Study: Marijuana Eases Chronic Pain, Raises Risk For Schizophrenia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Cancer survivor Derek Beres says medical marijuana helped him get through chemotherapy. "If anything, marijuana helps ease that process of intake food, digest, and not have pain," he explained.

As more states legalize marijuana to treat medical conditions, and for recreational use, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicines looks at the most recent research on the health effects.

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Researches found that cannabis can relieve symptoms for some patients. "Chronic pain, spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatments," explained Dr. Sachin Patel, associate professor of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The review looked at more than 10,000 studies and reports about 100 finds. It also highlights the need for more research involving certain medical conditions. "The committee looked for evidence of therapeutic benefit including epilepsy and PTSD and basically there was neither evidence to support or refute the use of cannabis," Dr. Patel said.

Another finding shows states with legalized medical marijuana have higher numbers of kids accidentally ingesting the drug.

Derek says that he now relies on cannabis products to help ease his chronic pain and anxiety.

The report also found strong evidence that heavy pot use can increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and breathing problems. It also suggests that pregnant women who use marijuana are more likely to have low birth weight babies.

Marijuana is also linked to an increase in traffic accidents.