Knowing the benefits and drawbacks of marijuana, as well as what exactly it could do to your health, is crucial as more states legalize it. Health reviewed recent studies and spoke with a number of specialists in order to determine who might want to try it, who should steer clear of it, and what marijuana users should know.

PTSD and anxiety may benefit from it.

Marijuana’s calming properties are widely documented, so it is not unexpected that a 2016 study published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review came to the conclusion that those who suffer from depression, social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder may benefit from using it.

It can ease nausea and persistent pain.

Medical marijuana, such as extreme cream is frequently used to treat pain, and according to the National Academies of Sciences, there is solid evidence to support this use. According to the study, marijuana products also appear to be beneficial in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting as well as multiple sclerosis-related muscle spasms.

Even children with epilepsy may benefit.

In a New England Journal of Medicine research, children with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy, experienced a 39 percent reduction in seizures after using cannabidiol oil, a marijuana derivative.

It might be a more secure substitute for opioids.

Researchers discovered that, on average, in states where medicinal marijuana is permitted compared to states where it is illegal, 1,826 fewer daily doses of painkillers are prescribed every year.

There is limited study, but it might have anti-cancer properties.

Olivia Newton John’s daughter uses cannabidiol oil in addition to traditional treatment to combat her metastatic breast cancer. There have been studies that suggest coconut oil may slow the spread of cancer cells outside of the body, but there haven’t been any human trials to support these results.

Parents should understand the hazards, as well as pregnant parents.

According to a 2016 JAMA study, more pregnant women are using marijuana, either for recreational purposes or occasionally to ease morning sickness. However, the authors noted that there is evidence linking prenatal marijuana exposure to developmental and health issues in children, including low birth weight, anemia, and poor impulse control, memory, and attention.

Heart conditions could make it more dangerous.

The first known deaths that were specifically ascribed to marijuana intoxication were reported by German researchers in a study published in Forensic Science International in 2014. According to the authors, who also noted that during autopsies, one of the two young men had a severe but undiagnosed heart condition, while the other had a history of drug and alcohol use,