By Peter High
For many years, there has been a recurring discussion about the legalization of cannabis. Like our neighbors, the Dutch, this should finally become a reality.
With the new government come changes. One of them is now supposed to be legal cannabis. The effect of the medicine on the different diseases is not the only thing that this plant has in store.
There is little dispute that cannabis can help in many areas. However, one must never forget that the intoxicating ingredients cause immense damage, especially in young adults and children.
Legalizing cannabis also means that a very comprehensive safety concept must be in place. You can’t just offer the plant for the course, and you need strict guidelines and fixed boundaries here.
We have provided more information for you in our blog article on the cannabis boom.
What can cannabis help?
For example, there is no general statement, as is the case with headache pills. Cannabis has an excellent reputation in pain management. However, that does not mean that it is always used for every type of pain.
It is decided individually in each case and always in consultation between doctor and patient. Only in extreme cases should cannabis be obtained on prescription. This is often the last resort in therapy.
Anyone who doesn’t want to wait for legalization has legally gotten a prescription for cannabis since January 2017, including from pharmacies such as Grüne Blume.
Suppose it is not foreseeable that the severe course of the disease and the symptoms will be significantly alleviated and improved in connection with the consumption of cannabis. In that case, the doctor is advised to refrain from this method.
In addition, different approaches to therapy must have already been tried in the course of the disease. So the plant is never the first choice, but much more the last chance to help the person concerned.
With the legalization of cannabis, this rule could change. Different methods do not have to be tested first, but the doctor could immediately fall back on the plant and its effects.
Some diseases can be treated very well. These include example, chronic pain, epilepsy, and cancer.
Medical cannabis can also be helpful for diseases such as ADHD, sleep disorders, Tourette’s syndrome, and anxiety disorders. However, the doctor should proceed cautiously here. See the linked blog article for more information on how cannabis can help.
The amount prescribed and the dosage must be closely monitored. This is the only way to guarantee that the active ingredient does not have the opposite effect but helps where it is supposed to help.
However, there are also diseases in which no effect of the plant can be felt. A prescription and thus a therapy would make no sense for depression, psychosis, dementia, and intestinal diseases.
The Concerns About Legalizing Cannabis
Marijuana is often considered a gateway drug. Of course, there are significant concerns that legal procurement will also drastically increase consumption. However, the government is not idle here.
When considering making cannabis safe yet legal, there are numerous guidelines. Among other things, the sale may only take place for adults. Furthermore, not every trade will be allowed to sell this plant.
Of course, previous studies cannot provide any information about this. It is also tough to make predictions because the frequency, the dose, and, above all, the ingredients are far too variable.
If you take other countries as a comparison, you see a minimal increase immediately after legalization and then a stagnation of the numbers. But here, too, it depends on different factors.
Despite all the concerns, however, the benefit of the plant outweighs it. With legal authorization for sale and consumption, cannabis could bring significant enlightenment to many seriously ill people.
The previous path of conditions and hurdles would then be eliminated, and the therapy can be started much earlier. Those affected could also talk about the illness and the appropriate help.
Currently, it is considered disreputable when you explain your therapy. You quickly find yourself in a drawer with stoners.
Despite the medical necessity, many people do not want to get involved in cannabis therapy. They have concerns about their social circle and reputation.
This is also different in the case of legalization. At least patients are concerned about their social life regarding legal medicine. Reputation is significant even for seriously ill people.
The disease already ensures that you are excluded. So you don’t want to use that little bit of belonging that you can only get with a prescription.
CBD has already caused a stir
CBD is also an ingredient found in the cannabis plant. Unlike smoking marijuana, however, there are no intoxicating active ingredients here. For this reason, it has been sold for many years.
In the beginning, there was a lot of skepticism about this product. After all, it is the same plant from which the different products are obtained. The doubts that no drugs are contained here were justified.
In the meantime, however, these concerns and doubts have almost been erased. Most people have recognized the benefits of CBD and are using it to sleep better and relieve headaches.
It relies on the highest quality licensed dealers and a controlled levy. Legalization was intended to bring substandard products and the black market in this area under control.
The same will happen with cannabis in the course of legalization. Of course, the intoxicating substances are included here, and you should not underestimate the effect. But when it comes to selling, completely different guidelines apply.
If you get your marijuana legally, you no longer have to fall back on inferior products in alleys. The sale on the street should be curbed significantly in this way.
Overall, the legalization of cannabis can bring advantages in many areas. The only important thing is the framework in which the legal sale and the entire organization are handled.
