Who would have thought - a drug where the side effects are actually beneficial? No wonder the drug companies don't want it to be legal.
Marijuana is the new black in California (well . . . technically it's the new green). The medical field is slowly realizing what thousands of Americans already knew - marijuana consumption can have beneficial side-effects. For example, one of the side-effects of marijuana consumption is extreme hunger (a.k.a. "the munchies"). That's good news for cancer patients who often lose weight during harsh cancer treatments and struggle to fight off nausea. While a patient's prescription regime of drugs adds additional harmful chemicals into the patient's weakened, overwhelmed system, medical marijuana actually increases the appetite and stimulates blood flow. And pot also makes you sleepy - at least that's what Prof. Sean Drummond hopes to show in a University of California test of HIV patients with sleep disorders.
In this new millineum, medical marijuana is becoming more accepted. Perhaps that's because some prominent research institutions are receiving funding for marijuana research projects. Part of the medical marijuana bill passed by California voters actually includes funding for the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research carried out by the well-respected University of California universities. The studies conducted so far have had promising results. One study showed that patients suffering from HIV-related peripheral neuropathy obtained relief from their pain when smoking marijuana. (See the Feb. 13, 2007 issue of the journal, Neurology). Other studies, focusing on HIV and cancer patients, are under way.
Another group that has been funding a lot of medical marijuana research is MAPS, which has been working with NORML since the early 1990's to perform studies on the effects of marijuana. The hot area for research is cannabis vaporization. Vaporization is an intake option that becoming more and more popular because it is a healthier alternative than smoking.
In our immediate future could we see adds for marijuana related products on TV? Will the Mendocino region become the Pot Napa of northern California?
