Medical Cannabis

Medical cannabis is the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The cannabis plant is used as a natural medication to relieve symptoms of various illnesses or medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and chronic pain. Medical cannabis can also be incredibly effective at treating acute pain. Acute pain comes on suddenly and tends to be short-lived, such as that caused by an injury or surgery. Cannabis treatment is often able to reduce the amount of opioid medication needed to manage acute conditions such as this and this can have significant positive effects on patients' long-term health outcomes. Medical cannabis acheives this via the endocannabinoid system. 

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is the network of cell receptors and molecules which are responsible for modulating a human body's physiological functions. The ECS is made up of endocannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), enzymes, and their corresponding cannabinoids. It consists of a group of receptors in the brain that are targeted by cannabinoids. When cannabinoids bind to these receptors, they produce biochemical effects that modulate certain human functions. The ECS has been implicated in various physiological and behavioral processes including appetite, pain regulation, mood, memory, immune response, motor control, and psychosis