It is first important to clarify what marijuana is. This is a dry, shredded green/brown mixture of flowers, stems and leaves of the Cannabis sativa plant. It is also the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. THC, the active chemical in marijuana, works by binding to cannabinoid receptors, which are concentrated in areas of the brain associated with thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination, and time perception. THC stimulates the brain to release dopamine, a chemical responsible for feelings of pleasure and relaxation. This chemical is also responsible for reducing pain, stimulating appetite, and many other properties. However, this does not come without negative side effects. The debate over medical marijuana centers on whether or not the benefits outweigh the consequences. The first use of marijuana as medicine was reported over five thousand years ago. India, China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and South America were using marijuana as medicine long before the United States. In 1545, the Spanish introduced marijuana to the New World. It became a main cash crop and was considered a source of fiber. It was not until 1851 that America officially recognized the medical value of marijuana. That year, we added the drug to the third addition of the American Pharmacopoeia (an official public standards authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medications). Over the next fifty years, more than a hundred medical journals on the medicinal benefits of marijuana were published in the United States and Europe. American doctors began routinely prescribing the drug for conditions such as incontinence, venereal disease, and skin rashes. The weed could even be found in some pharmacies to relieve menstrual cramps and...... middle of article... found that cannabinoid medications (form of medical marijuana) were more effective than anti-nausea medications standards. Glaucoma is another condition treated with marijuana. Although this medication is generally not recommended because conventional treatments are generally more effective, for patients who cannot tolerate these treatments, marijuana may be the solution. Multiple sclerosis patients have been proven to benefit from medical marijuana by reducing muscle spasms and pain. There is also evidence that pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis can be treated with this medication. Researchers on the other side of the spectrum say marijuana has no medical value. Psychologically: some research claims that marijuana damages memory. Marijuana use impairs memory because THC changes the way information is processed in the hippocampus, an area of ​​the brain responsible for memory development..