Medical Marijuana Vs Synthetic

Medical Marijuana and its use is one of the hottest topics on opinion boards around the country.

This blog isn’t meant to debate the pros and cons of using medical Marijuana. That will be an interesting topic for later on. Instead I’m interested in the differences between the natural forms of medical marijuana and the synthetic forms that are commonly sold in pharmacies.

I admit I had to do some research on both types because I haven’t had any experience with Marijuana since the mid seventies. This is a basic rundown on what I found.

First, what the heck is synthetic marijuana?

It’s a drug made by using THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the active chemical ingredient contained in marijuana, and a derivative of plant cannabis. The whole plant is utilized including the leaves, seeds and stems.

There is a lot of disagreement over which form is more practical; the natural plant or the synthetic drug. The base argument is that the synthetic form is more costly to process into a pill or liquid form, thereby making it more expensive than the age old system of ingesting Marijuana through smoking or baking into foods.

One compelling argument against the use of medical marijuana is the amount of fraud that has risen with the legalization in a number of states. This makes it difficult for those that have a legitimate need for the Cannabis.

Some common uses for Marijuana are:
•    glaucoma
•    nausea from cancer treatment
•    asthma
•    seizures
•    Hiv/Aids

Many countries have legalized medical cannabis and the effects of THC are being studied around the globe.

Here are some comparisons to smoking Marijuana directly instead of ingesting it via pill or liquid.

1. The synthetic drug takes as long as an hour to be absorbed by the body. Smoking takes effect immediately.
2. Since smoking takes effect quickly, it is easier to monitor the effects and therefore to dose appropriately.
3. Smoking medical Marijuana is much cheaper than either the pill or liquid synthetic drug.

The liquid form causes severe nausea in some patients. This can be so bad that they throw up before the THC can be absorbed by the body. This is ironic in that they may have been taking the drug to try and control nausea to start with.

Possible side effects of the synthetic include:
•    anxiety
•    memory loss
•    confusion
•    depression

Of course as with any drug, there can be problems with negative interaction if the person is taking other prescription medications as well.

So what is the bottom line here?

I’ll be darned if I’m sure which one is better. Guess more research is needed. Personally though, I never thought it was too smart to put something that is burning into your mouth!