The Future of Medicinal Marijuana
If you think that medicinal marijuana is something brand new, do think again. Sativa and indica strains tout in Chinese medical texts for centuries. Practitioners of Ayurveda medicine in India often recommend a cannabis product called bhang to treat digestive and reproductive issues. Medical cannabis used to be legal everywhere in the United States, too.
Medicinal Marijuana in the Past
Prior to the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, American doctors routinely prescribed marijuana for medical conditions as wide-ranging as rheumatism, depression, neuralgia, and gout. However, the tax act did not criminalize cannabis per se. Instead, the new law that Psychiatric Times called “health care policy chicanery” created so much complicated paperwork that doctors ceased prescribing marijuana for any reason.
The Current State of Medicinal Marijuana in America
In 1996, the state of California legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Since the passage of the Compassionate Use Act, also known as Proposition 215, more than 30 additional states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Alaska, and Hawaii have modified their laws to allow the sale and use of cannabis for certain qualifying medical conditions.
At the time of this writing, Leafly says that medical marijuana may be prescribed for numerous conditions, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Anorexia nervosa
- Arthritis
- Crohn’s disease
- Glaucoma
- Lupus
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Muscular dystrophy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Lastly, ulcerative colitis
What the Future of Medical Marijuana Looks Like
Predictions regarding the future of medical weed vary depending on who you ask, but the preponderance of people polled believe that the trend toward legalization will continue for the next decade.
Denver Post cannabis critic, Jake Browne, expects that smoked weed to be mostly replaced by vape products by the year 2030. Dispensary Permits founder, Sara Gullikson, predicts that cannabis will soon be removed from the DEA list of schedule one narcotics. Once this happens, says Gullikson, the United States sees a dramatic decrease in opiate deaths.
Craig McLane, who owns an online vape store, told The Future of Everything magazine that he expects marijuana for medical and recreational purposes will be legal throughout the USA by 2030. He also noted that as the legal landscape shifts, big business will probably become more invested in cannabis culture. Does this mean that home growers will move out of the cultivation game? Not at all, says McLane who suggests that a significant sector of DIY gardeners will continue to enjoy the personal freedom afforded by growing their own.
What Doctors Say About the Future of Marijuana as Medicine
In 2001, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Sciences) published a groundbreaking book entitled Marijuana As Medicine: The Science Beyond the Controversy. At the time of publication, the IOM recommended continued research of data that already indicated the therapeutic value of cannabis to relieve pain and stimulate appetite. The institute also recommended clinical trials to study the efficacy of THC and other cannabinoids as they pertain to human health and psychology.
What Stockbrokers Say About the Future of Medical Marijuana
Despite its former reputation as a dangerous drug, marijuana is rapidly gaining acceptance as medicine. Today, a number of reputable pharmaceutical companies, including Merck (MRK) and Sanofis Aventis (SNA) hold marijuana-related patents with more companies jumping on the medical cannabis bandwagon every day.
Legal marijuana sales worldwide added up to nearly $10 billion dollars in 2017. Of that enormous sum, at least one third is expected to be generated by the medical marijuana industry, explains Investopedia.
Dramatic Changes Anticipated
Alex Milligan, who helps people obtain medical marijuana cards in California, New York, and Nevada, told Future of Everything that he expects medical marijuana to be nationally legalized and fully commoditized within the next decade. Once this happens, prices will go down and the quality of artisan brands will boom. As if that weren’t exciting enough news, Milligan also predicts that future medical cannabis deliveries will be done by drones.
The Future Is Already Here
If you wish to try hemp-derived CBD for pain relief or any other purpose, you don’t have to wait. In fact, CannaBiz Depot is pleased to present a range of tinctures, topicals, vapes, and other legal cannabis products for people and pets.
Learn More About the Future of Medicinal Marijuana
To know more about the myriad ways medical cannabis may be able to help you, contact us without delay. Indeed, we are happy to assist you!
