Marijuana, Methadone and Other Substance Abuse
Introduction
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there are about 100,000 of deaths per year and there are approximately 8 million people in United States who have substance abuse problem (CDC, 2015). A better understanding and greater attention to the commonly abused substance and its treatment would be beneficial in a providers practice and will also protect the provider from the legalities of prescribing these medications. There are several forms of treatment for every abused substance and the main goal is to help the patient to stop the stop and helping them during the phase of withdrawal. The intent of this paper is to discuss the commonly use substance for abuse
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The principle of treatment therapy is to helping the patients to reduce problematic drinking, deterring relapse back to heavy drinking and achieving and maintaining abstinence from alcohol (Edmunds, 2014). An oral naltrexone (ReVia) or injectable Vivitrol, Acamprosate and Disulfiram are used for the treatment of alcohol abuse (Edmunds, 2014). Disulfiram are used more often if unpleasant physical symptoms when alcohol is ingested but is reported to be more expensive and have reported to have adverse reaction to the patients (Edmunds, 2014). Benzodiazepines such as Lorazepam and Diazepam are also widely used for treatment of alcohol withdrawal. With the side effects and overdosing of benzodiazepines remains controversial in treating alcohol withdrawal and is always in need to monitor the patient for abuse (SAMHSA, 2013). Additionally, social detoxification and lifestyle management would benefit the whole treatment process such as referring the patient to social support groups and encouraging the family to support the patient during the treatment …show more content…
It is believed that THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is to be the main ingredient that produces the psychoactive effect to patient. It is mostly smoked, smoked in blunts and/or use in pipe or a bong (DEA, 2011). Some people are also mixing marijuana with food or brewed as a tea. Most of the marijuana users are experiencing pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance which has therefore the highest potential for abuse with no medical use (CDC, 2015). Senate bill 420 has strict guidelines with prescribing and recommending medical marijuana. It clearly stated in the bill that only physicians with a good standing are allowed to prescribe and recommend medical marijuana (Brown, 2008). Controlled Substance Act defined marijuana as Schedule I drug with no medical use, however, Physicians are may lawfully issue a verbal or written recommendation indicating that marijuana can be beneficial for treatment for a serious medical condition such as cancer treatment (Brown, 2008). Therefore, State of California Law does not cover and allow APRNs to prescribe and recommend medical marijuana to their patients (CANP, 2012). A Marinol, which is a synthetic version of THC, can be prescribed for nausea and vomiting, which primarily caused by chemotherapeutic agents. It helps to stimulate appetite
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America, after alcohol and nicotine products. It is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of cannabis sativa, the hemp plant. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol or also known as THC. It contains THC as well as over a hundred other cannabinoids. THC is a psychoactive chemical. Marijuana is often used for its mental and physical effects such as a “high” or a “stoned” feeling. It has been know that there are benefits to using marijuana such as euphoria or heightened mood, increased appetite and many others. However there are short term side effects which may include dry mouth, decrease in short term memory, red eyes and often
Post World War II New York City was faced with a major heroin epidemic with over 151,000 names listed in the Narcotics Register (Herman). As a medical response, methadone was developed to treat heroin addiction (Herman). Today methadone maintenance treatment has grown to become a popular therapy for drug addiction as well as pain management. Methadone has helped many people to create new lives for themselves, yet there is still debate over the success of this program. Methadone assisted treatment should be seen as an effective program in combating opioid addiction due to its health and social benefits for both users and the community.
Marijuana’s active ingredient is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) it contains a chemical compound called cannabinoids which are naturally found in the human anatomy. THC affects the central nervous system by binding to cannabinoid receptors that are present in the brain which triggers a euphoric response. The active ingredient in marijuana is quickly absorbed by the blood and has an immediate effect on the brain and other drugs. The drug comes from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa and it’s the seeds and leaves that are used and also the flowers are usually dried. (Above the Influence, 2015)
In a later placebo-controlled study of 254 outpatient clients with diverse psychiatric disorders and co-occurring alcohol dependence, Petrakis and colleagues (2005) found that use of disulfiram or naltrexone was associated with a significant reduction in drinking days per week, and an increase in consecutive days of abstinence, compared to placebo. Clients were randomly assigned to receive (open-label) disulfiram and (blinded) naltrexone, naltrexone only, disulfiram only, or placebo only. In this multisite, placebo-controlled study of VA clients, there
Marijuana is the most used illegal drug out there, with about three hundred million users nationwide. The psychoactive chemical in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. It is used to get users the metaphoric “high” they experience. The effects it has on the brain, early use is started by younger kids. The use by earlier generations can lead to loss of iq, stunted growth of the lungs, possible chance of lung cancer, tar buildup in the lungs, mellow and either hunger or sleep. Along with those the common use of marijuana can cause a lowered immune system making you more vulnerable to an illness. The thc and cbd are the main chemicals that contribute to the “high” you get.When you come down from the high, you may feel tired or a bit depressed.
