12 Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana According To Publicly Traded Weed Companies

Yes, you read the title right there are at least 12 health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies. Just keep on reading to find out more about it!

Cannabis has some undeniable medical benefits, to the point that there are several approved medical drugs that are derived from some of the chemical compounds (cannabinoids) in cannabis, including THC and CBD. Among them is GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR (NASDAQ:GWPH)‘s Sativex, which is approved in several countries for the treatment of pain, as well as AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV)‘s Marinol, which has been approved in the U.S and Canada for the treatment of nausea and vomiting, as well as for appetite stimulation in AIDS patients. Insys Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:INSY) also received FDA approval last summer for Syndros, a liquid form of dronabinol (Marinol).

Despite that, the debate rages unabated as to whether marijuana is safe and worthy of full-scale legalization, despite arguably more harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol already being legal. Proponents of marijuana will tell you that it’s a great pain reliever, supplanting the need for prescription pills that can be even more addictive and dangerous than weed, given that they are now one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S, while death resulting from marijuana use is almost non-existent. Some of the more well informed ones might also tell you that it helps regulate their insulin levels and helps them sleep better.

Detractors will tell you that marijuana could be a gateway drug, that it can impair learning, create apathetic people with little motivation to do anything, and damage lungs. They’ll also downplay many of the purported benefits, suggesting that they’re either being trumped up by corporate interests, or that the same benefits could be achieved from other substances which have less harmful risks than marijuana. The truth of course probably lies somewhere in the middle, as it usually does.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what some of the publicly-traded marijuana companies have to say about marijuana and what they think (and not just think, but what their studies have shown) that it can do for people. Those companies include AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV), Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX), 22nd Century Group Inc (NYSEMKT:XXII), Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA), Insys Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:INSY), GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR (NASDAQ:GWPH), and Cara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CARA).

It should be noted that some of these companies are taking a risk by stepping into the marijuana distribution realm. While the drug has been approved for medical use in 28 states and DC, and for recreational use in 8 states (though some of those laws don’t go into effect until January 1, 2018), it is still illegal according to the Federal government and could be subject to lifetime imprisonment and fines of up to $50 million. So while there are undeniable growth prospects for the industry, which could hit $30 billion annually by 2020, there is also the Federal elephant in the room, which adds a layer of risk to any company dealing in marijuana on the recreational side of the ledger. Therefore, it’s safe to say that they have a firm belief in what they’re doing and see themselves as providing a valuable service to people.

For further marijuana reading, check out what top hedge funds consider to be the best marijuana stocks. Then see if your country ranks as one of the ten that consume the most marijuana.

Now then, let’s see what the companies that are at the forefront of the marijuana industry have to say about the plant, presenting 12 health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies.

12. “Epidiolex is the result of extensive pre-clinical research of CBD in epilepsy which dates back to 2007 and which has reported significant anti-epileptiform and anticonvulsant activity using a variety of in vitro and in vivo models.”

http://dev-gwpharma.pantheonsite.io/about-us/history-approach

11. “We believe that Syndros will be an important new treatment option for patients suffering from the devastating effects of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, as well as those fighting anorexia associated with weight loss in AIDS.” – Insys Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:INSY) CEO and President, Dr. John N. Kapoor.

10. “Both THC and CBD are neuroprotective antioxidants that have been shown to inhibit NMDA-mediated excitotoxicity under conditions of traumatic head injury, stroke and degenerative brain diseases^viii.”

https://www.gwpharm.com/products-pipeline/sativex/mechanism-of-action

9. “APD371, an orally available agonist of the CB2 receptor, is an internally discovered investigational drug candidate that Arena is exploring for potential development in several indications, including pain. This compound, through its selectivity, is designed to provide pain relief without psychotropic effects and without the potential for dependence or abuse. Preclinical efficacy with APD371 has been shown in several animal models of pain.” – interesting enough for our list of health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies, right?

8. “The antiemetic effect of MARINOL Capsules was greatest in patients receiving chemotherapy with MOPP* for Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

*MOPP refers to a chemotherapy combination containing the following prescription drugs: Mustargen, Oncovin, procarbazine, and prednisone.

http://www.marinol.com/patient/about-marinol

7. “During the treatment period, patients taking Epidiolex 20mg/kg/day achieved a median reduction in monthly drop seizures of 42 percent compared with a reduction of 17 percent in patients taking placebo (p=0.0047), and patients taking Epidiolex 10mg/kg/day achieved a median reduction in monthly drop seizures of 37 percent compared with a reduction of 17 percent in patients taking placebo (p=0.0016).” This is a significant breakthrough when it comes to the medical marijuana treatment and that’s why we put it on the list of health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies.

http://dev-gwpharma.pantheonsite.io/about-us/news/gw-pharmaceuticals-announces-second-positive-phase-3-pivotal-trial-epidiolex

6. We’re halfway through our list of health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies, and we are definitely amazed with all advantages of using marijuana for medical purposes. How about you? “Cesamet is a type of antiemetic called a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are medicines that are similar to chemicals the body produces naturally. That is why medicines like Cesamet may help people with CINV.”

http://www.cesamet.com/patient-about-cesamet.asp

We are half way through our list of 12 health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded weed companies. Yes, there are more good thing ganja can bring! Just keep on reading.

5. “It has recently been demonstrated that CBD also stimulates vanilloid pain receptors (VR1), inhibits uptake of the anandamide, and weakly inhibits its breakdown^xi. These new findings have important implications in elucidating the pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and immunodulatory effects of CBD.”

https://www.gwpharm.com/products-pipeline/sativex/mechanism-of-action

4. At number 4 on our list of health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded companies we have this quote:”The results of this trial substantiate data from our single-ascending dose trial of APD371. In both trials, we achieved dose-responsive exposure without dose-limiting adverse events across the range studied. Our scientists designed APD371 as a highly selective, peripherally restricted, full agonist to provide pain relief without psychotropic effects, loss of efficacy over time, or the dependence, abuse potential or adverse event profile associated with other pain treatments.” – William R. Shanahan, Jr., M.D., Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA)’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

3. “Peripheral CB receptor modulators will be initially developed as a novel therapeutic approach for neuropathic pain, a condition currently without consistently effective therapies. Cara’s most advanced CB compound, CR701, is in preclinical development.”

http://www.caratherapeutics.com/cb-agonists.shtml

2. “The most notable cannabinoid is THC, the primary psychoactive compound of cannabis. However, there are dozens of other cannabinoids in the cannabis plant all of which may have medical applications independently or in combination with other cannabinoids.”

1. “In scientific studies, patients who took Cesamet had 3 types of benefits. They vomited less often, felt less nauseous, and were able to eat more than patients who did not take Cesamet. Patients who got these benefits did so quickly—as early as the first day of Cesamet treatment. They also continued to benefit over the entire 5-day course of Cesamet treatment after chemotherapy.^“

http://www.cesamet.com/patient-about-cesamet.asp

That completes the list of health benefits of medical marijuana according to publicly traded companies. What other conditions could medical marijuana eventually be used to treat? And will it ever be fully legalized? Let us know in the comments.

Disclosure: None