, than what advocacy groups are offering. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/11 "2011-08-17T22:55:56Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > **Martin** , no doubt smoking it is harmful, but any number of prescription drugs have adverse - sometimes fatal - side effects. If people are made aware of the potential negative effects and still choose to use the medication because it’s better than any alternatives, I don’t see it as an issue. That’s what I am asking - what evidence is there of real benefit to offset the real risks? Especially compared to the alternatives. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/12 "2011-08-17T22:59:32Z")
I know - I don’t think there’s going to be anything more than anecdotal evidence on that count, unfortunately, and obviously some of that anecdotal evidence is going to (also unfortunately) come from people who just want to get high. Still, there are enough apparently legit stories of teetotaling little old ladies who benefit from it that it should be researched more vigorously than it seems to be currently. Maybe **Qadgop** can pop in with some facts. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/13 "2011-08-17T23:01:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation; smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances. Vaporising and cooking can also be used as a delivery mechanism. > [@](#): > > The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ruled on Friday that marijuana has “no accepted medical use” and should therefore remain illegal under federal law — regardless of conflicting state legislation allowing medical marijuana and despite hundreds of studies and centuries of medical practice attesting to the drug’s benefits. Canada seems to feel differently, and I am pretty sure we are up to date on the stats. > [@](#): > > Surgical pathology reports for the last four years were scanned for patients under the age of 40 with the diagnosis of respiratory tract carcinoma. A total of ten patients were identified and subsequently investigated for a history of marijuana use. Among these, seven revealed a history for significant exposure; five were categorized as heavy users and at least two as regular users. In view of these findings and a recent literature sampling, regular marijuana use **appears** to be an additional significant risk factor for the development of respiratory tract carcinoma. Bolding mine. Appears is a pretty loose term. Were those in question also cigarette smokers, could it have been an environmental thing? That is hardly enough evidence to point the finger at marijuana alone. > [@](#): > > Marijuana, if rescheduled by the Drug Enforcement Agency, would be the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug to be administered by smoking. American physicians need timely, factual information about probable usage patterns and potential adverse effects of medical marijuana, and a factual complete review of the literature on the subject. We mailed a survey to 1,500 American clinical oncologists. Of particular interest was whether and how often in the past 24 months these physicians recommended smoked marijuana, synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, or 5-HT3 (serotonin) antagonists (ondansetron [Zofran], granisetron [Kytril]) for their patients. We also inquired whether and how often the oncologists would prescribe marijuana in the form of cigarettes, were it to be FDA-approved. Completed surveys were received from 1,122 (75%) of the oncologists. The percentages of oncologists who prescribed or recommended selected antiemetics more than five times between 1992 and 1994 were 98% for 5-HT3 antagonists, 6% for dronabinol (Marinol), and 1% for smoked marijuana. We also found that 332 (30%) of the oncologistrespondents to this nationwide survey supported rescheduling of marijuana for medical purposes; however, two thirds (67%) of the 332 respondents who were in favor of rescheduling estimated that they would write less than one prescription per month for marijuana cigarettes. A comprehensive literature review failed to provide persuasive evidence to recommend marijuana as a needed antiemetic medicine First of all this is a 14 year old study using even older data. I am pretty sure that attitudes have changed somewhat, maybe not in the US but in other areas of the world. The DEA and the FDA are not the be all end all to what is right in the world of medication. There seems to be a lot of class action lawsuits lately against previously approved drugs. Paxil and Champix come to mind. Here [http://www.rxbirthdefects.com/paxil/class-action-lawsuit.html](http://www.rxbirthdefects.com/paxil/class-action-lawsuit.html) and here [http://www.mcst.ca/ClassActions/ClassActionsHome/ChampixClassAction/](http://www.mcst.ca/ClassActions/ClassActionsHome/ChampixClassAction/) I am rushing so I did not completely read the class action links but they come to mind because of all the TV commercials talking about them. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/14 "2011-08-17T23:07:27Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What I was hoping for is the gold standard of double-blinded studies… [Here’s one study (PDF)](http://cdc.coop/docs/neuropathic_pain_ellis.pdf) that used some kind of “placebo cannabis cigarettes,” and real ones. > [@Ronald J. Ellis](#): > > In a double-blind, randomized, clinical trial of the short-term adjunctive treatment of neuropathic pain in HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy, participants received either smoked cannabis or placebo cannabis cigarettes… > > Among completers, pain relief was significantly greater with cannabis than placebo. The proportion of subjects achieving at least 30% pain relief was again significantly greater with cannabis (46%) compared to placebo (18%). It was concluded that smoked cannabis was generally well-tolerated and effective when added to concomitant analgesic therapy in patients with medically refractory pain due to HIV-associated neuropathy. > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Additionally, **how many beneficial compounds from plants are best for humans in their natural form? Not many that I know of, in fact not any** that I know of personally. It makes no sense that if there are true medical benefits they can _only_ be achieved through smoking. Pretty much any of the effects of MJ should be a result of a certain chemical interacting with your body and if we identify those chemicals (I imagine we already have) we could put them in pill form. What’s better, _food_ or nutrient capsules? If our science is inadequate to distill all the important elements of our diet–ultimately all “chemical(s) interacting with your body”–why should we presume the ability for medicine? (Not to say that purified or synthetic medicines aren’t often very useful, of course–but there’s no reason to think we’ve mastered them.) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/15 "2011-08-17T23:11:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I don’t have any cites other than a lot of second hand anecdotal data. I got lots of first hand anecdotal data. Maijuana is the best anti-nauseate known to man. AND you don’t have to stick it up your ass! (for obvious reasons, your anti-nauseate shouldn’t have to be swallowed) I’ve tried some suppositories that worked pretty well, but slower…and grosser. Ick. Weed will relax you and stimulate your appetite, great for people on chemo. In my experience (admittedly old experience) weed does almost nothing for pain. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/16 "2011-08-17T23:11:23Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What I was hoping for is the gold standard of double-blinded studies - something like "we gave ten patients with cancer [granisetron](http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/Drugs_to_Treat_Nausea_Vomiting.pdf) and ten patients smoked 500 mg of really killer Maui Wowie. Compared with controls, both groups increased their consumption of Cheet-os and bad movies, the marijuana group by 44% and the granisetron group by 49%. The earlier cite from the American College of Physicians does include such information, to the extent is available with only limited scientific research permitted. They address the question of other viable alternatives, complications and side effects, smoked vs. eaten, etc. as well. > [@](#): > > Most of the conditions for which efficacy of cannabinoid drugs has been determined already have well-established and effective treatments. However, little is known about how cannabinoids perform in comparison with these other treatments. Because of the availability of an oral form of THC, several studies have compared the effectiveness of both smoked THC and Marinol® to other antiemetic drugs (mainly prochlorperazine). Although the results from these studies varied, they all found that THC was as effective as prochlorperazine at controlling nausea and vomiting. > Several studies also found that the combination of THC and other antiemetics was more effective than either drug alone. Research suggests that cannabinoids may have synergistic effects that may indicate its use as an adjunctive therapy to both antiemetics for nausea and vomiting and opioids for pain relief. Further research is needed to compare cannabinoids’ efficacy and safety with current treatments and to examine their potential role in combination therapy for some conditions. > [@](#): > > The negative effects associated with long-term smoked marijuana use necessitate consideration of varying modes of cannabinoid delivery. Only 2 cannabinoid drugs are currently licensed for sale in the U.S. (dronabinol [Marinol ®] and nabilone [Cesamet ®]), and both are only available in oral form. While useful for some, these drugs have serious limitations. The oral route of administration hampers the effectiveness of THC because of slow absorption. In addition, swallowing a pill may not be feasible for patients with severe nausea and vomiting, for whom oral THC is indicated. To overcome the limitations of oral administration, researchers have focused on developing other nonsmoked, rapid-onset formulations. > [@](#): > > Preclinical and clinical research and anecdotal reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana. Unfortunately, the debate surrounding marijuana’s legalization for general use has obscured scientific findings. Current available data suggest numerous indications for cannabinoids, especially antiemesis, appetite stimulation, and pain relief. For patients with AIDS or those undergoing chemotherapy, who suffer severe pain, nausea, and appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs may provide symptom relief not found in any other medication. The data supporting cannabinoid use for the relief of muscle spasticity and movement disorders is promising, but further research is needed to clarify the roles of cannabinoids in treating these conditions. For epilepsy and glaucoma, the data is much less convincing, and many of the reports supporting marijuana use for these conditions remain anecdotal. In addition, while the therapeutic effects of THC are well established, less is known about the effects and potential indications of other cannabinoids. Additional research is needed to clarify both the therapeutic properties of cannabinoids and their effects on symptom management. