Medical marijuana is now legal in many countries. However, the fear and hatred of marijuana in our culture is so irrational and completely incontinent with the chemical and pharmacological realities of the plant.

The knowledge of it as an intoxicant came to north America by way of African slaves who first brought it to Brazil and then migrated north. It established itself in the jazz culture around New Orleans which provoked the first cultural reactions to the plant in the 1920s.

Later it was associated with Mexican migrant workers in south and southwest and then in the 60s, it became strongly associated with the counter-cultural movement with hippies and political radicals.

The deviant subcultures have provoked the kind of reaction that eventually led to criminalization of it. This has kept it out of medical use for so long and yet it's an incredibly useful medicine.

Treating Anxiety: CBD has a strong anti-anxiety effect without being sedated or addictive. This is distinct from benzodiazepines or the drugs normally used to treat anxiety.

Chronic Pain: It's widely acknowledged that cannabinoids and THC in particular have a role in treating chronic pain, particularly those with neuropathic pain.

Treating Nausea: It's been known for decades that the cannabinoids have a strong role in treating nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Synthetic THC (marinol) was approved for that use in the us in 1985, although it never gained much traction because THC alone is poorly tolerated and more likely to produce side effects than cannabis itself.

Treating Epilepsy: More recently in the US, FDA approval of epidialex, which is a 97% pure cannabidiol preparation for treatment of intractable epilepsy associated with gervais syndrome, lennox gastow syndrome and more recently for tuberous sclerosis.

Myriad Conditions. We have approval in 30 countries outside the US of cannabis-based medicines specifically sativax or nabiximals for treating spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.

Treating Degenerative Diseases: Cannabis will have a great deal to offer in treatment of a variety of degenerative diseases, particularly those involving the central nervous system

Treating Alzheimer: Marijuana also has a great role in treatment of Alzheimer's disease because of its ability to treat agitation, sleep loss etc.

Everyone realizes that cannabis can have side effects when done excess, but for the most part, it's one of the safest drugs in the armamentarium. The problems that are noted with it are easily avoidable through judicious dosing and administration.

Every preparation of whatever source should be accompanied by a recent certificate of analysis. This is because we're interested not just in how much THC and CBD is in the material, but also the turbinoid content which is going to have a major modulatory influence on the effects of the preparation.

Recommendations to people is dependent on where they live and what's available, but with a certificate of analysis and knowing what the patient might be trying to treat will enable the doctor to give more specific advice.

However, the industry has been poorly regulated in that respect. It is extremely burdensome for a patient to try and figure this out on their own.

The chemistry and pharmacology of cannabis is so complex. But there are many researchers advocating the use of CBD for various conditions.

The European Journal of Internal Medicine Goes through the evidence-based information drawn from randomized controlled trials as well as personal experience in dosing THC and CBD.

It concluded that two and a half milligrams of THC is a threshold dose. Five milligrams is a middling dose and 10 milligrams is going to be too much at once, except for people who have developed some tolerance to it.

People can get accustomed to any amount of THC because of the psychoactivity of THC. But in general, we find for most indications that people do not have to exceed 15 to 30 milligrams of THC in a day for any condition.

This is with the possible exception of attempts to primarily treat cancer as they require high doses of cannabinoids for cannabidiol which is a very versatile substance. The whole extracts of the plant have a great deal to offer in terms of economy and enhancing therapeutic index.

The endocannabinoid system is within our bodies. This means that we have innate chemicals that resemble the activity of THC. In fact, the endocannabinoid system is the major homeostatic regulator of human and animal physiology.

It has a modulating effect on every physiological function, but particularly in the brain. This helps to explain the versatility we see for medical marijuana in treating a variety of conditions that are intractable where conventional medicine has been poorly productive.

People should understand that cannabis was a mainstream medicine, even in the United States from as early as 1850. Father of modern medicine; Sir William Mosler as late as, 1915 said that it was the best treatment for migraine and it was widely used in obstetrics, gynecology and even in children. There were no problems associated with cannabis.