Plethora of medical cannabis applications is driving its legality worldwide 

As the cannabis industry continues to develop, researchers are beginning to uncover additional benefits within the plant’s biological content.

This is leading to a wide variety of medical cannabis applications being available for patients across the globe.

Primarily, cannabis is currently associated with its CBD and THC compounds because of their abundance. Through extensive clinical studies, researchers have discovered that the two compounds are widely different in their biological makeup, as THC is the active psychoactive property found within the marijuana plant, while CBD is the non-psychoactive content derived from the hemp plant. Nonetheless, despite the differences, both plants fall under the cannabis family.

Medical cannabis applications

While THC and CBD are most commonly associated with cannabis, researchers have realised that there are over a hundred cannabinoids found within the cannabis plants. Notably, CBN or cannabinol has become an increasingly popular cannabinoid.

CBN comes from the oxidation and decomposition of THC from the hemp plant, meaning that when THC is heated and exposed to CO2, it converts into CBN, according to Sara Brittany Somerset, a public speaker for cannabis advocacy who has appeared at the Cannabis Media Summit and World Cannabis Congress.

Similar to hybrid mixtures of THC and CBD, CBN can be infused with other cannabinoids such as CBD and the combination of CBN and CBD can help alleviate insomnia. Despite CBN and CBD both deriving from the hemp plant, CBN is known to cause sedating effects, while CBD causes more of a relaxed effect. Moreover, CBD is known to mildly suppress appetite, while CBN can, on the other hand, stimulate appetite.

Overall, the wide-ranging and versatile uses of cannabis have helped bring the plant into the global spotlight. For instance, a single cannabis plant can help aid patients with dozens of varied medical conditions.

However, many countries still do not recognise cannabis as an appropriate medical treatment, but nonetheless, a handful have already taken the step forward in an effort to push through and recognise cannabis as a legal medicine.

As more countries continue to understand the medical efficacy of cannabis, other nations are expected to be influenced as well.

Normalisation of cannabis

The widespread normalisation of cannabis highlights the increasing amount of people who support the legalisation of cannabis. However, despite its propagation, the cannabis industry still suffers dearly due to the advertising regulations it is saddled with.

For instance, social media companies such as Facebook and Instagram have limited and kept track of cannabis advertising because the plant is still federally illegal. Nevertheless, the industry is constantly gaining awareness and support from consumers.

Legalisation efforts first began in the US back in the early 1990s, when California was the first state to legalise the medical use of cannabis. Now, unlike other countries, the U.S. has given its states the jurisdiction to dictate whether cannabis will be legal or not.

As a result, movements for legalisation had begun to thrive throughout the nation. In the beginning, cannabis legislation was primarily being adopted solely for medicinal cannabis. However, in 2012, Colorado completely changed the country’s perspective on cannabis after the state legalised its recreational use.

Since then, recreational cannabis has become legal in 10 states, including Washington DC, while medical cannabis is legally found in 33 states. Overall, the timeline of cannabis legalisation highlights the sheer number of people who have accepted and understood the benefits associated with cannabis, whether it is economically or medically.

In the US, over 62% of Americans support the legalisation of cannabis entirely, almost double the amount in 2000, according to Pew Research Center.

Niki Romo, Creative Director for KronicSites, said: “As we continue to see the legalisation of Marijuana grow in each state, there is no doubt that entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists are eager to break into the cannabis industry and start new businesses.”