Is cannabis good for you?

Question

"The cannabis plant has 70 different cannabinoids in it, and each has a different affect on the body," GW Managing Director Justin Gover told Reuters.

"Some can stimulate your appetite, and some in the same plant can suppress your appetite. It is amazing both scientifically and commercially," he said in a telephone interview.

GW said it plans to start clinical trials of the new drug in the second half of this year. Medicines have to pass three stages of tests in humans before being assessed by regulators in a process that takes many years.

Sanofi-Aventis' (Charts) Acomplia, which it believes can achieve $3 billion in annual sales, is already on sale in Europe and it is waiting for a U.S. regulatory decision in April.

Several other big drug companies also have similar products to Acomplia already in clinical trials.

GW is best known for developing Sativex, a treatment derived from cannabis that fights spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. Sativex, an under-the-tongue spray, has been approved in Canada, but has hit delays with regulators in Britain.

GW, which competes with rivals such as AstraZeneca (Charts), submitted Sativex for assessment by several European regulators in September, and hopes to secure approval for the UK, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands in the second half of this year at the earliest, the company said Tuesday.

GW said revenue for the year ended Sept. 30 was slightly ahead of expectations at £1.98 million, £1.35 million of which came from Sativex.

The firm posted a pre-tax loss of £13.9 million, in line with forecasts. According to a poll of analysts by Reuters Estimates, the loss in 2007 will be £13.5 million.

GW's marijuana plants are grown indoors in a secret location in Southern England.

"With a U.S. partnering deal and a European approval both expected this year, we remain very comfortable with our Buy recommendation," Investec analyst Ibraheem Mahmood said.

GW shares were up almost 5.5 percent, valuing the company at £92.5 million.

Answer 1

Eventhough it is said cannabis has medicinal qualities in the plant, and can help alleviate some chronic pain, it should not be totally taken for granted all uses are safe. One marijuana joint deadens or destroys as many brain cells as a carton of cigarettes. Using marijuana while operating heavy equipment or driving a vehicle is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. I am sure that there are many good applications for the herbal portion of the plant, but that is no excuse to think of making it openly legal without strict prescription dosage

Answer 2

I am not a smoker, but I do believe that it is safe. It has great health benefits for people with cancer, aids, glaucoma, etc... The only down side of ganja is the smoke, which causes some lung damage. But you cannot compare cannabis to cigarettes. They do say that one joint is compared to about four cigarettes. But the reason you can't compare the two is because, cigarettes are physically addictive while marijuana is not. So I'm estimating that an average smoker that smokes every day, may smoke one or two joints/ bowls. Which is equal to about four to eight cigarettes. Yet on average, smokers smoke about 20+ cigarettes a day. Also there hasn't been any recorded death's due to marijuana. Back to the smoking issue, smoking isn't the healthiest choice, so you can vaporize it, or even eat it. In conclusion I believe marijuana should be legal to everyone. God or whoever you believe in, put the stuff on the earth, and now our "equals"/ government has taken it away from us. Legalize it...

Answer 3

I believe it depends on how often you use it. I smoked at least 3 times a day for roughly 3 years straight (I'm now 20,quit at age 18). Obviously, I abused it.

The health effects are a hotly debated issue. When I was an advocate for smoking cannabis, I wanted to believe all reports saying it is relatively harmless, and clung to those. It seems it doesn't cause cancer, due to the passages in the lungs that it targets in contrast to tobacco. It targets the larger passages, and actually dilates them, while tobacco targets the smaller passages and constricts them.

It does ;however, cause breathing problems. I am stating this from experience. I was very athletic at age 15, when I started usage, abstained from tobacco, later I found I would cough more often, and get sick more often. I would have a runny nose more often. Various cold-like symptoms. It weakened my immune system, or something of the sort. Smoking recreationally may not cause many physical issues.

I believe cannabis is harmful because of it's psychological effects. They're great at first, you get a sense of insight, delight, peace,etc. Very few negative effects appear. With continued usage, you set yourself up for potential addiction. It will betray you if you abuse it. The good effects will leave, you may become paranoid, anxious, and hooked to the drug.

There is the perception that it is harmless, it's not (think of Half Baked). A lot of the controversy is stemmed from it's legal status in many countries. Even though I now dislike the effects of cannabis, and don't advocate it's usage, I do believe it should be legal, simply because the black market creates more problems than regulation.

There are good elements of cannabis, and bad. I believe in some people it will create a depressing atmosphere of over-amplified introspection that makes mental growth impossible;but now, being off of it for over a year, I see things in a clearer and positive manner (usage of cannabis actively affects your brain chemistry for over a year after you cease using it). I don't regret using it, because it helped open many philosophical doors for me, stimulated an interest in reading/history at a young age;but in the end, only produced negative effects.

Answer 4

Most things are good but not all things are beneficial. Too much of a good thing can be poisonous. You do know a great deal about cannabis and yes it can be physically/ mentally beneficial for some medical conditions. Cannabis heightens the senses and therefor magnifies moods. For a person prone to paranoia, aggression, depression etc cannabis will do more harm than good.

Answer 5

Is cannabis good for you? that all depends on "you". some people will benefit from the use of such a substance (i.e. a creative spark... lightheartedness). others will experience more negative results like paranoia and even "the munchies". so i guess it depends on the user. at least that is what my cat tells me. he is so well-read.

Answer 6

I am not sure,You know more about it than I do.But it is a drug that is bad for your body.It is smoke going into your body.Putting anything differernt in your body that is not medically recommended or monitored by a doctor I would not recommend.

Answer 7

No substance you put in your body is "good" for you.

Some are just LESS HARMFUL than others. Food is bad for you. Not just fats and red meat...even broccoli is "bad" for you! Every food has some toxins present.

Even if somehow there WAS a food w/ no toxins in it...it would ONLY BE NEUTRAL. IT WOULD NOT BE "GOOD"!!!

Answer 8

I have used it for many years for my insomnia, fobromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. It seems to help my symptoms, so yes I'd have to say it is helpful.

Answer 9

The only thing wrong with weed is the price.

Answer 10

It has a definite future in palliative care.