Medical Marijuana for Neurological Conditions

As doctors learn more about neurological conditions, more and more treatments are becoming available to help patients manage their symptoms and increase their quality of life. One relatively new treatment for neurological conditions is medical marijuana. Although medical marijuana may not be ideal for treating every neurological condition, it has proven to be especially effective in managing seizures, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy. While this form of treatment continues to be controversial among doctors, researchers, legislators, and the public, it has been legalized in 29 states, including Florida, for medical use. Medical marijuana uses the marijuana plant and its chemicals to treat certain conditions. There are various means of delivering marijuana into the body such as: smoking, inhaling vapors, consuming it with food, placing a drop under your tongue, or applying it to the skin as a lotion, spray, oil, or cream. When considering how to take medical marijuana, it is important to note that each method takes a different amount of time to be absorbed in the body. There are over 100 chemicals found in the marijuana plant, however the most commonly used chemicals for medical use are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). While THC is known to produce the “high” associated with marijuana use, CBD has little to no intoxicating effect. One reason why medical marjuana is so effective in treating a variety of conditions is because the chemicals it contains are similar to the chemicals found in the body that are responsible for appetite, memory, movement, and pain. Now that we have a better understanding of what medical marijuana is and how it works, let’s take a look at how it can be used to treat certain neurological conditions.