We started on the subject of whether medicinal effects were possible without a "high". We don't know at what doses the various effects appear. Whatever the extremes, it seems most of us can even make use of alcohol, a far simpler drug, with or without a "high".
The question was genuine, as was my answer. There is no "primary use" of any pharmaceutical. There's a range of effects, some considered primary, some "side effrects". Which is which depends ENTIRELY on the application. And none are intrinsically "invalid".
That said, many people who benefit from MMJ in decreasing depression, sharpening the senses and improving mood aren't at all after a "high". They just want to feel better. Or less bad. It's not at all "poppycock".
These aren't simple things. Some people are born with deficiencies and do better with chemical aids: antidepressants, anxiolytics, ADD meds, sedatives, whatever you call them. We are discovering that there are naturally occurring endocannabinoids and endorphins that regulate mood and perception, and that are chemically almost identical to plant cannabinoids and opiates. Which is why they work.
When they tried blocking CB1 endocannabinoids with experimental compounds in an effort to preoduce an appetite suppressant, test subjects developed horrific cases of depression. And so, even without going into other effects of cannabis (like the neuroprotective and anti-cancer effects), the range of medicinal uses on mood/mind alone is enormous.
It's hard to say whether those who see themselves as being after a "high", are different socially, psychologically or just in their conditioning and expectations. I wouldn't presume to guess which is "the majority". But I think I can guess which is more socially acceptable, a detail that matters a lot.
I'm not attacking anyone, but it makes a lot more sense to me to see Cannabis as a medicinal substance that can be used at higher dosage as an intoxicant, rather than an intoxicant that some people see as "medicine".
It took me a while to understand what an MD who writes many Cannabis recommendations was saying when he said he was against recreational use.
As to the Alzheimers' patient, cautiously and gradually?
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