Referred to as MS spasticity, the muscle stiffness and spasms that come from multiple sclerosis can greatly affect one’s quality of life. Multiple sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune condition that affects a person’s nervous system. Although the disease might affect people in different ways, symptoms include blurred vision, trouble with coordination, numbness and prickling sensations, muscle weakness, muscle spasticity, fatigue, tremors, speech problems, and bowel and bladder issues.
According to physician Dr. Daniel P. Stein (via Neurology of Cannabis), people with multiple sclerosis started noticing an improvement in muscle spasticity on their own with marijuana use. In fact, marijuana use for muscle spasticity was first approved in the U.K., then Canada, and eventually 27 countries around the world. Double-blind controlled studies done by GW Pharmaceuticals showed that nabiximols made from two of the main cannabinoids found in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), reduced muscle spasticity in several multiple sclerosis patients. The brand name for the product, which comes as a spray you squirt in your mouth, is Sativex. It is important to note, however, that the research was not on smoking pot, but on using marijuana as an intra-oral spray. Also related to muscles, there’s been quite a lot of interest in what happens to your muscle recovery and exercise performance when using marijuana for workouts.