Herbal Remedy: Teens Often Use Cannabis For Relief, Not Recreation, Study Finds

// added June 05, 2009 // 17 comments //
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191724.htm

When legal therapies let them down, some teens turn to cannabis. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention and Policy suggests that around a third of teens who smoke cannabis on a regular basis use it as a medication, rather than as a means of getting high.


Joan Bottorff worked with a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to conduct in-depth interviews with 63 cannabis-using adolescents. Of these, 20 claimed that they used cannabis to relieve or manage health problems. Bottorff said, "Marijuana is perceived by some teens to be the only available alternative for those experiencing difficult health problems when legitimate medical treatments have failed or when they lack access to appropriate health care".

The most common complaints recorded were emotional problems (including depression, anxiety and stress), sleep difficulties, problems with concentration and physical pain. The teens' experiences with the medical system were uniformly negative. The authors said, "Youth who reported they had been prescribed drugs such as Ritalin, Prozac or sleeping pills, stopped using them because they did not like how these drugs made them feel or found them ineffective. For these kids, the purpose of smoking marijuana was not specifically about getting high or stoned".

The authors emphasize that the unmet medical needs of these teens are of key importance in these findings. In contrast to the unpleasant side effects of prescribed medications and long, ineffective legal therapies, cannabis provided these adolescents with immediate relief for a variety of health concerns. Of course, cannabis isn't completely harmless, but as one of the respondents noted, "It's not good for you, but then again, neither is McDonald's and a lot of other things".
  1. groups:
    News,   Science
  2. tags:
    News,  Science,  Marijuana

17 comments // Herbal Remedy: Teens Often Use Cannabis For Relief, Not Recreation, Study Finds

  • MirrorLake
    • 0
      MirrorLake  

    • It's a decent alternative to taking a sleeping pill. Also, the first time I had the opportunity to use it as a painkiller I was amazed that it worked so well.

    • 8 months ago
  • yesindeed
  • TonesTestament
  • kitteneater
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  

    • Besides recreational use weed helps me more with my chronic headaches than anything else ive ever tried.

      On a side note you should just ignore GodsNassholes. He never has anything important to say.

    • 8 months ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • 0
      GodsnLiberals  
    • fun_size:

      Your chronic headaches would go away if you can manage to stay sober long enough for your body to recover..
      if your think that is bad...wait until you become an adult..wait..you will either blame god..blame the "man" or simply act pathetic and collect welfare and HOPE that someone like obama would come and save you..

      as a side note..your situation is not unique..you are in high gear towards "looserdom"

    • 8 months ago
  • DEVORULES
  • GodsnLiberals
    • 0
      GodsnLiberals  

    • relief from what???

      you dont pay rent..you dont pay bills..YOU DONT GO TO WORK..
      you pretty much dont go to school..you eat shit and sleep so............

      what the fuck are you 'relief'ing' yourselves from?????

      we are no longer talking about "people with cancer" here needing "medical marijuana".. we are talking about a otherwise healthy teenagers simply suffering from self-loathing, insecurity problems trying desperatly to justify a reckless smoking problem.

      not everybody is stupid..some can actually read between the lines here

      *************

    • 8 months ago
  • DEVORULES
    • 0
      DEVORULES  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      "you dont pay rent..you dont pay bills..YOU DONT GO TO WORK..
      you pretty much dont go to school..you eat shit and sleep so............
      what the fuck are you 'relief'ing' yourselves from?????"

      you're assuming all teens have peachy keen lives.. not all of us were born with caring, responsible adults as our parents. i know teens that are 14-15 years old worried about being evicted from their homes. to anyone with a real understanding of the way things work, this study shouldn't be much of a surprise.

    • 8 months ago
  • TopScruffy
    • 0
      TopScruffy  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds. (1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide)

      Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for young people aged 5-14 year olds.

      not everybody is stupid..MOST can actually read between the lines here

    • 8 months ago
  • Kuklamania
    • 0
      Kuklamania  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      actually I do all of the above and still smoke weed. So i guess what we are really relieving ourselves from are fuckers like you who don't see anything past pot heads. Not everyone is a pot head just because they smoke weed. go smoke one and chill out.

    • 8 months ago
  • GodsnLiberals
    • 0
      GodsnLiberals  
    • GodsnLiberals:

      and smoking marijuana solves the "daddy" issues??

      children today are weak in the head..too touchy too fragile..you see oppression??? try living as a palestinian or try living in durfur THEN I CAN UNDERSTAND..

    • 8 months ago
  • TopScruffy
  • IgnoranceisBliss
  • pjacobs51
  • freshfish
    • 0
      freshfish  

    • I would bet the percentage would double if they used that same questionnaire on adults. Most of us have to work for a living and there is no way we could be stoned. But I can use cannabis without being stoned as long as you moderate your use.

    • 8 months ago
  • openmind
    • 0
      openmind  

    • thats what i use it for too. it relaxes me helps with my depression. fuck all those prescription drugs they wont help you. and reading about ppl who used them and went on killing sprees i say no thanks. legalize it.

    • 8 months ago

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