There is one sure way to know that marijuana has gone mainstream: people are now starting to promote it as a cure-all for anything that ails you. If THC will not fix what’s broken, CBD will. One of the latest entries into the miracle cure category is using pot to regrow your hair. If you have been working on it, how is it going?
Those ready to promote marijuana as a cure for hair loss correctly point out that the human endocannabinoid system is involved in nearly every biological function to some degree. But that is about as far as it goes. How involved the endocannabinoid system is in hair growth is unknown. To simply assume that it plays a large enough role to be impacted by cannabis consumption is to assume an awful lot.
Hair Growth Solutions Are Limited
I am old enough to remember when the only hair growth treatment available was the transplant treatment. A dermatologist would take active follicles and hair from one part of the scalp and move them to another in hopes of promoting more even hair growth across the entire head.
During the 1970s and 80s, all sorts of miracle cures meant to compete with transplants were introduced. And one by one, they failed. But medical science finally came up with a pharmacological treatment in the 1990s.
Even with that treatment now available, hair growth solutions are still limited. We still don’t know enough about why people lose their hair to change things. Success rates vary even though patients now have access to three or four treatment options.
Very Little Research
To date, there has been very little research into using marijuana to help regrow hair. There are a few small-scale studies here and there, but their results are questionable. Nothing conclusive has been observed to this point. So, what does that mean for people desperate to regrow their hair?
Those who live in states with legal marijuana programs are free to try it as they see fit. In states with medical-only programs or complete prohibition still in place, marijuana is off the table as a hair loss treatment.
Such is the case in Utah, where dispensary Beehive Farmacy says the state maintains a rather short list of qualifying conditions. Things like chronic pain and PTSD top the list. Hair loss is nowhere to be found, however.
Marijuana Is Not Perfect
It is not clear how effective marijuana is for regrowing lost hair. It might work wonders as a treatment for alopecia, for example, but it might not work at all. We just do not know. The most important thing to take away from this post is the fact that marijuana is not perfect.
Since the drive to legalize marijuana began in earnest more than 20 years ago, a certain element of the pro-marijuana community has gone to great lengths to amplify all of marijuana’s positives while trying to hide its negatives. They have largely succeeded in convincing American consumers that the plant has nothing but good to offer. Unfortunately, the truth is far different.
Treat It Like Any Other Drug
If you have never used marijuana but are thinking of doing so, here is the best piece of advice anyone could give you: treat it like any other drug. Be as cautious with marijuana as you would be with prescription narcotics. You would not drive after drinking, so don’t drive after using marijuana. And whatever you do, don’t believe everything you hear about marijuana. It is not a cure-all for everything. It might not even help you regrow lost hair.