How Medical Marijuana Helps Floridians With Qualifying Conditions

Medical Marijuana use has shown potential benefits in managing symptoms and improving the quality of life for individuals with various health conditions. Here’s a breakdown of how cannabis might help those with Florida qualifying conditions:

• Florida Cancer Patients: Patients say that it benefits them in several ways: by quelling nausea, suppressing vomiting resulting from chemotherapy, increasing appetite, alleviating pain, and soothing anxiety. Some animal-based studies go as far as to suggest cannabinoids might slow cancer cell growth. 

• Florida Epilepsy Patients: CBD blocks the ability of LPI to amplify nerve signals in a brain region and has been known to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures in epilepsy. Epidiolex, an anti-epileptic drug for patients two years or older is FDA-approved for treating certain types of epilepsy and since 2022 it is also no longer considered a controlled substance. 

• Florida Glaucoma Patients: We recommend cannabis to glaucoma patients which reduces intraocular pressure almost instantly.  The pain associated with glaucoma can be so severe that it causes headaches and even nausea or vomiting. THC lowers the Intraocular pressure (IOP) of marijuana smokers. Smoked herbs as well as pure THC administered via intravenous or oral routes reduce the IOP. 

• Florida HIV/AIDS Patients: Cannabis is widely known to alleviate debilitating symptoms of nausea, loss of appetite, neuropathic pain, and muscle spasms in patients with HIV/AIDS. Our patients have shown improved mood and overall quality of life after obtaining their medical marijuana card.  This is the reason every Medical Marijuana state lists HIV/AIDS as one of their qualifying medical conditions. Medical Marijuana has been shown to reduce peripheral neuropathy – a burning sensation most commonly experienced in arms, legs, hands, or feet. A 2005 survey found that 90 percent of participating HIV patients reported improvement in their nerve pain, and 94 percent experienced muscle pain relief as a result of using cannabis. 

• Florida Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Patients: While PTSD is most often associated with war, it is a chronic psychiatric disorder that can occur in those who have experienced a traumatic event – such as physical assault, a major accident, or, most recently, a global pandemic. Individuals with PTSD report benefits from using cannabis, especially in reducing anxiety and aiding sleep. When experiencing a traumatic situation, endocannabinoids that are sent to the receptors change, and the person feels both a physical and mental stress response. These receptors, CB1 and CB2, when unable to make inputs naturally, can be supplemented by cannabis. The endocannabinoid system needs to be activated to reduce the fear response associated with PTSD triggers. 

• Florida Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Patients: Cannabis helps manage symptoms like pain, spasticity, appetite loss, and depression in ALS patients. According to a 2010 study, it may also possess neuroprotective properties where preclinical data indicates that cannabis has powerful antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects which translated to prolonged neuronal cell survival, delayed onset, and slower progression of the disease. 

• Florida Crohn’s Disease Patients: Cannabis has been shown to alleviate symptoms of Crohn’s disease, including reducing inflammation, pain, diarrhea, and improving appetite. Some studies suggest it might induce remission according to a 2013 study where subjects receiving cannabis reported improved appetite and sleep, with no significant side effects.

• Florida Parkinson’s Disease Patients: Cannabis might alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, the 2nd most prevalent neurodegenerative condition in the US. According to a clinical study, cannabis use decreases tremor, and rigidity and improves the quality of life by decreasing pain.

• Florida Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients: Cannabis manages symptoms in patients with MS by reducing pain, spasticity, and sleep disturbances. Some studies suggest it may also slow down the progression of the disease. According to a Canadian study conducted in 2022, MS patients reported that cannabis is moderately to highly effective in treating several symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.