Pot, weed, dope, skunk or cannabis (as it is more formally known) has been a subject of contention over its potential medical benefit for a number of years. Admittedly we tend to almost solely associate this drug with its recreational usage, making it difficult to believe that we may actually be able to derive therapeutic benefits from it also.

Cannabis is the name given to the plant species. Marijuana, weed or pot refers more specifically to the flower of the female cannabis plant, after it is processed for consumption. Once the male cannabis plant has pollinated the female plant, seed formation begins. Preventing pollination is what allows for the seedless TCH-rich buds to form – this is basically what gives the ‘high’.

The seedless female plants are called ‘sinsemilla’, which directly translates to ‘without seeds’ in Spanish.

So what are the therapeutic uses of cannabis? Studies indicate it could possibly be used in to the treatment of conditions such as pain, glaucoma, chemotherapy-induced nausea/loss of appetite, epilepsy, bipolar disorder or Alzheimer’s disease.

‘The FDA has not approved marijuana as a safe and effective drug for any indication, but some synthetic versions are approved.’ FDA website.

There are two main sub-species of the cannabis plant; Cannabis sativa & Cannabis indica. It is the Indica type which is associated with pain relief since it contains a higher amount of CBD, whereas Sativa is more suited to mood alleviating effects as is has more TCH.

• Indica – CBD – provides a relaxing ‘stoned’ feeling for pain relief.
• Sativa – TCH – provides an energetic feeling for elevating mood.

You may have heard of the MediPen, the UK’s first legal cannabis oil vaporizer. This contains the CBD variant and is intended for pain relief. Since there is almost no TCH present, the user does not experience the high. Although the pen seems fairly harmless, the demonstrated benefits remain to be substantiated with hard evidence. There are mixed feelings about this product – some have claimed to have derived great benefits, others are not so positive.

Whilst this may all sound promising, the marijuana itself has extremely high addiction potential. This highly addictive attribute could seriously impair quality of life thus is not desirable. It is unethical to subject a patient to the drug for purposes of clinical trial due to the subsequent lasting damage that could result. This is a major limiting factor in further research into its therapeutic benefits.