Medical Marijuana: Fact Or Fiction

Owners of the commercial establishments selling marijuana across Colorado say that they’ve already generated a combined total of roughly $5 million in sales since it became legal for adults to purchase and use marijuana for recreational reasons on January 1, 2014. The main reason shoppers give for buying it: “medical reasons.”

But what really is medical marijuana?

The marijuana plant is made up of more than 500 chemical compounds. Many of these compounds are cannabinoids, which bind to receptors in your body and then affect your immune system and brain. Researchers have pinpointed two main cannabinoids: THC and cannabidiol, or CBD—as beneficial to the human body. The biggest difference: CBD doesn’t make you high, but THC does.

Trouble is, when exposed to the high temperature (like that of a burning joint), the 500 or so chemical compounds in marijuana can produce hundreds or thousands of byproducts—many of which are thought to be carcinogens. Research suggests that marijuana smoke can contain up to 70 percent more carcinogenic materials than tobacco smoke. While many researchers think that—logically—marijuana smoke should cause lung cancer, studies remain inconclusive.