The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally announced that medical marijuana, also known as CBD, has no particular public health risks.
To the relief of many patients who depend on the drug to alleviate pain, WHO went further to indicate that pharmacists should also not withhold it from patients.
According to the preliminary report published just a month ago, CBD (naturally-occurring) is not only well tolerated by both human and animals alike, but it is also safe from causing any adverse public health effects.
The WHO experts noted that CBD, which is a non-psychoactive chemical present in cannabis, neither results in potential abuse nor does it induce physical dependence.
What's more, as opposed to THC (the component present in marijuana that inspires the conventional "high" response), the use of medical marijuana does not result in the popular high associated with marijuana.
According to the experts, until now, there is no tangible evidence linking the pure CBD use and any public health detriments, not to mention recreational use.
In fact, the report further went on to state that there is evidence indicating that medical marijuana alleviates the overall effects that come with the use of THC.
In a twist of events, the authors of this report confirmed that the use of medical marijuana has some positive effects.
The select team of WHO professionals concluded that medical marijuana is an excellent treatment for epileptic cases in children, adults and even animals.
Besides, there is also "preliminary evidence" outlining that medical marijuana could also work well in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, psychosis, Parkinson's disease, cancer and a variety of other fatal conditions.
In acknowledging these types of discoveries which have over the years continued to rock the headlines, the report continued to state that some nations have slightly amended their legislation in efforts to accommodate the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
However, as the report later noted, the United States is not among the nations as mentioned above.
In the U.S., CBD (a cannabis component) is still categorized in the Schedule I classification of controlled substances. In the perspective of the federal government, its potential of subsequent abuse is significant, hence the classification.
The illegal and unsanctioned state of medical marijuana in the U.S. has posed quite a challenge for many of its users.
This is particularly so since the resurgence wave of store-bought and online (Hemp) CBD extracts and oils have enabled many patients to take responsibility for their treatment process individually.
Although it is now an agreed fact that CBD in itself is not only a safe compound to use but also one that is quite resourceful for numerous users, experts in the industry were quick to warn that not all supposed "cannabis extracts" are made purely, equally or even with the universal extraction methods.
Even with the alleged adverse effects from medical marijuana being scarce, the WHO researchers indicate that CBD is unlikely the sole cause.
In their statement, they outlined that negative results from the use of pure CBD are majorly due to the drug-drug interactions precisely between medical marijuana and other medications the patients may be using.
NORML, a cannabis reform non-profit body, indicated in a separate report that the World Health Organization is at the moment considering its categorization of medical marijuana in their scheduling code.
In September, NORML submitted a testimony to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that opposed the alleged enacting of worldwide restrictions on medical marijuana access.
With the release of this statement by WHO, several agencies are set to advise the organization concerning its final medical marijuana submission, and one such agency is the FDA.
Despite the ever-increasing evidence ruling out medical marijuana as harmful, the FDA has continually declined to change its stance on standard cannabis products.
Perhaps, this might be the time the FDA finally softens their grip on the matter.
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