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Study finds medical marijuana helpful
for 92 percent of Californians
By: Raw Michelle
M
edical marijuana is often steeped in controversy, with some saying it’s a giant con
and others saying it’s a necessary treatment to help alleviate or even reverse certain
health conditions.(1)
For example, several law enforcement officials
in California are not in favor of its legalization,
saying that they feel medical marijuana doesn’t
even exist and that related businesses are nothing more than a large sham that’s been authorized by voters.(2) It’s a loophole, many say, that
allows people to get stoned legally.
On the other hand, there are findings that show
medical marijuana is indeed beneficial to health
and far from a sham, helping to do everything
from stopping the spread of HIV throughout the
body and slowing the spread of cancer cells to
preventing glaucoma-related blindness and relieving overall pain.(3)
California study supports benefits of medical
marijuana
Such benefits continue to surface, helping the
pro-medical marijuana arena.
In fact, a study published in the 2014 journal
Drug and Alcohol Review shows that 92 percent
Californians who reported ever using medical
marijuana said it was helpful for their condition.
(1) “This really adds to the literature,” said Marta
Induni, of the Survey Research Group at the Public Health Institute in Sacramento. “This is the
first estimate out there that’s population-based.
This represents California, unlike other studies
either in a clinical setting, or maybe taking a convenient guess.”
Furthermore, it was found that 1 in 20 California
adults report having used medical marijuana to
treat a serious condition and that use spanned
all genders, races, ages and counties.(1)
Despite some omissions, study researchers positive about findings
Study authors are aware that it did not include
prisoners and that it could be under-reporting,
as some may feel uncomfortable disclosing their
use. At the same time, it may over-report, as the
study did not ask if they do indeed have a recommendation from a doctor to use medical cannabis.(1)
The survey didn’t ask how much of it people
used or the time span in which they did, only
whether they used it in their lifetime.(1)
Still, researchers remain satisfied with the findings, going back to the fact that it wasn’t based
on a mere guess or conducted in a clinical setting. “We need to do more of this type of research for effective policy decisions,” said Induni.
Sources:
(1) http://www.alternet.org
(2) http://www.sacbee.com
(3) http://www.naturalnews.com