The value of medical marijuana in association with the treatment of mental illnesses

For the past years, since the discovery of medical marijuana, lots of studies and researches are conducted about its effectivity and its importance to preventive health. But the value of medical marijuana is still being questioned in the field of mental health. Researches and studies lack proven and supported documents that would prove the effectivity of medical marijuana in treating mental diseases, some stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Post-traumatic stress disorder and many more.

In 1980 a study was conducted to prove the effectivity of medical marijuana in treating different mental illnesses and disorders. Three thousand people with mental disorders participated in the study, but the result resulted in failure consumption of medical marijuana.

Because the study found out that, the 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active chemical substance present in the marijuana or cannabis plant makes and resulting to a person to feel the “high” effect of the drug. The THC is a psychoactive ingredient that is a negative effect on the person’s body and brain when had been under the effect of marijuana.

Another research study about medical marijuana as the aid for mental illnesses was conducted in 2005, where 25 people with mental health problems were tested in a trial of treating them with medical cannabis or a medical marijuana but failed to prove the study’s positive result. The study resulted in failure again, like the study conducted in 1980. It also worsened the conditions of the patients that resulted in the pulling out of the patients in the trial and the announcing of the study as a failed research. The main reason that medical professionals are pointing on why medical cannabis is not and cannot be considered as a treatment for mental illnesses is because of its active chemical substance that is a psychoactive ingredient that leads to a person to become high and experience several unwanted side effects such as hallucinations is the THC. The medical cannabis has 2 different active chemicals, the THC or the 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and the CBD or the Cannabidiol. The THC can harm a human’s body and brain that makes it not ideal for treating mental illnesses, while the CBD is a vital substance that is being used in medicines. It is the active substance that makes professionals think that medical marijuana can be an aid to different illnesses. To sum it up, THC and CBD are very different. Because THC has a negative effect on the body and the CBD has a positive impact on the human body, the two actives substances are the reason why medical marijuana has a 50/50 result of decisions whether it can be an excellent possible treatment for illnesses or not. Some studies already have proven the effectivity of the usage of medical marijuana, but it is only proven for the cases of cancer, epilepsy, and other pain-related cases. But in the case of the association of the good effects of medical marijuana as a medical aid for mental health, there are no proven studies yet.

Professionals are still in the depth of discovery of how can be a marijuana an effective aid for mental illnesses. People are still very curious, and researches are still under study. Maybe not now, but in the coming years will have an effective discussion and discovery that will make marijuana a worldwide medical treatment for aiding mental illnesses. Marijuana was already legalized in some countries in the world, but it does not mean that it can be used for recreational use. That would not be for medical treatment, but it will be for addiction purposes.