Can Medical Marijuana Act as an Effective Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis?

The term medical marijuana is still a work in progress. With new research idealizing the potential health benefits of cannabis and new laws legalizing its medical use in several states in the US, medical cannabis is one of the most talked-about subjects today. Hence, I thought it might be worth looking at if cannabis can act as a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that my friend has been recently diagnosed with. 

Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

A simple Google search showed that this disorder is most commonly seen in the age group of 20-40. Considering my friend is 25, it was a good starting point. The reason why someone might suffer from MS is due to a damaged myelin sheath. This sheath acts as the protective cover around the nerve cells, and the nerve signals can slow down or completely stop when this covering is damaged.

So, I looked at what might cause damage to the myelin sheath — the likeliest culprit: inflammation. When our body’s immune system attacks our nervous system, that’s when inflammation occurs. Although the cause for this sheath damage is evident, what indeed causes Multiple Sclerosis is still unknown. Viruses, gene defects, potentially a combination of both, even external environmental factors, are just a few reasons that could be causes for MS, medical studies have shown.

Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using MMJ

According to a 2019 report, patients having Multiple Sclerosis are more likely to use marijuana. The research’s primary goal was to identify the factors associated with marijuana use by patients with MS. 571 adult patients and 279 controls participated in the study of clinical, genetic, neuroimaging, and environmental factors in MS progression. 39.9% of patients reported having used marijuana, compared with 32.7% of controls. What does this tell us? After I saw this report, one thing became abundantly clear: if so many MS patients are using marijuana, there must be some benefit associated with it. So, I kept digging.

I came across this article where a patient’s experience using medical cannabis was shared. Jason Jordan was the first MS patient in Australia to receive an MMJ prescription. He first felt the symptoms at the age of 21. In his own words, Jason described the different stages of MS: He termed the first stage as “relapsing-remitting MS” (you get symptoms, then you get better); the second stage is the “primary progressive MS” (symptoms tend to stay); and finally, the third stage is where he felt weird sensations which he illustrated as “burning in your feet, or like they are in a bucket of ice.”

Jason recalled when he had to choose between an experimental medication (that had a risk of brain infection) or medical cannabis. With his neurologist’s guidance and his research, Jason finally decided to go with medical cannabis. The result? He was halfway normal within six months of treatment with marijuana. 

Proven MMJ and CBD Benefits on Multiple Sclerosis Patient

While researching the benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids, I came across this article that quoted a 2017 NASEM report. It stated that there was considerable evidence of short-term benefits of oral cannabinoid-based medications on adults suffering from MS. Prescribed doses of CBD oil can subside the symptoms and hence provide comfort.

I found several other published reports showing how medical marijuana and CBD could act as an effective treatment for muscle spasticity, chronic pain, nausea, and fatigue, all of which are potential MS symptoms. The only issue is that using marijuana for medical purposes is entirely different from recreational purposes. Before consuming, patients should consult doctors and know the correct dosages to avoid side-effects. Today, there are many options for finding doctors online from sites such as Quickmedcards.com if you are in America or  Themedicalcannabisclinics.com in the UK.

Conclusion

As my friend is still in the early stages, I would undoubtedly suggest that he go through some of these reports before he moves to the different stages of MS that Jason talked about. If traditional treatment is truly ineffective, it’s better to go forward with something like MMJ or CBD that patients like Jason claimed to have helped before it is too late.

Note: This article is not a medical report or an expert solution. Instead, it’s a gathering of various data from a multitude of online resources on the topic of MS and how medical marijuana comes into play in terms of its treatment. The article aims to inform and raise awareness, especially for those who might be going through a similar experience to that of my friend’s. If we stand united in our shared information, combatting MS will become easier and easier with time. Especially so in a time of advent growth for the medical marijuana industry.