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Summary Medical marijuana can offer a number of benefits for those who are terminally ill, as one doctor explains in a recent column. Dr. John Morley is the Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at St. Louis University and one of the nation’s foremost authorities in his field. Having published a paper on the effects […]

Medical marijuana can offer a number of benefits for those who are terminally ill, as one doctor explains in a recent column.

Dr. John Morley is the Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at St. Louis University and one of the nation’s foremost authorities in his field.

Having published a paper on the effects of cannabis forty years ago, and still practicing at the age of 66, he also knows quite a bit about what marijuana can do for the terminally ill.

Writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dr. Morley explains the advantages he sees in medical marijuana.

Cannabis – also known as marijuana – increases the desire for food, makes foods smell better and taste richer, decreases pain and relaxes and elevates a person’s mood. Subsequent studies have confirmed these effects, in addition to cannabis’ effectiveness in reducing nausea and vomiting.

According to the doctor, medical marijuana is already being used in end of life care in states where it is legal. One hospice in Denver, CO even offers cannabis to its patients at no charge.

Dr. Morley also points out the flaws of synthetic cannabinoids, which, unlike marijuana, are legally available in all states. Drugs that contain just THC – such as dronabinol (Marinol) and another called nabilone – are able to mimic certain aspects of cannabis, but still pale in comparison to the whole plant, explains the doctor.

We have found dronabinol is very useful in treating older people who live in nursing homes and are at the end of their lives. However, the drug can cause some decline in memory, and the recommended doses are often too high, resulting in confusion and some psychedelic effects.

Unlike THC pills, marijuana contains over 70 different cannabinoids – chemicals responsible for its medical properties.

This includes CBD: A non-psychoactive cannabinoid believed to have anti-nausea, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, pain-relieving and sleep-inducing effects. CBD has also been shown to counter the psychoactive effects of THC.

Referring to cannabis as ‘an extraordinarily safe drug,’ Dr. Morley says medical marijuana should be legally available for patients who could benefit.

“I would support legalizing medical marijuana as an option for end of life care,” he concludes.

Header image courtesy of Brookings

H/T: Leaf Science