Benefits of Weed | Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana

There are few subjects that can stir up stronger emotions among doctors, scientists, researchers, policy makers, and the public than medical marijuana. Is it safe? Should it be legal? Decriminalized? Has its effectiveness been proven? What conditions is it useful for? Is it addictive? How do we keep it out of the hands of teenagers? Is it really the “wonder drug” that people claim it is? Is medical marijuana just a ploy to legalize marijuana in general?

What is medical marijuana or medical cannabis?
Medical marijuana is the medical use of the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant to relieve symptoms of, or treat diseases and conditions. The Cannabis plant was used medically for centuries around the world until the early 1900s. Medical marijuana facts can be difficult to find because strong opinions exist, both pros and cons.

Why isn’t the marijuana plant an FDA-approved medicine?
The FDA requires carefully conducted studies (clinical trials) in hundreds to thousands of human subjects to determine the benefits and risks of a possible medication. So far, researchers haven't conducted enough large-scale clinical trials that show that the benefits of the marijuana plant (as opposed to its cannabinoid ingredients) outweigh its risks in patients it's meant to treat.

What are the benefits of marijuana?

Pain management
The cannabinoids in marijuana may reduce pain by altering pain perception pathways in the brain. This may be helpful to treat conditions that cause chronic pain.

Reduced inflammation
CBD in marijuana is thought to help reduce inflammation. In theory, this may benefit inflammatory conditions.

Sleep management
The relaxing effects of marijuana may help improve sleep disorders, such as insomnia. And improved sleep may also occur when pain is reduced from marijuana usage.

Should I grow my own weed at home? Here's what you need to know.

For the home grower, this matters much less, and Graf says it helps someone develop their appreciation for the plant. Amid rising interest in home grows, companies have developed home grow pods controlled by smartphone apps and other more modest growing kits and accessories. With strong weed no longer hard to find, home growing is a chance for connoisseurs to grow for CBD, a chemical commonly associated with the plant’s medicinal properties, or for a plant’s terpene profile (bouquet).

The first step in growing your own weed is figuring out where in your home to grow it. Really, though, it can be almost anywhere, provided that the space is dry and cool, and that you can seal it from outside light. When growing marijuana indoors, common grow areas such as closet, cabinet, a corner in a spare room, marijuana grow tent.

Choose the grow lights for weed you will use. To grow, your plants will need light provided by bulbs that provide a full spectrum of light (unlike normal household bulbs). You have several choices, but broadly speaking, high pressure sodium HPS grow lights or metal halide (ML) lights will cost less to set-up but more to run, while LED grow lights will cost you more up front, but save money in the long-run.

Indoor gardeners can choose between growing in planting containers with planting mix and using hydroponics. Hydroponic systems use a non-nutritive rooting medium like rockwool cubes that provides nutrients by adding fertilizer to the water.