Today's drugs, effective as they may be, can cause more harm than good to the body. One potent example would be the common painkiller, often taken by individuals suffering from migraines or any other type of pain that needs immediate relief. It's effective, yes, but the drug itself also wreaks havoc on its way out - specifically on the liver and kidneys. Momentary pain relief for liver and kidney complications in the future? Nothing doing.

There is, however, a 'miracle' drug of sorts that provides relief more effectively, and, more importantly, without the liver and kidney damage. No, it's not some space-age wonder pill with super-secret ginseng root extract - it's actually Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as Marijuana.

We've heard all the stories before, of cannabis usage frying your brain or reducing you to the all-too-common 'stoner' stereotype. Dr. Phillip Leveque - physician, toxicologist and WWII infantryman - believes that marijuana is actually more beneficial than we give it credit for, and that all the bad rap that it's been getting is merely false propaganda and misinformation.

A retired professor of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Dr. Leveque didn't believe that marijuana actually had any medical benefits, until he started seeing patients that have been given prescriptions of the infamous five-leafed green. They all reported of marijuana actually doing what their previous prescriptions could never have done - that was, to give them significant relief from their symptoms.

And these weren't just any patients with migraines or backaches, either. These were hardened Vietnam veterans trying to cope with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) battle stress through use of heavy painkillers, antidepressants and even alcohol, all of which have drastic detrimental effects on the human body. Marijuana, on the other hand, was able to provide relief, without coming back to haunt the user (besides the social stigma of using marijuana, that is).

Immediate relief without the side effects? It's hard not to be impressed with the little plant that could, and it's to note that not only Dr. Leveque has love for it. In fact, Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a member of the doctor-staffed "The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice", has found that marijuana provides relief for about 200 specific diseases. And with more than 300,000 legal marijuana patients in California alone that's receiving all the good without the bad, it might be time to give it a second opinion.