Medical Marijuana – Long History, Scientific Future

NC – Medical marijuana, or pharmaceutical-grade cannabis, has been an exceptionally popular topic in recent months. For the 30,000 Canadians who currently use it to treat their chronic or terminal illness they know how beneficial it can be for pain relief, to help overcome the nausea associated with chemotherapy treatment, or quiet the mental challenges as a result of a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

What is different about this medicine compared to traditional pharmaceuticals is the hard scientific proof. The cannabis plant has a long history of medicinal use dating back thousands of years across many cultures. It can be found referred to in ancient Chinese writings regarding its use as a treatment for many ailments including gout, rheumatism and absent-mindedness. The ancient Egyptians used cannabis for relieving hemorrhoid pain and in ancient India it is documented to have been used for treating insomnia, pain and during childbirth.

While millions of people have benefited from this therapy, there is yet to be an established library of scientific data to substantiate the treatment. Pharmaceutical-grade cannabis has yet to be studied under the same microscope as the traditional pain relievers that a doctor may prescribe.

“There is no question that the science of cannabis needs to catch up to the anecdotal evidence,” said Brent Zettl, CEO, CanniMed Ltd., the first pharmaceutical-grade cannabis producer to be licensed by Health Canada. “At CanniMed, we are committed to standardizing care through evidenced-based scientific research. Our goal is to prove, once and for all in a scientifically-validated way, that pharmaceutical-grade cannabis should be considered as one of the many options that a doctor has to treat his or her patients.”

The Medical Marijuana program in Canada has recently been revised so that patients can only acquire their pharmaceutical-grade cannabis from a producer licensed by Health Canada. For information about medical marijuana, and how to register, visit www.CanniMed.ca.