Why It Is Difficult To Conduct Marijuana Research

Doing medical marijuana research isn't easy. One of the barriers to this kind of clinical investigation is legal. National and local law enforcement agencies aren't exactly eager for scientists to find practical applications for marijuana.

A bigger problem in medical marijuana research, however, is the issue of double blinding. In clinical research, ideally you want to make sure that the effects you observe in your study are actually due to the medication (or natural substance) you are testing, not due to wishful thinking. The way essentially all accepted medical research studies get around this problem is by giving one group of volunteers the drug being tested and another group of volunteers a placebo. But when you are testing marijuana, it's hard to fool study participants as to whether or not they are actually smoking pot.

So, should you go with your gut and smoke pot if you think it might do you some good?

We're under legal restraints, too. We can't tell you that you should use marijuana for a medical application. However, we can tell you the factors you need to consider about your personal use of medical marijuana.

Dude, smoking pot can make you, like, lightheaded

Approximately 60% of marijuana users experience transient dizziness, lightheadedness, or loss of focus and attention (only 60%, oddly enough, research tells us). Of course, that's why people use the drug recreationally. If you are going to use marijuana on a regular basis, make sure you don't have obligations that require sharp mental focus while you are experiencing the effects of the drug.

You may face criminal liability for possession of pot, even for medical purposes

Depending on the local laws where you live, you may face criminal liability for possession of pot, even for medical purposes. Most arrests are made when someone is traveling through a city or county with tough enforcement laws to or from one's home where the law is more lenient.

Marijuana and marijuana oil occasionally have adverse side effects

Marijuana and marijuana oil occasionally have adverse side effects, such as muscle pain (about 25% of the time), muscle weakness (about 20% of the time), dry mouth (about 10% of the time), and, from smoking marijuana on a regular basis, sore throat and in rare cases, marijuana allergy.

Smoking marijuana induces production of an enzyme in the liver called CYP1A2

Increasing production of this enzyme accelerates the body's clearance of certain antipsychotic medications and some older, seldom-prescribed antidepressants.

Regular smokers experience mild symptoms of withdrawal when they quit

If you start smoking marijuana on a daily basis, you may experience mild symptoms of withdrawal when you quit. These include reduced appetite, acid stomach, nausea, irritability, and anxiety. These symptoms usually go away in two days to two weeks.

But the most important consideration in choosing to use medical marijuana is this:

Medical marijuana isn't a cure-all. It may be exactly what you need, however, for the medications you are already taking actually to do their job.

Don't give up a potentially life-saving medication to smoke pot. Instead, if you choose to use marijuana, use it as part of your health program, rather than as your entire health program, and operate within the legal system as much as you can.