The use of marijuana is associated with various health benefits. One of the known health benefits from the use of cannabis is its effect against tobacco addiction and other forms of addiction.
The complete legalization of weed in the US is still being debated. However, advocates of its legalization are pushing for the approval of its widespread and unrestricted use, stating that it could be beneficial for individuals who are addicted to harmful substances.
A study conducted in May 2016 revealed that most patients suffering from chronic disease would rather use the herbal plant than the conventional pharmaceutical medications, according to Herb. They tend to prefer such herbal approach over synthetic products to avoid their side-effects.
Instead of using an opioid medication that could lead to addiction, patients instead use cannabis as a form of herbal medication. Similar to opioid, common substitutions were benzodiazepines and antidepressant medications.
Apart from pharmaceutical medications being substituted with weed, some respondents also revealed that they have replaced their tobacco habit with cannabis use. This has been very significant, especially since 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer cases are said to be caused by cigarette smoking.
It was previously estimated that 43 million adult smokers in the US would rather continue smoking despite the health risk, according to Live Science. In some respect, marijuana use has contributed to the decline of such number.
Moreover, alcohol addiction has also been affected by the use of cannabis, according to the research. About 25 percent of the total respondents admitted that their alcohol addiction was lessened due to the use of the plant.
The impact of marijuana use on addiction is significant enough to merit further evaluation. Depending on the result of further studies and evaluation, the complete legalization of weed may likely happen soon.
See some of the benefits of marijuana in the video below: