It is said that people have used marijuana for more than 3,000 years to treat various ailments. However, the FDA has not considered marijuana effective or safe in the treatment of different medical conditions. There is a widespread belief that it is very useful in treating a wide range of ailments. However, lack of documented scientific evidence has hindered full legalization of its use.

A lot of states have marijuana available only for medical purposes. However, there are other places where it has been legalized for recreational purposes. Recent studies show that there is increased use of marijuana across the country. It is not clear whether the increased rate is a result of legalization or not. However, the rise has promoted a huge public debate on health concerns. The following are some of the medical benefits of marijuana:

Chronic Pain

A lot of studies have been done on the use of marijuana to treat chronic pain. You should note that chronic pain is the main cause of disability and affects millions of people worldwide. The studies found that there are compounds in marijuana that act on certain receptors in the brain. This makes it quite effective at treating chronic pain.

Treating Drug Addiction

This may be quite surprising to you. However, a detailed review by Clinical Psychology Review found out that medical marijuana can help people fight alcohol or substance use disorder. However, some organizations have disputed these claims. They argue that it increases the risk of abusing and users can be dependent on it.

Treating Depression and Anxiety

For some years now, marijuana has been used to treat various symptoms of mental illnesses. Some evidence has been found to support the use of marijuana to relieve stress and anxiety disorders. However, they argue that it is not an ideal treatment for certain mental conditions such as psychosis and bipolar disorder.

However, there is minimal evidence that it can help alleviate certain symptoms of social anxiety. At this point, it is not yet clear as studies are suggesting otherwise. In fact, some argue that its use can result in increased risk of anxiety.

Cancer

There is adequate evidence that suggests that oral cannabinoids are quite effective against vomiting and nausea as a result of chemotherapy. Also, some studies have revealed that marijuana can help fight cancer symptoms. There are ongoing studies on the use of marijuana in treating cancer.