Can Tetrahydocannabinol make good medicine?!

Can Tetrahydocannabinol make good medicine?

its for a science project. . . . .

I don't know if it is good, but THC is the primary ingredient in Marinol and Sativix. Two drugs marketed in the US. Marinol is primarily used to get patients to eat. I have a friend with AIDS who uses it regularly in addition to the prescribed "marijuana" his doctor recommends. (not with an actual prescription mind you, that is illegal in the US). Satvix is used for multiple sclerosis patients.

A number of studies indicate that THC may provide medical benefits for cancer and AIDS patients by increasing appetite and decreasing nausea. It has been shown to assist some glaucoma patients by reducing pressure within the eye, and is used in the form of cannabis by a number of multiple sclerosis patients to relieve the spasms associated with their condition.

Studies also indicate a variety of negative effects associated with constant, long-term use, including short-term memory loss. However, other studies have refuted this, claiming the MRIs of long term users show little or no difference to MRIs of the non-using control group. Although using positron emission tomography (PET), at least one study indicates altered memory-related brain function in marijuana users [3]. The long-term effects of THC on humans have been disputed because its status as an illegal drug makes research difficult.

Abbreviated to d9 THC, this chemical is the most active ingredient in cannabis. A synthetic but molecularly identical version of d9 THC is called dronabinol, and the cannabis plant it self can referred to as hemp or Indian hemp, marijuana, pot, ganja, hashish, and reefer on the streets.

THC is in the news currently as debate proceeds about its reclassification as a class C drug in Britain. Reclassification was deemed necessary as focus on class A drugs becomes more intense. Cannabis will be reclassified as a class C drug by July of 2003, putting it in ranks with steroids and antidepressants.

Tetra hydro cannabinol is an appetite stimulant and antiemetic. A brown, amorphous, viscous oil at standard temperature and pressure.

As the laws prohibiting recreational cannabis use are loosened, funding has been in turn increased for research of the THC compound and its potential benefit to medicine. Already, in some countries, d9 THC is being used in medicine for multiple causes:

As an antiemetic to control nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy.
As an antiemetic to control nausea and vomiting associated with the use of drugs for controlling the spread of the AIDS virus; without which patients could regurgitate the nausea inducing drugs before being properly absorbed by the body.
To retard or reverse the weight reduction syndrome of AIDS.
To control seizures in patients suffering from epilepsy.
To reduce pressure within the eyes associated with glaucoma.
To alleviate muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
To alleviate pain and muscle spasms for paraplegics and quadriplegics.

Sorry so lengthy, but one can not have too much information. So, you decide if this could be a useful medication.