Opinion and Debate: Medical Marijuana: Can we think about it?

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in United States1 and Canada. A huge number of youths in Pakistan are quite addicted to this drug. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves derived from the hemp plant cannabis sativa. It is commonly smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe. It can also be mixed in food or brewed as tea. It gives high effects by virtue of its action on cannabinoid receptors that are found in brain. There has been an ongoing research on the medicinal properties of marijuana. It has been observed that it contains active ingredients with therapeutic potential for pain relief, nausea control, appetite stimulant and for decreasing ocular pressure. A mouth spray from this compound that has been approved in Canada and parts of Europe is being used for the relief of pain associated with cancer and for neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis.