its distribution, as well as its lethal effects or the result of the drug’s smuggle and usage in countries where it is still criminalized, such as the Philippines. They are not wrong, but cannabis has had more than its fair share of negative publicity, which has made it dangerous in people’s eyes, as a controversial topic.  

Cannabis, or more commonly known to the mainstream as marijuana, is the overall term that refers to the drug that can be taken from the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It is a Schedule II drug according to the US Drug and Enforcement Agency (DEA), due to the drug’s psychoactive nature, and the lethal effects it induces when misused or abused. 

But in recent times, advanced modern medical technology has fortunately found a way to utilize marijuana’s healing properties, without having to endure its negative effects. By the near end of the 20th century, California became the first to legalize the production, prescription, distribution, and the usage of medical marijuana in 1996, being the first state in America to do so. In the following years, several states, and even other countries around the world, have also legalized medical marijuana, and some have even gone as far as to legalizing marijuana for recreational use. 

Even with its legalization, medical marijuana has also been regulated, with only a handful of qualified diseases that are to be treated with medical marijuana. While varying in each state, or even in each nation, these conditions, referred to as, “debilitating illnesses,” include: 

Glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), epilepsy, seizures, benign chronic pain, Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other terminal diseases of the same level. 

Generally medical marijuana products have different routes of administration, depending on which type of ailment is being treated, what type of product, and how large the dosage is. A few of these include: 

• Inhalation: Smoking marijuana, or in layman’s term, “weed”, is one of the most popular ways of marijuana consumption, especially with recreational use. While the effects of medical marijuana is positive, the effects of the actual act of smoking is unfortunately followed by pulmonary issues such as chronic cough, toxic inhalation (carbon monoxide, ammonia), and other illnesses. However, another method used in the inhalation of therapeutic marijuana is very similar to smoking cannabis, which is through the usage of vaporisers. 
• Oral/oromucosal/sublingual: A large percentage of medical marijuana patients take their treatments orally, oromucosally or sublingually. While each of the three have no key differences between them, the effects take longer to occur through these routes (approximately 0.5-6 hours), but thee effects last longer and, are less intense at an equal dose. This method of consumption is commonly done by medical marijuana patients with chronic pain conditions, people who constantly need a large dose of the substance to manage their condition. 
• Rectal administration: There has been no recent studies to further prove that this method is effective, aside from the claims of patients who have experienced it, expressing that there is a lack of psychoactive effects that is brought on by THC. Medical professionals hypothesize that the lack of psychoactive effects from patients taking medical marijuana through their rectums, is because of a rectal mucus that hinders absorption of hydrophobic substances and cannabinoids such as THC. 

There are numerous cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant yet there are only two of these that are very well-known ones. One of them is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. This compound is a psychoactive primary element of marijuana and is the substance that makes marijuana users crave for the “high.” Another of the most common medical marijuana compounds is cannabidiol. Because CBD is not on the US Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of Controlled Substances, it is legal for distribution and consumption in America, This is why CBD is more commonly demanded and is now used widely as the main ingredients of medical marijuana products, and the most used of these products is cannabidiol oil or CBD oil. It is the concentrated liquid extract of the marijuana plant.  

People intake CBD oil as it can treat a wide range of different conditions, and it is the most commonly sold, distributed and manufactured.  

There are many different routes of administration of CBD oil, with these methods varying between person to person, and their specific ailments and their levels of severity. Some common diseases such as chronic pain and acne can be treated with CBD, and it may possibly be able to protect a section of the hippocampus that is responsible for learning and memory, as well as help prevent schizophrenia, according to a study published in the medical journal, Annals of Palliative Medicine. 

Medical marijuana doctors are still doubtful in prescribing CBD to patients because of the uncertain suitability of CBD dosage for each patient. While there is no established CBD oil dosage, these are some of the specific dosages and routes of administration for the consumption of CBD: