Monday, September 10, 2012

What is Medical Cannabis?

Medical Cannabis is a concept that was first coined in 1997 in California when researchers found significant evidence that suggests that Marijuana does have medicinal value. In fact, further research even found that Medical Cannabis has the potential to completely cure cancer.
There is a massive difference between “regular Marijuana” and “Medicinal Marijuana” in terms of process. What you would find on the street generally is cultivated and transported under harsh conditions due to the illegality of the plant. This means that the cannabis you purchase on the street could be treated with chemicals to minimize the smell, contaminated with other particles and generally will lack in purity compared to that of Medical Marijuana.
Medicinal Cannabis on the other hand undergoes scrutiny in terms of cultivation, curing, processing and transporting due to the fact that it is considered as a medicine. Scientists are also actively working on creating “designer strains” in terms of dealing with specific illnesses and conditions. As the legality of the plant continues to become more accepted around the world, we can only expect more specific strains, higher potency and more organic methods of production.
Currently if you wish to obtain medical marijuana it is imperative that you obtain a medical marijuana card. Note that these cards can only be obtained in states where Medicinal Marijuana laws are in place. Marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug in terms of Federal law thus it is imperative to understand the local state laws in order to be protected from the Federal government.
If patients wish to obtain Medical Marijuana cards within their states they have to first get a physician’s recommendation that specifies that cannabis is an appropriate treatment for their discomfort or condition. Medicinal Cannabis have shown marvellous results in terms of treating a wide array of diseases including; Anxiety disorders, Insomnia, Lack of Appetite, Muscle Disorders, Cancer, HIV and more.
As the Medical Marijuana community continues to gain ground within legislation we can expect that a diverse industry will develop. Currently one can obtain their medicine in several different forms; bud, extract, liquid, oil. Some people prefer to consume their cannabis in pastries or simply putting it in their food as an added ingredient. By consuming it in this form, patients will generally feel a stronger impact of the medication and in most cases will sleep for prolonged hours, which is essential to the healing process.
Currently the cost of Marijuana is incredibly high due to the fact that the plant is still considered illegal making the cultivation very difficult. In the case that a full scale legalization effort takes place you can expect the price of cannabis to drop significantly making it more accessible to patients. There is still a lot of resistance in terms of Medical Cannabis due to corporate interests namely the Pharmaceutical industry due to the fact that 80% of their income comes from the very disease that Marijuana treats effectively.
One thing is certain; the full scale legalization of cannabis is inevitable. Every single day public opinion shifts more in favour legalization as the myths of prohibition continues to be proven fiction.

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