THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND RECREATIONAL WEED
In recent years, there has been increasing talk of “medical marijuana”. Many seed dealers already offer their own branches with medicinal cannabis varieties and the term “medical” also appears quite often in the new book by Jorge Cervantes. Nowadays, many friends of green grass ask themselves the question: What exactly is the difference between medicinal cannabis and normal grass?
Well, this question has two different answers – one simple and one slightly more complex. The simplest answer would be: there is no difference. Cannabis is cannabis whether there is a red cross on the package or not. In the meantime, there is of course an unmanageable variety of different cannabis varieties with different compositions of active ingredients and therefore, logically, different fields of application. For example, varieties with a high CBD content are often used for pain relief. However, these same strains are also found in Amsterdam’s coffee shops, where they are offered as completely normal “pleasure varieties”. So it’s not a question of strain.
In principle, a medical product is supposed to have been made under medical conditions (no pesticides or organic production, etc.). In addition, the product must have been tested for its composition and active ingredient content. Consistent delivery quality would also be an important characteristic. However, a wise grower would immediately object that these characteristics must also be fulfilled in pleasure strains – and rightly so! So there is no specific difference to be made here either.
This leads us to answer no. 2: Whether or not cannabis is a drug is simply due to the nature of its use. In the end, it is the intention of the consumer that decides whether cannabis is used for medical purposes or as a stimulant and therefore what is ultimately to be considered a herb. But even this limit remains very vague. Even if a consumer uses cannabis “only” for pleasure, his or her consumption is also intended to have a certain effect. Whether it is mental and physical relaxation, stress reduction or mood improvement, all these effects undeniably also have medical effects. Of course, it also works the other way around: A patient who only uses cannabis for medical reasons.
In short, one can say: It is not the product itself that makes the difference between medicine and pleasure (let’s assume that the quality of the product is beyond reproach!), but rather the intention of the consumer. And so, when we are asked about medical cannabis, we end up coming back to the famous phrase of Paracelsius: “Everything is poison (or medicine), the dose alone does it!
