Commercial weed (cannabis) cultivation has grown into a modern, technologically sophisticated operation. Yet amateur and small-scale growers can grow marijuana just as successfully with simpler setups. Recreational marijuana laws that allow for in-home cultivation have contributed to the rise of home marijuana grows.

Cannabis can grow well both indoors and out. Cultivation setups can be hydroponic or soil-based. The ideal growing conditions for weed depend on the specific requirements of the strain.

For many, the medical and therapeutic potential of cannabis is what makes legalizing the marijuana plant such an important political and social task. Federal prohibition has established barriers to comprehensive cannabis research in the United States. However, researchers in other countries continue to make significant contributions to our knowledge of the cannabis plant and how it affects the human body.

Furthermore, medical cannabis use is legal in many more places than recreational marijuana use. Current research, alongside patient and caregiver testimony, attests to the many medicinal applications of marijuana. From pain to serious neurological diseases, medical cannabis is emerging as a safe and viable alternative to many common prescription medications for:

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• CHRONIC PAIN

• ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS)

• ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

• AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS)

• CANCER

• TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

• ULCERATIVE COLITIS

• CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY (CTE)

• CROHN'S DISEASE

• EPILEPSY

• FIBROMYALGIA

• GLAUCOMA

• HEPATITIS C

• TOURETTE'S SYNDROME

• INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

• MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

• PARKINSON'S DISEASE

• HIV POSITIVE

• POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

• SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

• SPINAL CORD DISEASE OR INJURY

• CACHEXIA

The results of a major, long-term study into marijuana use and lung health reveal no substantive link between cannabis use and respiratory diseases like lung cancer. Additionally, lifelong marijuana users had no significantly increased risk of breathing problems.

Although marijuana smoke contains a number of carcinogens findings from a limited number of well-designed studies do not suggest an increased risk for the development of either lung or upper airway cancer from light or moderate use. However, the evidence is mixed when it comes to the carcinogenic risks of heavy, long-term marijuana users.

Scientists simply do not know the overall impact of marijuana on cardiovascular health. Researchers in California, Pennsylvania, and New York analyzed dozens of studies into the effects of cannabis on heart health, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Their analysis revealed more problems with previous studies than answers.

However, scientists do agree that marijuana use increases the heart rate anywhere from 20 to 50 beats per minutes for up to 3 hours. Other studies have indicated links between marijuana use and increased blood pressure and hypertension.

Multiple studies have concluded that the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD imparts the significant neuroprotective effects of marijuana. This effect can shield nerve cells from damage and deterioration, making medical marijuana a promising drug for treating a range of neurological diseases.

According to researchers, 25 percent of all cancer patients use medical marijuana. Cancer patients are finding relief from medical cannabis. And they want to know more about it. Research conducted at St. George’s University of London, found the two most common cannabinoids in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), weakened the ferocity of cancer cells and made them more susceptible to radiation treatment. Other studies have shown that medical marijuana treatments can slow the growth of cancer cells and halt their spread to other parts of the body.