Its therapeutic uses  in Indian Ayurveda are for

1. Agnimandya (in which food is not properly digested due to the diminished power of Jaṭharāgni )
2. Atisara (Acute diarrhea )
3. Grahaniroga ( Irritable bowel syndrome)
4. Klaibya ( erectile dysfunction)
5. Anidrd (Insomnia)

As of August 2018, thirty-one US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam authorize medical use of cannabis.

An additional 15 states have limited programs that authorize use of high cannabidiol/low delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis formulations for treatment of childhood epilepsy, especially refractory seizures.

A cannabis extract with equal proportions of THC and cannabidiol is approved for medical use in 27 countries (including Canada), but not in the United States, for treatment of pain and muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.

A cannabis extract containing only cannabidiol was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of intractable childhood epilepsy.

Smoked and inhaled cannabis have a rapid onset of effect (typically minutes) and relatively short duration of action (typically two to four hours).

Oral cannabis has a slow onset of effect (typically half to one hour) and long duration of action (typically 4 to 12 hours). This may lead to inadvertent overdosing; when patients don’t experience effects as soon as they expect, they may take another dose, resulting in a cumulative overdose.

Drug interactions –THC is a substrate for the CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 drug-metabolizing enzymes, so may interact pharmacokinetically with other substances metabolized by these enzymes, such as tricyclic antidepressants, protease inhibitors, or sildenafil

THC potentiates the sedative effects of other central nervous system depressants such as alcohol and benzodiazepines.

Based on known adverse effects of recreational cannabis use, it seems prudent to avoid recommending medical cannabis to individuals with a history of schizophrenia, a recent acute myocardial infarction or episode of cardiac tachyarrhythmia, or who must drive or operate heavy machinery. ENDS

EDITOR’S NOTE :

The benefits of marijuana are many. It’s a sleep aid, appetite enhancer, anxiety and pain reliever. It has brought immense relief to the terminally ill. It’s also a muscle relaxant, aiding and speeding recovery from bodybreaking fevers like chikungunya. As more legal research is done into it, more medically proven benefits are bound to surface. Bharat was always aware of it. Our sadhus and gods smoked it. No Mahashivratri is complete without a good chillum; no Holi without a good bhang thandai.Heineken’s craft beer wing, Lagunitas, launched two variants of a “cannabis-infused hoppy sparkling water”, In addition to this, the Corona-Canopy combine plans on rolling out a non-alcoholic cannabis-based beverage, edible bars, inhalers and pre-rolled items. Coca-Cola is said to launch cannabis-infused drinks. In a statement issued to the press, Coca-Cola said: “Along with many others in the beverage industry, we are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive cannabidiol as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world.”

There are two elements found in marijuana plants: THC and CBD. The  THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, which will give you a high unlike CBD element that relieves pain. Coca-Cola is more interested in the CBD part of it, which eases inflammation and reduces pain. The aim is not to intoxicate. Heineken via Lagunitas (as also Corona) is dabbling in both. Its beverage Hi-Fi Hops comes in two versions: one with 10 mg THC and the other with 5 mg of THC and 5 mg of CBD.There is also a third element in addition to CBD and THC — cannabis sativa seed oil or hempseed oil. According to Quartz, it has many “health-promoting compounds”, and, like CBD, is nonintoxicating.Looks like it’s not just the beverage companies that have an interest in cannabis. The trend now extends to the beauty industry. The skincare brand Origins has launched a cannabinoid face mask, in collaboration with Sephora.

Both the major strains of the marijuana plant — sativa and indica — are native to India. During the monsoon, the plant grows wild in gardens and campuses.

In 1985, under pressure from the US (which had launched the war on drugs with much fanfare), Rajiv Gandhi clamped the draconian NDPS — the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. This put traditional bhang and ganja on the same level as smack, brown sugar etc.

“Cannabis” means the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops) from which the resin has not been extracted, by whatever name they may be designated.Bhang was thus left out from the definition of “cannabis”. This allowed India to carry on the tradition of large-scale consumption of bhang during Holi. NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Phsycotropic Substances) banned the production and sale of cannabis resin and flowers, but permitted the use of the leaves and seeds, allowing the states to regulate the latter.

Cannabis preparations include charas (resin), ganja|maal|dum (flower), and bhang (seeds and leaves)
“Cannabis (hemp)” means: (a) charas, that is, the separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish;(b) ganja, that is, the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops), by whatever name they may be known or designated; and(c) any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of any of the above forms of cannabis or any drink prepared therefrom.As always in India, once a ban is put in place, it stays in place. There is no rolling back, even as the countries originally responsible for these bans evolve, revoke and move forward. (The war on drugs, meanwhile, after squandering billions of dollars and taking hundreds of thousands of lives, is widely considered a failure.)This happened with Section 377 and homosexuality. England had moved on, while we clung to it. The same goes for the ban on marijuana. As America (and the world) adapts to changing times and steams ahead with innovations in the cannabis industry, the Indian ostrich still has its head stuck in American sand.

This April, the Uttarakhand government belatedly gave permission to cultivate nonnarcotic hemp — a plan mooted first in 1985, then shelved. This allows India to participate partially in a global $1 trillion industry, of which Europe, America and China have long been a part of. But all we can do is make fibre. The seeds and flowers remain illegal; so does hempseed oil.

What’s happening is this: while the world, from Coca-Cola to Corona, appropriates our tropical plant and basically reinvents bhang, making billions in the process, we have no political, moral and judicial stand on it. We have given up all claims on what was our own for millennia. Instead, we have decided to channel our energies into cow dung soap and cow urine shampoo, now available on Amazon, but unlikely to spawn a global market like Cannabis indica. Looks like the sleeping giant will continue to sleep, at least in India, the land of its birth.