It's a common, but probably severely under-reported psychoactive drug concoction, according to Dr. Abraham Kryger, a Monterey, Calif., family physician who has written and lectured extensively on the topic. Because marijuana still has a stigma surrounding it, there are patients who have been prescribed antidepressants, including the newer SSRIs, who simply do not tell their physicians that they smoke marijuana, even if their doctor asks them. It's therefore impossible to precisely define the effects produced by cross-medicating marijuana with antidepressants. Pros and cons Marijuana's medical benefits continue to be hotly debated. There is no shortage of studies proving its effectiveness in treating nausea, glaucoma and intra-ocular eye pressure, migraine headaches, suppressed appetite in AIDS patients, and specific types of pain.
Some studies also suggest applications in movement and neurologic disorders.
In either event, synthetic THC does not share all the properties of the naturally occurring THC in marijuana, and we're not sure why. There are some significant parallels, but they are not identical. Marijuana's drawbacks, particularly in self-medicators, are equally well documented. Spatial relationships become confused. Driving becomes dangerous.