Recently there has been a storm of debates in the mainstream media concerning marijuana use among the people, its benefits and potential detrimental qualities. Two terms that have been used very often in the media nowadays are 'Medical Marijuana' and 'Recreational Marijuana'. So what are the difference between these two? Is it the dosage of the drug? Or the mode of use? Or is is the quality/species of the plant itself? What do you think?
Medical Marijuana: It's the use of marijuana for treatment of diseases and pain relief [to some extent]. Recreational Marijuana: Marijuana use with the sole intention of getting high [create positive feelings, etc, etc.].
Rainman was pretty much correct. By the way, I know that heroin was once used the same way, as a prescripted painkiller.
Medical marijuana is just something that people say in order to add some sort of legitimacy to a substance that's pretty much been maligned for decades and associated with roving hippies and delinquent rappers. Weed is weed.
I would assume a prescription for medical marijuana also comes with a recommended dosage. Doctors (theoretically) want you to use it to treat some problem, and not just to smoke all day.
The difference is the way it is administered. Medical marijuana shouldn't be smoked, instead it should be drunk as a tea.
I think the differences between recreational marijuana and medicinal marijuana are the reasons for why the drug is being taken, the type of tree where the marijuana that will be used originates from, and how the marijuana is processed. Medicinal marijuana is processed very differently than recreational, because it has to be in the most unpolluted condition, since in the end it will be used as medicine.
Medical marijuana is ok, but using marijuana for recreational use should be banned. Marijuana has sedative effects, thus it can be used to produce clinical drugs. Marijuana may not be as bad as cocaine or heroine, however, it is very bad for human health. Excessive use of marijuana prompts untimely death.
Medical marijuana is going to be used mostly for healing the body and also how it can help with seizures which can affect people and make a person have less fits if it causes them issues and most governments, only give it to people who nee the drug and regulate as well and only give it to certain people. Recreational marijuana is used for having a high or trying to get wasted which can make a person more hungry and also we need to be aware of the amount consumed as it can make the body feel like eating more food, and can disrupt what we eat and how the body functions in the process when taking drugs. Medical marijuana can be used for alternative healing of diseases or cures in the body which modern medicine can make a person addictive and also it will make the mind relaxed and also not stressed from taking drugs.
I have heard a news before with regards to this subject. I think better if they will conduct more studies about the medicinal applications of marijuana if they really believe on it as being an useful herbal plant. That way they could give proofs and can ensure effectiveness and safety.
Yes, I agree. Weed is weed. Depending on the way you use it, it's medical or recreational. I don't get why people get so hyped about weed being legalized for medical use, because you will still need a receipt to get it. Now, legalizing it for recreational use I can understand all the fuzz.
The uses for cannabis are quite varied so I don't think it is a two-sided thing. Technically it is a plant that provides the most oxygen content for the air so even in that way it can be deemed medical since our air is so polluted. But pertaining to just smoking I believe it is only recreational. There are many ways to get the medical benefits out of cannabis and one is not smoking it. It can be juiced naturally to provide anti-oxidants and nutrition for the body while curing cancer. If you are going to smoke it you do it for two reasons only. One is to get on a different plane of thinking and the other is socially. Both can be positive if not abused in an emotional way. I used to use it to have a different view of the world but I finally wondered why I couldn't have this view without using the substance. After meditating on it for a while I was able to reproduce that old point of view I would have after smoking it.
From my understanding, medical marijuana is stronger than what you get for recreational smoking. I have heard from people who use medical marijuana that it is more potent and it does work really well for taking away pain.
Mode of use, dosage and processing method will set medical marijuana apart from its recreational version. The latter has a cruder appearance and can come in all shapes and sizes. The former can have the appearance of liquid or vapor when administered to patients.
Well, in places like the Netherlands you can find marijuana with different strengths, I heard it depends on how it was grown. There is no difference between medical and non medical marijuana over there People can smoke as much as they want in one of those dutch cafes. It's funny, despite that most people I know are not big marijuana smokers.
There's a big difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. The recreational stuff is grown with high levels of THC for a stronger mental high whereas medical plants are grown with higher levels of CBD. THC looks like tiny crystals on the buds whereas CBD is contained in the little orange/brown furry pistules. CBD has some amazing medical benefits, although THC has some too. It's the THC which can potentially cause mental problems, not CBD which counteracts that effect.
Recreational will have different strains and flavors to it. Medical is the same thing over and over again. Imagine if you had a choice of taking tylenol but this time you can have it chocolate flavored. That's what recreational Marijuana brings to the table.
Where I live there is no discernible difference because the same sources are being used for both recreational and medical providers. The medical shops are being phased out and regulated under the recreational laws. That said, recreational use of any drug is just stupid.
This pretty much answers your question. The only difference I think is that medical marijuana has limited dosage, as compared to using recreational marijuana.
I think there is a problem when we approve medical marijuana. What if the patient fakes his condition (insomnia,pain etc),just for the purpose of getting high with marijuana. Even if when the patient is not faking, it is likely that he will get addicted to marijuana when used as medicine.