The cannabis plant is a very complicated plant with around 500 distinct components, including over 100 cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two main active components used for medical purposes in cannabis (CBD). The psychoactive compound in cannabis responsible for the “high,” THC, has been utilized to treat a variety of medical issues, including nausea, pain, and muscular stiffness. Many inflammatory diseases, including epilepsy, have responded well to CBD, which has no psychoactive effects.
Although only pharmaceutical, non-smoking, medicinal-grade goods (as noted in point one below) are now allowed to be supplied lawfully in Australia, medical cannabis products may come in three main forms:
Pharmaceuticals are standardized medical-grade products made from a combination of natural and synthetic substances. These three items make up the bulk of the market:
- Synthetic THC, also called dronabinol.
- Synthetic cannabinoid (THC) known as Nabilone
- Nabiximols are a chemically pure mixture of TCH and CBD at a ratio of 50:50.
In order to qualify as “medical grade,” cannabis must be grown and processed under stringent guidelines to remove any trace of contaminants, increase the content of CBD and other cannabinoids, and decrease the percentage of psychoactive THC. Either the original plant material or a synthetic extract is for sale here.
Illegally obtained cannabis extracts may include harmful adulterants and possibly unstable forms of THC and CBD.
Australia’s sole licensed medical cannabis drug is Nabiximols, which is intended to treat spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis; however, it is not covered on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The patient is responsible for covering any costs associated with getting medicinal cannabis, which might range widely depending on the substance and the dose required. Compassionate use programs for medicinal cannabis products are available in several U.S. states and territories for patients who meet certain requirements.
The Evidence in Favor of Using Marijuana for Medical Purposes
The evidence foundation for cannabidiol-based treatments is thin at present. The current evidence base for the use of medicinal cannabis products is diverse and consists of only a small number of randomized clinical trials when broken down by condition, symptom, or kind of intervention. Some of these studies are of poor quality due to insufficient time spent following up with participants, low sample sizes, or other potential sources of bias (e.g., incomplete outcome data).
Recent reviews and research show that medicinal cannabis products may have some therapeutic benefits in specific conditions;4,5,6 however, greater investigation is required to assess the efficiency of the treatment and any possible long-term harmful effects.
Numerous sclerosis, palliative care, epilepsy, nausea and vomiting, and chronic non-cancer pain are the five clinical disorders that have generated the majority of current research and data on medical cannabis products.
several forms of sclerosis
Studies on the effects of medicinal cannabis products for pain, spasticity, sleep, and bladder function were split down the middle in a recent systematic review, with results from about half suggesting possible benefits and the other half being inconclusive.
Epilepsy
Juvenile epilepsy patients under the age of 25 have a little body of research to back their usage of medicinal cannabis products, especially when conventional treatments (such as anti-epileptic drugs) have failed.
There’s an order of magnitude eight that needs attention:
A fifty percent or greater decrease in seizure frequency
Freedom from every possibility of seizure
Parental reports of a rise in quality of life
Three was needed for any bad thing to happen, and twenty-three was needed for anything really bad to happen.
The Practice of Palliative Medicine
When it comes to palliative care, it is still unclear whether or not medicinal cannabis products may be employed.
diarrhea and vomiting
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy have showed improvement in nausea and vomiting in a small number of trials, but data is few and several of the research compared individuals using obsolete methodologies.