Medical weed is becoming a widely used method of managing various conditions when regular medication hasn’t been able to. If you have tried seeking relief for your condition without any success, you might be eligible for a medical marijuana prescription, but before this is issued, your medical cannabis specialist will discuss the possible pros and cons that this treatment may have.

As with standard medication, medical marijuana is going to provide different levels of relief or pain management for different people. While there is an understanding of how it can help certain conditions, mileage will vary from person to person and it cannot be guaranteed that it will be of much help. So let’s take a moment and assess if it may be right for you.

Pros:

• Nausea Prevention: Medical Marijuana is shown to be effective in relieving nausea and vomiting. It’s also able to reduce nausea and vomiting levels in patients going through chemotherapy treatments, easing the already stressful experience for cancer patients. This means that it can also help prevent appetite loss associated with cancers or AIDS.
• Muscle Tightness: Medical Marijuana is able to relieve tightness in muscles, therefore providing a way to manage those suffering with multiple sclerosis and paralysis.
• General Pain: Medical Marijuana is mainly prescribed as a pain relief, as it can help manage certain types of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain, which is caused by nerve damage. It is able to do this because medical weed interrupts pain signals to the brain, providing relief for those suffering with chronic pain.
• Safety: Medical Marijuana is actually safer than some other much stronger pain medication. For example, some people may use it instead of opioids for pain management. Medication for severe pain relief can be highly addictive and be difficult to stop taking, and while any medication comes with this risk, it is lower in medical weed.
• You don’t need to get high: There has been research conducted into medical weed and how to access the benefits in the individual compounds without the “high” produced by the compound commonly known as THC. It’s been found that when these compounds are isolated and THC is removed, patients are able to reap the benefits of medical cannabis without feeling any of the psychoactive effects.
• Multiple Methods of Absorption: Despite common perception, You do not need to smoke medical cannabis for its benefits. Products such as CBD or hemp oil , topical pain relief treatments, edibles, and other non-smoking applications are now available. This can reduce risks of lung complications, and avoid the strong smell that can accompany medical marijuana smoke.
• It’s natural: There is no need for additional unseen additives in medical weed, and this means you know exactly what you are taking. While natural doesn’t necessarily always equate to better, it can provide comfort to patients who are concerned about long ingredients lists in some medications.

Cons:

• Memory: Frequent usage of medical marijuana use can seriously affect your short-term memory, your use of medical cannabis needs to be closely monitored by your specialist to ensure you are taking the correct dose to avoid memory issues.
• Cognition: After using medical weed, many patients will find they suffer from a loss in cognition and impared motor skills. This should fade some time after use, but patients need to be careful in the short time after taking their dose.
• Accidents: during the period of reduced motor control, patients are more at risk of causes or being in accidents as they have less control over themselves. It is important that all medical cannabis be taken in a safe and controlled environment for your safety and the safety of others.
• Lung damage: Smoking anything, whether it’s tobacco or marijuana, can damage your lung tissue. This has the same effect as smoking cigarettes, with possible breathing difficulty and an increased risk of lung cancer.
• Specific Requirements for Prescription: In the UK, medical marijuana is only allowed to be prescribed to those who have already tried multiple other medications for relief of their condition with unsatisfactory results. This means that it is a lengthy process to obtain access to medical weed and while this is to ensure that those taking it are safe and using it correctly, it can mean you will be waiting some time before you are able to manage your condition.
• Effects with other medication: This is standard for most medication, but medical weed can have adverse effects if taken alongside other prescription medication. Your specialist will be able to work out what, if any, medication needs to be stopped before beginning your medical cannabis treatment.

Before trying medical maijuana, you need to first consult with your doctor, who will be able to refer you to a team of medical cannabis experts. From there, they will be able to determine if medical weed may be of some help and then you can start your first dose. It’s always possible that you may notice little to no effects, so that is why your specialist will be with you every step of the way to be sure you get the treatment you need.