How Efficient Is Medical Marijuana to treat Drug Addiction?

According to Wikipedia, medical marijuana, or medical cannabis, is cannabis that is recommended by doctors for their patients. It can be administered through a variety of methods such as lozenges, capsules, dermal patches, cannabis edibles, oral sprays, tinctures, and smoking dried buds.

Although the use of marijuana as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to restrictions and other government regulations,

limited evidence suggests the following benefits of medical marijuana:

1. Medical marijuana can reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.
2. Medical marijuana can improve appetite and weight gain in people with HIV/AIDS and cancer.
3. Medical marijuana reduces chronic pain and nausea.
4. Medical marijuana eases the pain of multiple sclerosis.
5. Medical marijuana can kill cancer cells.
6. Medical marijuana can reduce muscle spasm.
7. Medical marijuana prevents you from gaining weight and helps your metabolism.
8. Medical marijuana can help control epileptic seizures.
9. Medical marijuana can improve sleep.
10. Medical marijuana relieves the discomfort of arthritis.
11. Medical marijuana can help treat depression.
12. Medical marijuana can help prevent Alzheimer’s.
13. Medical marijuana can be used to treat glaucoma.
14. Medical marijuana may improve lung health.
15. Medical marijuana increases the effectiveness of Hepatitis C treatment.
16. Medical marijuana can improve tics in Tourette syndrome.
17. Medical marijuana may be efficient in treating drug addiction.

Also, cannabinoids have been recommended for anorexia, arthritis, migraine and glaucoma. As earlier mentioned, the use of marijuana as medicine has not been rigorously tested so the world is still waiting to know if medical marijuana has more beneficial effects. However, in recent years, there have been growing curiosity about the effectiveness of medical marijuana to treat drug addiction. Experts are exploring cannabinoids to treat addiction to drugs like cocaine and opioids.

There are divergent views about the use of medical marijuana to treat drug addictions. Some experts believe it is quite effective for such treatment while other experts do not favor marijuana as a treatment for drug addiction. Joe Schrank, program director and founder of High Sobriety believe medical marijuana help people stop drug addiction. In an interview with CNN, he says his Los Angeles-based treatment center uses medicinal cannabis as a detox and maintenance protocol for people who have more severe addictions, although it’s effectiveness is not scientifically proven. According to Schrank, this is a harm-reduction theory, which is a strategy for treating addiction that accepts incomplete sobriety.