Benefits of Marijuana
Here is a list of common diseases that marijuana has been known to benefit. We have outlined the basic symptoms and the potential benefits marijuana has on each disease.
ADD/ADHD
- Attention-deficit disorder
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- The co-existence of attention problems and hyperactivity
Symptoms
- Excessive inattentiveness
- Impulsiveness
- Hyperactivity (constant moving and squirming)
- Constant feeling of agitation and restlessness
- Extreme procrastination and disorganization
- Impulsive behavior
Benefits
- Has a calming effect
- Improves ability to concentrate in some cases of ADD
AIDS
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- A chronic, life threatening condition caused by HIV
Symptoms
- Severe pain
- Anorexia/Weight loss
- Cachexia
- Severe nausea
Benefits
- Reduces neuropathic pain/muscle spasms
- Improves appetite and sleep patterns
- Reduces nausea/vomiting
- Reduces stress
Anorexia
- A psychological eating disorder
- Denial of seriously low weight
- Distorted body image with obsessive fear of gaining weight
- Known to control weight through voluntary starvation, excessive exercise, or other weight control measures. (Diet pills or diuretic drugs)
Symptoms
- Weight loss from restricting food or purging it
- Amenorrhea (interruption of the menstrual cycle for at least 3 consecutive cycles)
- Bone loss
- Extra sensitivity to cold
- Bloated stomach after eating
- Fine hair grows on skin for warmth
- Yellowed skin
- Thinning hair
Benefits
- Increases appetite
- Improves overall mood
Arthritis
- A disease of the joints that is usually accompanied by inflammation, pain, stiffness, swelling, and sometimes may lead to deformation of the joint structure
Symptoms
- Dry scalp with dandruff
- Dry skin which shows whitish spots in different part of the body - Ear has no ear wax
- Fingernails that appear brittle or splitting
- Ringing in ears
- Stretch mark which appears after losing weight
- Rectum itching
- Nose constantly itching
- Teeth have etch lines
- Varicose veins in legs
- Being Sterile
Benefits
- Helps with pain and inflammation
- Acts as sleeping aid by reducing pain and increasing quality of sleep
Asthma
- A predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs where the airways are reversibly narrowed
Symptoms
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Coughing
- Feeling short of breath
Benefits
- Can help reduce symptoms by opening up bronchial tubes
Auto Accidents
- Pain from a previous car accident
Symptoms
- Head and neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Damage to internal organs
Benefits
- Helps reduce pain
- Sleeping aid
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Most common form of dementia
- Incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease
Symptoms
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life
- Challenges in planning or solving problems
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure
- Confusion with time or place
- Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
- New problems with words in speaking or writing
- Misplacing things and inability to retrace steps
- Changes in mood and personality
Benefits
- Can help prevent the formation of Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain
- Slows the degenerative process
Brain Injury
- Brain damage, the destruction or degeneration of brain cells
- Acquired brain injury, damage to the brain acquired after birth
- Traumatic brain injury, Damage that occurs when an outside force injures the brain
Symptoms
- Excessive sleepiness
- Inattention
- Difficulty concentrating
- Impaired memory
- Faulty judgment
- Depression and irritability
- Emotional outbursts
- Migraine headaches
Benefits
- Decreases swelling
- Helps with pain
Cancer
- A class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth
- Can sometimes spread to other locations on the body
- Can form tumors
- Caused by abnormalities
Symptoms
- Patient usually suffer no symptoms until they begin chemo/radiation therapy
Benefits
- Stops breast cancer from spreading
- Reduces tumors and kills cancer cells for brain cancer
- Reduces tumors and slows cancers growth for lung cancer
- See Chemotherapy/Radiation Therapy
Chemotherapy
- Cancer treatment
- Among the most powerful and toxic chemicals used in medicine
- Kills healthy cells as well as cancer cells
Symptoms
- Severe nausea which can last for weeks
- Dry heaves which can last for hours sometimes days
- Can rupture esophagus from excessive vomiting
- Severe fluid and weight loss due to lack of appetite/vomiting
Benefits
- Increases appetite
- Reduces pain
- Sleeping aid
- Helps with nausea
Chronic Pain
- Not a condition or injury, but rather a frequent and intolerable symptom
- Pain that persists longer than the temporal course of natural healing, associated with a particular type of injury
Symptoms
- Pain that does not go away as expected after an illness or injury
- Pain that maybe described as shooting, burning, aching, or electrical
- Discomfort, soreness, tightness, or stiffness
- Fatigue and/or sleeplessness
- Withdrawal from activity and increased need to rest
Benefits
- Relieves pain
- Reduces swelling
Chronic Nausea
- A constant sensation where there is a need to vomit
- Not a condition but a frequent and intolerable symptom from a condition
Symptoms
- A sick feeling that makes you want to vomit
Benefits
- Helps reduce nausea
- Increases appetite and helps keep food down
