Is that a wet-nap or a condom?: The Straight Dope on Medical Marijuana

Marijuana's therapeutic uses are well-documented in modern scientific literature. The studies indicate that marijuana provides symptomatic relief for a number of medical conditions, including nausea and vomiting, stimulating appetite, promoting weight gain, and diminishing intraocular pressure from glaucoma. There is also evidence that smoked marijuana and/or THC reduces muscle spasticity from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, and diminishes tremors in multiple sclerosis patients. Patients and physicians have also reported that smoked marijuana provides relief from migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia and chronic pain, among other conditions.

Reference materials on marijuana as medicine:

Marinol vs. Natural Cannabis - Pros, Cons and Options for Patients

NORML's Statement on the Medical Use of Marijuana - Science Supports Amending Federal Law

National Institute of Health's Workshop on the Utility of Medical Marijuana (1998)

Drug Sense's Review of Medical Marijuana Studies and Reports (1997)

Institute of Medicine's "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base" (1999) (book no. 0309071550)

NORML's Review of Human Studies and Medical Marijuana (1996)

Landmark Legal Case: NORML v. DEA

Guest Editorial in the Journal of American Medical Association, by L. Grinspoon, M.D. "Marijuana as Medicine -- A Plea for

Reconsideration" (June 21, 1995)

News magazine article, "The more things change, the more they stay the same..."

Newt Gingrich's Letter Supporting Medical Marijuana, published in the Journal of American Medicine (JAMA, 1982)