Science Cannabis

is Cannabis Safe? 207and family life, and dependent users may become psychotic. Cannabiscan also cause cognitive impairments and some users may become dependentbut the withdrawal symptoms are relatively mild. In the UnitedStates more than 150,000 deaths each year are attributable to alcoholabuse.TobaccoThe acute effects of smoking tobacco are similar to those caused bysmoking marijuana, namely the irritant effects of smoke on the respiratorysystem and the stimulant effects of nicotine or THC on the cardiovascularsystem. Chronic use in each case leads to an increased risk ofdeveloping bronchitis, and in the case of tobacco use, other such respiratorydiseases as emphysema and asthma. Tobacco smoking poses a majorpublic health risk because of the established link with lung cancer andseveral other forms of cancer. It is possible that cannabis smoking alsocarries with it increased risks of developing cancers of the lungs andupper regions of the airways, but these are not yet proven. In the UnitedStates some 350,000 deaths each year are due to tobacco-related diseases.Summary of the Conclusions Regarding theMedical Uses of Cannabis1. The only medical uses for which there is rigorous scientific evidenceare in the treatment of the sickness associated with cancer chemotherapyand to counteract the loss of appetite and the wasting syndromein AIDS. There is, however, scientific evidence to support the potentialuse of cannabis in several other medical conditions, particularly thoseassociated with painful muscular spasms and possibly other forms of treatment-resistantclinical pain. Only anecdotal evidence is available so farin such conditions as multiple sclerosis, spasticity, spinal cord injury, migraine,glaucoma, or epilepsy.2. The safety profile of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, isgood. It has very low toxicity both in the short and in the long term.