On June 9, 2017, the Florida State Legislature passed Senate Bill 8A (SB 8A), the Medical Use of Marijuana Act. In the Senate, the vote was 29 to 6 with four members not voting. In the House, the vote was 103 to 9 with seven members not voting. SB 8A was designed to establish regulations for the implementation of Amendment 2.

SB 8A defined the following medical conditions as qualifying a patient for medical marijuana:

• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Crohn’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Medical conditions comparable to those listed
• A terminal condition

Since Medicinal use of marijuana is permissible by state, this article strives to educate the public as to what is marijuana and how can it be used medically.

WHAT IS MARIJUANA?

Marijuana, also known as weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane, and many more colloquial names for dried Cannabis sativa flowers, is a greenish-gray combination of products derived from the hemp plant. The cannabis plant contains more than 100 compounds called cannabinoids .These compounds include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is impairing or mind-altering, as well as other active compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is not impairing, meaning it does not cause a “high”.

HOW IS MARIJUANA ADMINISTERED?

Numerous methods exist for using marijuana. Some of these methods include smoking it in joints (similar to a cigarette), in blunts (cigars or cigar wrappers that have been partially or entirely stuffed with marijuana), or in bongs (pipes or water pipes). Additionally, marijuana can be blended or infused into edibles like cookies, cakes, or brownies as well as beverages.

It can be vaporised using other vaporizers or electronic vaporising devices, such as e-cigarettes or vape pens. Cannabis’ constituents, or cannabinoids, can be extracted to create oils and concentrates that can be vaporised or inhaled. The practise of “dabbing,” or smoking marijuana plant oils, concentrates, and extracts, is becoming more popular.

The marijuana plant has compounds that may help symptoms for some health problems.¹ While more states are making it legal to use the plant as medicine for certain conditions, scientists are still learning the ways that marijuana may help people.

There is still much to learn about the plant and how it affects the body when it comes to the medical usage of marijuana. One cannabis-based medication (Epidiolex), which contains cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from the marijuana plant, has currently received FDA approval. The medication is approved to treat seizures linked to two uncommon and severe forms of epilepsy (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome), as well as seizures linked to tuberous sclerosis complex, a rare genetic condition that results in the development of benign tumours in numerous body regions.

Medical marijuana is a term for derivatives of the Cannabis sativa plant that are used to ease symptoms caused by certain medical conditions. Medical marijuana is also known as medical cannabis. In the state of Florida, as of March 2019, a bill was passed to allow smokable medical marijuana to be sold in medical marijuana treatment centers to patients with a medical marijuana card.

WHAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS CAN BE TREATED WITH MARIJUANA?

Some medical conditions that can be treated with marijuana are:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• HIV/AIDS
• Crohn’s disease
• Epilepsy and seizures
• Glaucoma
• Multiple sclerosis and muscle spasms
• Severe and chronic pain
• Severe nausea or vomiting caused by cancer treatment

There are numerous varieties of medical marijuana, including:

• Pill
• Liquid
• Oil
• Powder
• dried foliage

The methods and locations for buying medical marijuana vary by state. You administer the medication yourself once you have it. Its shape and your symptoms will determine how frequently you use it.

Depending on the type you use, your symptom relief and side effects will change. The vaporised form of the drug is inhaled for the quickest effects. With pills, the onset is the slowest.