There is a huge gap between what we think medical marijuana does and what it actually does.

Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, relaxing, sleep inducer, anti-tumor, anticonvulsant… It is not the definitive medication leaflet, these are just some examples of what I have found when searching for “medical marijuana benefits.” According to a survey in the United States and Canada, 27% of citizens have consumed it to treat anxiety, relieve pain and sleep better. What if it is not as effective as we thought? This is what UCLA has just concluded after an extensive study in which they have analyzed fifteen years of data.

The study. We have known him through New York Times. This is a very extensive review in which a group of psychiatrists from the University of California has analyzed more than 2,500 articles published from January 2010 to September of this year. They have included clinical trials, meta-analyses and clinical guidelines and have prioritized those that are based on larger and more relevant samples.

The beliefs. In recent years, cannabis has become popular after its legalization in the United States, where It already collects more taxes than alcohol. According to the survey we mentioned above, people who used for medicinal purposes did so mainly to relieve pain (53%), sleep better (46%), treat anxiety (52%) and depression (40%).

The conclusions. The study is conclusive: there is a huge difference between what we believe and scientific evidence. The evidence is strong in very specific cases, such as loss of appetite associated with HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy symptoms (specifically nausea and vomiting), and some severe pediatric disorders that cause seizures.

However, for other conditions, the studies analyzed did not provide conclusive evidence of its effectiveness. For example, in the case of pain, one of the most common uses, clinical guideline from the American Association of Clinical Oncology does not recommend it as a first-line treatment due to lack of evidence. For anxiety there is also no solid evidence on the effectiveness of THC, but CBD consumed orally did obtain more notable results in reducing anxiety.

Risks. While the evidence on its effectiveness is doubtful in many cases, the evidence on the risks is more extensive. Marijuana is associated with the appearance of psychotic symptoms and anxiety, especially that which has a high THC content, increasing the risk of anxiety disorder by 19.1%. Smoking marijuana daily increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 2%, the risk of heart attack by 1.7% and stroke by 2.6%.

Addiction. On the other hand, there is the issue of addiction. The study estimates that 29% of people who use medical marijuana have a substance abuse problem, especially those who smoke it.

Speaking to the New York Times, the professor and expert Ryan Vandreystates that this explains the improvements in insomnia that many consumers advocate; It is not that marijuana makes them sleep better, it is that they sleep worse if they do not consume it due to their dependence on the substance. “If they stopped using cannabis for a month, they might notice an improvement in their sleep. But most never make it to that month because, after a day or two without sleep, they convince themselves that ‘this is the only thing that helps me sleep, so I have to keep using it,'” he says.

The excuse. It so happens that many medical marijuana users do not have any medical prescription. According to one survey published this year77% of consumers declared using cannabis for medical purposes, but only 28% consumed on medical advice. According to Kevin Hill, one of the authors of the UCLA review, there are justified and effective uses of cannabis, but there is a huge group of users for whom medicinal use is the excuse to “rationalize their recreational use.”

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