Medical marijuana also referred as medical cannabis, means using the marijuana or cannabis which is a plant, other cannabinoids and synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabis plant can be used as an herbal therapy, or drug as recommended by the physician.
Many researches are there in medicinal context concerned with the use of cannabis. Prescription is generally required for using it. It can be distributed within a frame as specified by local laws. Various methods are there for intake of dosage such as smoking or vaporizing dried buds, taking capsules or, eating or drinking extracts.
Only few territories have been legalized by government for the use of cannabis. These include Austria, the Netherlands, Israel, Canada, Germany, Finland, Portugal and Spain. In United States, there are 13 states recognizing medical marijuana namely California, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Rhode Island. However, from these only New Mexico, California, Rhode Island, and Colorado have utilized dispensaries for selling medical cannabis. There is also long beach medical marijuana available.
There are various benefits of using marijuana along with some of its side effects. There are evidences that prove that using cannabis products lower the intraocular pressure in people suffering from glaucoma. A very high dosage of marijuana is required in the form of constant inhalation about every three hours, if one wants to have effect on intraocular pressure. Because of the long term inhalation of marijuana smoke or long term oral usage of marijuana to treat glaucoma it is considered as the poor choice. Glaucoma is a chronic disease that requires effective and proven treatment. At present, marijuana is considered as the schedule I drug. That is, the drug having a high possibility of abusing and with no proven therapeutic value or medical application. Only marijuana that has been accepted for medical use at the federal level is marinol. It is a tetrahydrocannabinol’s synthetic form which is the most important constituent of marijuana. Marinol was formed as an antiemetic agent that is known for reducing nausea and is utilized in chemotherapy treatments. It can be taken in form of capsule orally. Marinol has no impressive effect on glaucoma. Till date, there has been no studies proving marijuana or it’s about 400 components to be more safe or effective in lowering intraocular pressure than number of drugs available in market. Presently, no national eye institute studies are using marijuana for treating glaucoma.
