Glaucoma, marijuana treatment

A9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (A9-THC) is considered to be the predominant compound in preparations of C. sativa (marijuana, hashish, bhang) that is responsible for the central nervous system effects in humans. The recognized central nervous system responses to these preparations include alterations in cognition and memory, euphoria, and sedation. Potential therapeutic applications of cannabis preparations that are of either historical or contemporary interest include analgesia, attenuation of the nausea and vomiting of cancer chemotherapy, appetite stimulation, decreased intestinal motility of diarrhea, decreased bronchial constriction of asthma, decreased intraocular pressure of glaucoma, antirheumatic and antipyretic actions, and treatment of convulsant disorders. These effects have been reviewed recently (Howlett, 1995). 

The FDA, in 1985, gave approval for the use of two psychoactive chemicals from marijuana to prevent nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy in cancer treatment. THC can be prescribed in capsule form for these patients. Research suggests that compounds, other than THC, inhaled when smoking marijuana can also be used for medicinal purposes. Marijuana may help stop the weight loss in AIDS patients, it might lower eye pressnre in people with glaucoma, it may control spasms in multiple sclerosis patients, and it could be used to relieve chronic pain. 

Marijuana is a controversial, versatile weed that grows nearly everywhere in the world. There are no conclusive medical studies indicating that it is especially harmful to the health or the psyche. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that it may have a number of medical uses, including treatment of glaucoma, asthma, migraine, congestion, epilepsy, convulsions and nerves. 

The illicit drug best known for its medicinal use is marijuana (see Appendix A Paton etal. 1973 Roffman 1982 Zinberg 1979). This drug has shown many medicinally-valuable properties, but is best known as an anti-nausea agent for patients receiving cancer or AIDS chemotherapy, and as a treatment for glaucoma- a drug to lower... 

Several medicinal benefits of marijuana have been described. These include antinausea effects that have been applied to the relief of side effects of anticancer chemotherapy, muscle-relaxing effects, anticonvulsant effects, and reduction of intraocular pressure for the treatment of glaucoma. These medical benefits come at the cost of the psychoactive effects that often impair normal activities. Thus, there is no clear advantage of marijuana over conventional treatments for any of these indications. 

---