Marijuana has been shown to decrease nausea and increase appetite, which can be essential for patients who are having difficulty keeping down food or maintaining adequate nutrition. For glaucoma sufferers, marijuana helps to lower intraocular eye pressure. Also, some types of pain, such as peripheral neuropathy, respond better to marijuana than conventional pain relievers. For some cancer and AIDS patients, drugs that are supposed to boost appetite simply don't work. Other patients are tired of using medications that can be considered narcotic, addictive, or dangerous, or that produce unpleasant side effects.