Colitis
- One of a group of conditions which are inflammatory and auto immune, affecting the tissue that lines the gastrointestinal system
Symptoms
- Intense pain
- Tenderness in abdomen
- Depression
- Rapid weight loss
- Aches and pains within joints
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Changes in bowel movements
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Increases appetite
Crohn’s Disease
- An inflammatory disease in the intestines that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from anus to mouth causing a wide variety of symptoms
Symptoms
- Persistent or recurring diarrhea
- Abdominal pain, tenderness, and/or swelling
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Rectal bleeding
- Stomach ulcers
- Weight loss
- Anemia
- Fatigue
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Reduces nausea
- Increases appetite
- Reduced vomiting
- Sleeping aid thus decreasing fatigue
- Helps weight gain
- Fewer stools per day and fewer flare ups of less severity
Epilepsy
- A chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures
Symptoms
- Convulsions
- Muscle spasms
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Strange sensations
- Strange emotions
- Strange behavior
Benefits
- Reduces seizures and muscle spasms
- Curbs symptoms
- Prevents loss of consciousness
ESRD/dialysis patients
- End Stage Renal Disease
- Renal failure refers to temporary or permanent damage to the kidneys that results in loss of normal kidney function
- There are two different types of renal failure, acute renal failure and chronic renal failure
- Most patients use dialysis to treat ESRD
Symptoms (acute)
- Hemorrhage
- Fever
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Rash
- Diarrhea or bloody diarrhea
- Poor appetite
- Severe Vomiting
- Back pain
- Muscle cramps
- No urine output or high urine output
- Nosebleeds
- Inflammation of the eye
Symptoms (chronic)
- Poor appetite
- Vomiting
- Bone pain
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Itching
- Dry skin
- Malaise
- Fatigue with light activity
- Muscle cramps
- High urine output or low urine output
- Tissue swelling
- Irritability
Side effects from Dialysis
- Hernias
- Loss of appetite
- Bloating and weight gain
- Muscle cramps
- Low blood pressure
Benefits
- Increased appetite
- Sleeping aid
- Reduced swelling
- Reduced fatigue
Fibromyalgia
- A medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain and heightened and painful response to pressure
Symptoms
- Extreme and widespread pain
- Chronic Head aches
- Jaw pain
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- Joint stiffness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Bowl and bladder abnormalities
- Numbness and tingling
Benefits
- Sleeping aid
- Reduces Fatigue
- Reduces pain
Glaucoma
- A disorder usually associated with ocular hypertension (excess pressure within the eye)
Symptoms
- Gradual vision deterioration
- Peripheral vision deterioration
- Dim peripheral vision
- Tunnel vision
- Blurred vision
- Foggy vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty adjusting to brightness
- Halos around bright lights
- Mild eye pain
- Nausea
- Headaches
Benefits
- Can protect the nerves from damage
- Decreases the elevated IOP of patients
- Reduces nausea
- Helps patients see more clearly
- Reduces pressure in eye
HIV
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- Damages immune system
- Interferes with your body’s ability to fight off viruses
- Makes you more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections
Symptoms (Early)
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Swollen lymph glands
- Rash
Symptoms (Late)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Cough and shortness of breath
Benefits
- Increases appetite
- Reduces pain
- Sleeping aid
- Helps with nausea
Head Injury
- Refers to trauma to the head
Symptoms
- Blurred vision
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Head aches
Benefits
- Reduces pain
Hypertension
- A chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure is elevated, also known as high blood pressure
- A leading cause of Chronic Renal Failure
Symptoms
- Headaches
- Morning headaches
- Ringing in ears
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Convulsion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Chest pains
Benefits
- Can normalize blood pressure
- Sleeping aid to reduce fatigue
- Reduces nausea
- Reduced vomiting
- Increased appetite
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- A functional bowel disorder
Symptoms
- Chronic abdominal pain
- Discomfort
- Bloating
- An alteration in bowel habits in the absence of any organic cause
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Gas
- Weight loss
- Difficulty swallowing
Benefits
- Pain relief
- Curbs symptoms
Migraines
- A type of severe headache that usually occurs in episodes or attacks, which can last from 3 to 72 hours
Symptoms
- Severe headache (on one or both sides)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Visions disturbance
- Sound sensitivity
- Pain over one eye
Benefits
- Reduces severity
- Relieves pain
- Reduces nausea
- Increases appetite
- Sleeping aid
Muscular Dystrophy
- A group of genetic, hereditary muscle diseases that weaken the muscles that move the body
Symptoms
- Gait problems
- Waddling gait
- Falls
- Difficulty standing up
- Difficulty climbing stairs
- Difficulty descending stairs
- Firm looking muscles
- Enlarged muscles
