8 Awesome Medical Benefits Of Illegal Drugs

4. Marijuana Could Treat Chronic Pain (But Not In Spliff Form)

Marijuana legalisation is a hot topic these days. Whilst some of the loudest voices for legalisation are probably less interested in its therapeutic value, and more interested in its ability to make even Ben Stiller movies funny, it doesn't mean that cannabis doesn't potentially have some serious clinical applications.

One of its major applications could be in pain relief due to its cannabinoid content. THC, found in cannabis, targets the CB1 receptor, a cannabinoid receptor found mostly in the brain, but also in various spots around the body. The CB1 receptor is activated to quiet the response to pain or noxious chemicals. We know that the body also naturally produces its own cannabinoids to control pain, and those derived from cannabis work in much the same way. What's more, it is able to target the type of pain that more regularly used opioids can't, such as the neuropathic pain in HIV patients.

As well as pain relief, it has other applications such as nausea suppression in chemotherapy patients and appetite stimulation in HIV patients (the famous "munchies" effect). It isn't quite the miracle herb some make it out to be, however, and although it is often claimed that it can also be used to treat glaucoma and schizophrenia, the evidence for this is pretty weak.

Whatever the therapeutic benefits of marijuana are, it's unlikely that there will be widespread prescription of fat doobies in the future, that would be like your doctor telling you to suck on some willow bark instead of taking aspirin. What is more likely is that the beneficial compounds will be isolated and put into a drug in their pure form, probably without the psychoactive elements. Sorry, potheads.