Medical Cannabis vs. Recreational Cannabis: What's the Difference?
Understanding Cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to extracts derived from the cannabis plant with a known, controlled concentration of CBD and THC, used for medical purposes under specific indications. It does not refer to cannabis in its plant form or its raw parts — buds, leaves, stems, or roots. Even though medical cannabis has approved uses for certain conditions, it is not recommended as a first-line therapy, since it is less effective than standard medications. Cannabis products should be used as a supplement or adjunct to standard treatment, not as a primary treatment on their own.
Conditions and Indications Approved for Medical Cannabis Use
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
- Intractable epilepsy and epilepsy resistant to standard anti-seizure medication
- Spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis
- Neuropathic pain
- Loss of appetite and low body weight in AIDS patients
- Improving quality of life in palliative care and end-of-life patients
As you can see, the conditions with approved indications for medical cannabis are fairly complex, requiring diagnosis by a physician and prior treatment through standard care. Cannabis serves only as a supplementary medication to help ease certain symptoms of these conditions, and medical cannabis treatment requires careful calculation of dosage and formulation appropriate to the condition, the patient’s age, and body weight — for example, taken as tablets or oil.
Forms of Cannabis Use That Do Not Count as Medical Cannabis
- Smoking cannabis, whether rolled like a cigarette or through a water pipe, counts as recreational use, since the amount of active compound absorbed is unpredictable
- Using cannabis without one of the approved medical indications listed above counts as recreational use
- Buying and using cannabis on your own, without a prescription or a doctor’s calculated dosage for a specific condition, does not count as medical cannabis
- Using cannabis to feel euphoric, relaxed, or to relieve stress counts as recreational use
- Cannabis mixed into food or drinks is not medical cannabis
Common Misconceptions About Cannabis
- “Cannabis can treat or fight cancer.” Cannabis does not have anti-cancer properties for any type of cancer. It can only help reduce nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, which is likely the source of this misconception.
- “Cannabis can treat depression and anxiety disorders.” Smoking cannabis produces a feeling of relaxation, leading many to mistakenly believe it can treat stress, depression, or anxiety. In reality, cannabis tends to make depression and anxiety worse, since the brain becomes accustomed to the intoxicating compound, reducing the ability to feel pleasure from other things. Spending more time smoking cannabis also slows down a person’s ability to think through and solve problems, meaning the underlying source of their stress never actually gets addressed.
- “Cannabis helps you sleep better than medication.” Cannabis’s relaxing effect leads some people to use it as a sleep aid, but with prolonged use, tolerance and dependence develop, making sleep even harder to achieve than before. With modern sleep medications, a doctor can adjust the dose appropriately and choose non-addictive options, making standard medical treatment for sleep problems a more suitable choice.
- “Cannabis treats psychiatric conditions better than medication.” There is no credible research supporting cannabis as an effective treatment for any psychiatric condition. On the contrary, a large body of research and data shows that cannabis is frequently a cause of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and cognitive impairment (affecting thinking, memory, and intelligence) — particularly in people who start smoking before age 25, when cannabis can impair ongoing brain development.
- “Cannabis comes from a plant, so it’s organic and harmless.” A substance coming from a plant doesn’t mean it’s safe. Cocaine, for example — a drug far more potent than methamphetamine — comes from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. Heroin comes from the opium poppy, and smoking opium itself is also highly addictive. So the fact that a substance is plant-derived says nothing about how dangerous it is.
- “Imported cannabis has no contaminants, so it won’t cause psychiatric symptoms or side effects.” The harmful compound in cannabis is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is naturally present in the plant itself, especially concentrated in the flower buds. So no matter how “pure” or where the cannabis comes from, that doesn’t make it any safer — the harmful compound is inherent to the plant, not the result of external contamination.
- “Cannabis you grow yourself is safe to smoke since it has no pesticides or toxins.” Just as above, the danger of cannabis doesn’t come from contamination or pesticides — it comes from the compounds the plant produces naturally. So even home-grown cannabis still poses the same health risks.
- “I’ve smoked cannabis for a long time with no problems, so it must be safe.” Early cannabis use may not produce noticeable symptoms, but the longer and heavier the use, or if there is an underlying genetic vulnerability, even light use can increase the risk of developing psychiatric conditions. In fact, studies of people who have used cannabis for 20 years found that nearly half (47.4%) developed bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. It’s a similar pattern to smoking cigarettes: someone who has smoked for one year may not develop lung cancer immediately, but with continued or heavier smoking, or an existing genetic risk, even light smoking can eventually lead to lung cancer.
Signs That Cannabis Use Has Become Addiction
- Tolerance — needing more of the drug to get the same effect, or getting a weaker effect from the same amount
- Withdrawal — feeling restless and craving the drug when not using it
- Negative consequences from use — such as slower thinking, short-term memory problems, worsening relationships with people around you, mood instability, and declining performance and responsibility at work and in life
If you or someone close to you shows these signs of cannabis addiction and wants to quit, DAY ONE is a private addiction treatment center that takes a holistic approach to treatment. We are a residential rehabilitation center for people struggling with alcohol, drugs, and gambling, restoring physical, mental, and social wellbeing through a range of treatment methods.
For more information, please contact us at:
99/1 Moo 6, Si Chula, Mueang Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Nayok 26000, Thailand
+66 64-645-5091
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