Contributor: John A. Collins
There’s a multitude of things that marijuana is capable of. It’s quite impressive, actually. But, amongst the laundry list of therapeutic and medicinal benefits, there is one aspect of cannabis that seems to be used more often than others. And that, my friends, is how people partake in marijuana for headaches, specially for migraines.
Using cannabis for migraines has been a tried-and-true route towards relief for years now, but there hasn’t been any hard-and-fast scientific data to support that. It’s basically just based on hearsay and word-of-mouth in the cannabis community. And, to be completely honest, the only reason there isn’t a mountain of scientific data to backup and support this THC hypothesis is because the federal government has moronically classified cannabis as a Schedule One substance.
Now, for those of you who may be unaware, the second the government decided to categorize marijuana as a Schedule One drug, it immediately paused any chance the cannabis movement had towards progression.
This distinction, on behalf of the folks in Washington D.C., officially declared that they saw marijuana as dangerous as other, actually lethal drugs, like cocaine and meth. And, in doing so, they vehemently prohibited any lab from conducting any tests on cannabis, as this classification also meant that the government didn’t believe marijuana had any medicinal value whatsoever.
Which, as we all know, is absurdly idiotic and incorrect.
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Not only is cannabis chock full of medicinal and therapeutic benefits, but it’s possibly one of the most risk-free, ultra-safe, non-addictive, naturally-growing medicines the world has ever seen. It’s amazing to think about the myriad of things that this plant can do, and we still don’t even know the extent of its powers, because of this unjust ban on cannabis research.
Luckily, in recent years, as more states are starting to embrace marijuana within their borders, that has opened up doors to certain labs, who can now freely perform tests on marijuana, and how it affects the human mind and body.
And, as time has gone on, the federal government has lifted its ban on cannabis research, which is nice, but long overdue. Who knows how much more we’d know about cannabis, had we just been allowed to study it for all those decades. It’s mind-boggling to consider how much more we’d be aware of, but I suppose, later is better than never, right?
Anyway, as labs across the nation are starting to increase their efforts in the realm of cannabis research, one of their main goals is to see how it fits into the medicinal realm.
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Sure, we all know that there are a litany of other cannabinoids and terpenes to learn about, but scientists are curious to see if they can test some of the most popular theories, in regards to how marijuana can help people feel better. Specifically, when they are enduring the pain and discomfort of recurring migraines and headaches.
Again, a litany of other studies need to be completed before any official ruling can be made on the matter, but recently, a study of over 120 adults, who suffer from migraines, was conducted. And, what they found through the course of this study was truly game-changing.
For a 30-day period, researchers and analysts studied how these people felt after partaking in cannabis, as a form of migraine relief. Of those who participated, 85% of them reported that that they had far fewer migraines this month, than months prior. And the only thing they changed about their daily routine was the inclusion of cannabis.
In addition to that stunning number, the average migraine sufferer specifically saw a dramatic 50% decrease in the frequency of these headaches. That sort of drop is massive, especially for those cannabis enthusiasts who otherwise would’ve had to suffer through twice the amount of intense cerebral pain.
That type of staggering discomfort will throw off many of your other senses, as well as creating a sense of irritability and frustration. So, the fact that cannabis was able to help these folks with those debilitating symptoms is a major step forward towards progress.
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In total, about 40% of the subjects that were involved in this test, could confidently state that cannabis was the main factor behind their increase in mental health. And, to get even more detailed and specific, almost 20% of the subjects said they believed that medical marijuana prevented them from getting migraines altogether. And, if marijuana can, somehow, cut these migraines off before they even start, that would be truly revolutionary.
Of course, with every test, there are some outliers, which I would like to affectionately refer to as “party poopers.”
While I do feel bad they weren’t able to enjoy any marijuana-related relief, it stands to reason that their body’s chemistry is tremendously rare. When the test was concluded, roughly 2% of the people who participated in this migraine marijuana research thought that the use of cannabis actually increased the frequency of their migraines.
Also, another 12% reported absolutely no change whatsoever, after using cannabis as a migraine relief. Which, to be honest, could come down to user error. I mean, think about it.
These folks may not be used to consuming cannabis, either by eating or smoking, so their methodology and process may have some holes in it. Which could result in a flawed test result.
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Obviously, this is all speculation, but there is likely some logical reason behind these outliers, and their less-than-desirable results.
But, at the end of the day, the majority of people experienced a wealth of relief with cannabis, and that’s what matters most. Like I’ve already alluded to, we are years, maybe even decades, away from learning everything there is to know about the intricate nature of marijuana, and how we can properly utilize it as a form of natural medicine.
The sooner we educate ourselves on not only how, but why, it affects us in one way or another, the sooner we’ll be able to streamline production and cultivation of plants and products that are targeted to take on specific ailments, aches, and pains.
Though we are far behind where we should’ve been, I’m confident that our scientific community will continue to conduct important studies like this, and before we know it, we’ll be awash with an influx of useful, statistically-proven data on how cannabis can be used as a medicine.
