It is derived from the seeds, leaves, and flowers of the cannabis plant. However, regardless of the positive effects that marijuana may have for people's health, it remains illegal. There are pros and cons alternative medicine has determined for using marijuana for health reasons. The information available is basically there to help people gain more knowledge about the plant and how it can affect the body both positively and negatively.

Marijuana is an illegal substance because of its high levels of THC. THC is what is found in the plant that can alter the mind. However, this same component is also what takes away nausea and pain that are found in specific health conditions. For instance, marijuana is often used by people who suffer from different forms of cancer and are taking chemotherapy; it is also a common drug of choice for people with multiple sclerosis.

Pros and cons alternative medicine has developed involve many different elements of the drug. For instance, because marijuana is often smoked, it can have a negative effect on the person's lungs and breathing. This is especially true for people with allergies or asthma. The mind altering effect the drug has can also be seen as a negative by some people who are not intentionally seeking a high.

All the available information that pros and cons alternative medicine has developed are a help to the person interested in using marijuana as a medicine. As the use of marijuana becomes more popular for people who suffer from different ailments, there are many different pros and cons alternative medicine can use to determine what can be done. Then if the pros outweigh the cons, then new therapies can be developed or may be developed.

This being said, it is not quite so simple. Some medicinal marijuana does not have the same level of THC and therefore does not have the same amount of high with it. However, this again means that it is not necessarily helping the person as much as possible when the THC has been reduced. Another one of the pros and cons alternative medicine has come up with is that chemotherapy leaves people feeling really sick sometimes and the use of medicinal marijuana can help alleviate the nausea from the chemo as well as the pain from the cancer.

Using marijuana has a pain control does not seem all that strange when it is thought about. This is because morphine, Demerol, and oxy-contin are all narcotics and illegal on the street but are very commonly used for pain reduction.