- Decreased appetite
- Pain
Benefits
- Increased appetite
- Reduces pain
Multiple Sclerosis
- Disorder where patches of myelin in the brain and spinal cord are destroyed
- Normal functioning of the nerve fibers themselves is interrupted
Symptoms
- Tingling/Numbness
- Difficulty speaking
- Impaired vision
- Painful muscle spasms
- Weakness
- Paralysis
- Tremors
- Loss of coordination/balance
Benefits
- Can help control uncoordinated muscle action
- Limit pain and spasticity
- Relieves tremors and unsteadiness
Muscle Spasms
- A sudden, involuntary contraction of muscles, sometimes accompanied with a sudden burst of pain
Symptoms
- Twitches
- Tics
- Chorea (any disorder caused by involuntary movement or spasms)
- Seizures
- Spasms
- Pain in muscles and body
Benefits
- Can reduces muscle spasms
- Relieves pain
Nausea
- A sensation of unease or discomfort in stomach
Symptoms
- Stomach pain
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Vomiting
Benefits
- Reduces Nausea
- Increases appetite
- Reduces vomiting
- Sleeping aid
Paraplegia
- An impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities
Symptoms
- Leg paralysis
- Lower body paralysis
- Bladder control problems
- Bladder incontinence
- Fecal incontinence
- Painful muscle spasms
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Sleeping aid
- Reduces stress and anxiety
Parkinson’s Disease
- A degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer’s motor skills, speech, and other functions
Symptoms
- A tremor in one little finger
- Hand tremor
- Tremor in one hand
- Tremor in one leg
- Tremor in one arm
- Tremor in one side of the body
- Involuntary head nodding
- Difficulty walking
- Stooping posture
- Shuffling gait
- Stammering
- Difficulty talking
Benefits
- Reduces or alleviates symptoms
- Improves extreme slowness of movement and reflexes
- Improves muscle rigidity and tremor
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- An anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more traumatic events that threatened or caused great physical harm
Symptoms
- Nightmares
- Persistent daily thoughts
- Flashbacks
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal complaints
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Body aches
- Sleeping problems
- Emotional problems
- Emotionally numb
- Detachment
- Trouble feeling affectionate
- Startled easily
- Irritability
- Aggression
- Loosing interest
- Feelings of intense guilt
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Sleeping aid
- Reduces stress
- Improves quality of life
Quadriplegia
- A paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso
Symptoms
- Loss of sensation in arms and legs
- Loss of ability to intentionally move arms and legs
- Incontinence of bladder and bowels
- Impotence
- Breathing difficulties
- Pressure sores
- Paralysis of arms
- Paralysis of legs
- Urinary incontinence
- Impotence
- Bowel incontinence
- Painful muscle spasms
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Reduces spasms
Radiation Therapy
- The medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells
Symptoms
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Weakness
- Red itchy skin
- Sore throat
- Hair loss
- Recurrent infections
- Bleeding
- Anemia
Benefits
- Reduced Nausea
- Increased appetite
- Reduced vomiting
- Weight gain
- Sleeping aid
Seizure Disorders
- One of many medical conditions that are characterized by episodes of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain
Symptoms
- Muscle jerking
- Uncontrollable blinking
- Seizures
- Uncontrollable limb shaking
- Inability to speak
- Inability to move
- Visual and/or auditory hallucinations
- Sudden uncontrollable crying or laughter
Benefits
- Less frequent seizures
- Sleeping aid
- Relaxes muscles
Sleep Disorders
- A medical disorder of sleep patterns
Symptoms
- Irritability or sleepiness during the day
- Difficulty staying awake when sitting still, watching TV, or reading
- Fall asleep or feel very tired while driving
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slow reactions
- Emotional outbursts
- Napping daily
Benefits
- Can regulate sleeping patterns
- Sleeping aid
Spinal Cord Injury/Disease
- Often results in loss of motion, neuropathic pain, muscle spasms, loss of bladder control, erectile dysfunction, and depression
Symptoms
- Paralysis
- Loss of sensation
- Loss of reflex function
- Loss of automatic activity
- Breathing difficulty
- Loss of bowel control
- Loss of bladder control
- Pain
- Sensitivity to stimuli
- Muscle spasms
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of function
Benefits
- Reduces muscle spasms and spasticity
- Suppresses muscle jerks
- Reduces pain
- Sleeping aid
- Increases appetite
Sports Injury
- An injury to an athlete that occurred while participating in sports
Symptoms
- Pain
- Swelling
- Inflammation
- Heat
- Redness
- Loss of function
Benefits
- Reduces pain
- Reduces swelling and inflammation
- Sleeping aid
Tourette’s Syndrome
- An inherited neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of multiple physical tics
Symptoms
- Repeated involuntary movements
- Uncontrollable vocal sounds
- Tics
- Facial tics
- Eye blinking
- Motor Tics
- Head jerking
- Neck stretching
- Foot stamping
- Body twisting
- Throat clearing
- Coughing
- Obsessive compulsive thoughts
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Abnormal sleep disturbances
Benefits
- Sleeping aid
- Helps with depression
- Reduced symptoms
- Reduces tics
