Here is an interesting and potentially uplifting story about one of the possible therapeutic benefits of marijuana. There is evidence in this report that a cannabinoid much stronger than marijuana, but similar and based on marijuana may actually promote brain cell development. It may also have anxiolytic and antidepressant effects on the brain. While smoked and inhaled marijuana certainly is damaging to the lungs and therefore harmful to health in this respect, the new classes of cannabinoid medicines are very promising. We may eventually see a transition from medical marijuana to medical cannabinoids, or more concentrated forms of marijuana derivatives that are not damaging to the lungs. More like the "space cake" than like the "joint," but equally or more beneficial and just as pleasant.
Good News For The Medical Marijuana Movement: pot Proliferates Brain Cells And Boosts Mood
Most drugs of abuse decrease the generation of new neurons in the brain, but the effects of marijuana on this process, called neurogenesis, had not been clear. In a JCI paper researchers show that a potent and synthetic cannabinoid promotes neurogenesis. This drug also exerts anti-anxiety and antidepressant-like effects. Cannabinoids are perhaps the only illicit drug that can enhance adult neurogenesis and subsequently modify behavior.
The researchers suggest that there is a positive correlation between increased adult neurogenesis and modified behavior following chronic cannabinoid treatment. These data expand the existing knowledge about the positive roles cannabinoids and their receptors play in brain processing and medicine.