When most people think of marijuana, they think of such things as pain relief, promotion of appetite, relaxant, etc.  Actually, the unfortunate truth is that some people in our society have yet to open their minds to the possibilities of this medicinal herb.  These people are still trapped within the confines of their own limited perspectives, refusing to view such subjects as medical marijuana from a different point of view.

In my opinion, and based on the philosophy which I have learned, healing is far from being centered around life-extension.  Rather, it is about improving the quality of one’s life.  I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but personally, I’d rather live for 2 years and really enjoy my life than suffer for 10 years in and out of a hospital.

Anyway, back to cannabis.  The bottom line is: it improves the quality of life.  This particular article is about cancer, so I’ll talk about cancer.  Marijuana use on a strictly medical level, not only improves the appetite of cancer patients and helps them to build their strength, it also helps to alleviate the pain associated with cancer and promote relaxation

Cannabis is well known to palliate wasting and emesis in cancer patients.  There is an increasing amount of evidence to suggest that cannabinoids may actually play a role in the inhibition of tumor-cell growth.

Animal studies have demonstrated that cannabinoids promote the regression of lung cancers, skin cancers, thyroid cancers, lymphomas, and gliomas (a tumor that begins in the brain or spine – glial cells). 

So much for improving only the quality of one’s life.  Medical Cannabis may actually increase the quantity in addition to the quality – more bang for your buck!

To take this argument even further, in vitro studies (studies conducted in a test tube) have confirmed the affects of cannabinoids and their ability to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and also to trigger apoptosis – cell death, in the cancer cells.  Consider this the next time you think of cannabis – it is no longer simply a recreational drug, but is now being recognized scientifically to promote healing.

Sources:

JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute Advance Access published December 25, 2007