The list of medicinal uses of cannabis continues to grow beyond nausea and pain, and emergent research suggests that it could be used to combat incredibly diverse conditions such as glaucoma, impaired lung function, and even the spread of cancer. While this research has yet to be completely confirmed, it is already used, and proved, to help with the following:

Chronic Pain

This is undoubtedly pot’s greatest medical use: as a safe, un-addictive, holistic pain reliever. Regardless of the pain’s origin – whether it’s something as straightforward as a bad back or a headache, or as complex as cancer – cannabis gently washes it away and makes it manageable.

Muscle Spasms – including Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis

Most pot users can testify to its relaxing effects, and to the feeling of “couch-lock” – where your muscles don’t feel like doing anything apart from sitting down and staring into the middle-distance – but it turns out this effect is a great help for those with conditions which involve muscle spasms.

Lack of appetite (particularly relating to HIV/AIDS)

Again, every smoker is familiar with the phenomenon known as the munchies. We even have an article on the topic ourselves. For smokers who are figure-conscious, they present themselves as an affliction or a curse (a very “first-world-problems” curse, when you think about it). But if you have a chronic lack of appetite – from HIV or chemotherapy treatment, for example – they present a relaxing, enjoyable way to get your feeling of hunger back.

Stress – and PTSD

Despite considerable scientific evidence that weed can help vets overcome their PTSD, the option is still denied to most. Those who are lucky enough to use it testify not only to its relaxing, anti-anxiety effects, but to its long-term lessening of the trauma’s effects in the first place.

Here, you can view a complete list of ailments treated with cannabis in the US (organized by state) and Canada.

As even the Book of Revelation says, “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”. What it doesn’t say is that leaves are also very useful when it comes to personal healing too. As well as its currently-known medical applications – alleviating chronic pain, for example – cannabis is enjoying renewed scientific interest which may see it prescribed for many more ailments.