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/17 "2011-08-17T23:20:42Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > I got lots of first hand anecdotal data. > > Maijuana is the best anti-nauseate known to man. AND you don’t have to stick it up your ass! (for obvious reasons, your anti-nauseate shouldn’t have to be swallowed) I’ve tried some suppositories that worked pretty well, but slower…and grosser. Ick. > > Weed will relax you and stimulate your appetite, great for people on chemo. > > In my experience (admittedly old experience) weed does almost nothing for pain. Controlling nausea and stimulating appetite can be of _lifesaving_ medical importance. If that were the full extent of marijuana’s possible benefits, that would be more than enough. As for pain, well, maybe you weren’t _in_ such pain when you were getting high? Or maybe it just didn’t work that way for you. Lots of medicines, of course, vary between patients. I’m inclined to believe people when they _say_ they’re getting pain relief. Perception is everything on that score, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/18 "2011-08-17T23:22:30Z")
I know chemo patients who use it for the nausea and lack of appetite, I would have loved to have used it both times I ended up with chemo. [was more interested at that time in being able to go back to work and pass random piss tests, now I basically am unemployable and don’t give a shit.] I personally use it for chronic low level pain related to my several different forms of arthritis and joint impingements. I eat it rather than smoke it, so it is more ‘dosable’ and longer lasting, so I am never actually ‘high’ and I find I am more functional than when I pop vicoden. I have not bothered to try and use it to combat my segmented sleep, since breaking up my sleep isn’t an issue the way it was back when I held a day job. If you go to [grasscity.com](http://grasscity.com), search for Storm Crow, she has a hell of a list available of publications you can sort through linked in her sig file. Please ignore the random stoners, not everybody who does weed is there to get stoned, some of us use it medically. ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/19 "2011-08-18T00:02:38Z")
If not for pot I would probably starve to death. With out it I am hungry but no appetite. If that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087/20 "2011-08-18T00:18:45Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > What’s better, _food_ or nutrient capsules? That is missing the point of what I was saying. We as a society have developed or synthesized various compounds that have been rigorously studied and tested and found to do certain things in the body that are beneficial. Everything from lowering blood pressure to reducing anxiety and depression. Many of these compounds exist in plants in nature, however most genuine medicinal herbs are not nearly as useful as the actual medicines with the same compound. A classic example is willow bark and aspirin. Willow bark has salicylic acid in it so if ingested it might stand to reason it would have similar effects to taking Bayer aspirin. The problem with willow bark is it doesn’t have nearly the concentrated dosage, and it also has other things in it you don’t _want_ in high dosage. If marijuana has effective compounds at reducing nausea, pain, and improving appetite then those compounds almost certainly would be more effective as medicine if they were delivered in the form of a more traditional pharmaceutical product. By and large most herbal remedies are bunk or only mildly effective, some can be harmful. It’s not because there are not useful compounds in plants but because by and large they almost never are in the right concentration and isolated from unwanted compounds to be useful when compared to a synthesized or isolated form. I imagine not as much research has been done to extract more legitimate pharmaceutical products from marijuana because of the legal climate. I don’t care if people smoke it to cure what ails them, and I think that’s good if they do. When I mention the cancer risk of smoking a lit product it’s not as a reason _not_ to use marijuana medically. It is only to say that there’s a good reason medicine created by pharmaceutical companies is not traditionally delivered that way. It’s because with the proper application of scientific research if you have some genuine compound in a plant, modern science can find a more effective way to deliver it than burning that plant and inhaling the smoke. I mentioned vaporizing up above, because that’s almost without a doubt more effective and less harmful and doesn’t require research at all, just normal pot and a vaporizer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-medicine/593087.md?page=2)