The Natural, Greener option

Propaganda in the last century has painted a picture of negativity for “The Devils Lettuce,” also known as Marijuana. Nixon’s infamous ‘War on Drugs’ campaign gave marijuana a bad reputation as a gateway to harder drug usage. There have been many public figures that outspokenly despise marijuana and spread fake news. This is simply due to the fact that they have zero understanding about its effects. When we look behind the myths and propaganda that has been spread about marijuana, what we have actually discovered is a plant that is capable of making a difference in millions of sick and healthy peoples lives, for the better.

Medical Marijuana improves the quality of life of some cancer patients which is why it is becoming such a prevalent political topic. Marijuana was actually legalized in a few states this election year. With many randomized controlled trials for medical marijuana which showed it had benefits for symptoms of nausea, pain, anxiety, and other common symptoms, it was hard for this information to not come to light, especially with the opioid crisis going on. “Nearly 70% of the 67,367 deaths in 2018 involved an opioid.”However, according to a study, we see how “the changing legal status of marijuana has impacted mortality in the United States over the past two decades. We find that marijuana access induces sharp reductions in opioid mortality rates.”

Medical marijuana is not just helpful for cancer patients but for many other illnesses and ailments. Many of the symptoms and issues that come along with chronic diseases too can be helped with medical marijuana. Some of the most common benefits from CBD, the non-psychoactive component of Cannabis, are relief from insomnia, spasticity, and anxiety. CBD is commonly sold throughout most of the country now. It is becoming popular due to its benefits with no health risks. CBD is still in the process of being discovered but it is known that a certain CBD-Dominant strain called Charlotte's Web, receives a drastic response from a childhood epilepsy disorder called Dravet Syndrome. 

The benefits that we know of and are still discovering everyday are beyond anything we ever thought. Marijuana gives cancer patients something back that they hadn't had before, control. Some research states that medical marijuana can help Parkinson's Disease and how it can be used to help individuals come off of opiates. It is not a surprise that patients nowadays would rather go to a medical dispensary then to the doctor for pills.