Marijuana is the dried parts of the hemp plant called Cannabis Sativa. Like many other drugs in the world today, marijuana can be ingested several different ways. The most common way is to smoke the drug, either in joints (hand rolled cigarettes) or through various forms of pipes and water pipes. It can also be baked into various food types or created into liquid called hemp oil. (Drug Facts: Marijuana, 2014). The average amount of potency of THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the main psychoactive chemical in the plant, has been found to be stronger than that of the marijuana strain consumed in the past, and is still increasing at an alarming rate. There are also hundreds of various other chemicals that can be found in the plant. (Cesar) Marijuana can also be laced with other dangerous substances which could include anything from other drugs such as cocaine or even PCP to the soaking of joints in a liquid codeine or embalming fluid. With marijuana being laced with other lethal drugs, the consumer of marijuana usually is unaware of the fact that he/she is ingesting more than just cannabis, thus making marijuana even more dangerous for the youth
Cannabis is the most prevalent illicit drug worldwide that was classified by the DEA as a schedule I drug. Cannabis exhibits a combination of stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogenic properties. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is considered the primary active component of the cannabis plant which contribute to cannabis psychosis properties, another active component of cannabis is cannabidiol (CBD) which has anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic properties. Cannabis is consumed in various way, for example cannabis can be inhaled from small pipes or smoked as bongs, joint, or tobacco-leaf-wrapped blunt. Cannabis can be also consumed as a tea or as an ingredient baked or cooked in food like cookies and brownies. Cannabis is involved in approximately 50% of psychosis, schizophrenia, and
Marijuana is one of the most common illegal drug in the United States. Marijuana also has many different street names such as Mary Jane, weed, Boom, Pot, or Broccoli. It is dried leaves of a hemp plant called Cannabis sativa. Marijuana contains a mind-altering chemical named Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This type of drug is used mostly by young adult ages from eighteen to twenty-five. They use marijuana by smoking it in the form of cigarettes, otherwise they can vaporizing, mixing it into food to eat, or take it as a liquid extract. Recreational marijuana affects harmful to the brain of the person using it. When a person using marijuana, the THC in it moves from the
Drug and alcohol addiction is a very serious and widespread problem in America, and across the globe. Drug addiction is a constant craving, seeking, and using of a substance, despite the negative consequences it may have on the addict or those around them. When drug use becomes more frequent, it is considered drug abuse. Once an individual’s drug abuse is can no longer be controlled, and they are using the drug to get through everyday life, it beomes an addiction. A person on drugs has an altered way of thinking, behaving, and perceiving. There are treatment facilities all over the world dedicated to help those suffering with drug addictions. All
Weed, bud, ganja, chronic, herbs, grass, trees, pot, reefer; these are all names of one of the most widely used illicit drug in America, Cannabis. Cannabis’ history is dated back over 10,000 years ago in Central and South Eastern Asian countries. There are several ways a person can consume marijuana. The first and most popular way is by smoking it. Cannabis can be rolled into a joint, or smoked through a pipe. The next is by vaporizing. Vaporizing the marijuana heats it up to the point it becomes a vapor. Vaporizing is a safer alternative to smoking marijuana. Vaporizing the marijuana reduces the amount of harmful smoke that will affect the throat and lungs. Another way is by using topical agents. This means the marijuana is applied directly to the skin or muscle. This includes lotions, balms, sprays, and creams. The final way to consume marijuana is through edibles. The marijuana is infused into butter or oil and then cooked. The effects of edibles take about twenty minutes to an hour to take effect. Cannabis is classified as a schedule I substance because of its dangerous effects and high potential for abuse. Cannabis is a psychoactive and physiological substance used for both medicinal and recreational purposes. A psychoactive substance is a substance that changes the brain’s function and alters perception, mood, or consciousness. Although, many people are aware of the negative side effects of marijuana nearly half of all Americans say they have tried marijuana. Due to
However there has been research that has proven that medicinal marijuana could aid many people for the various different problems they suffer from. There are over 400 chemicals in marijuana, but the main active ingredient is tetrahydrocannabinol, or also known as THC which is primarily responsible for the therapeutic and psychoactive effects. The quantity of THC determines the potency of the product (Gerber 2). Users can roll up joints and smoke it like a cigarette or you can smoke it out of a pipe or bong. Some users use a vaporizer which is highly recommended. The therapeutic uses for marijuana are too long to list but
Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by frequent drug abuse can impair a person's self-discipline and ability to make sound judgements, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. It is because of these alterations in the brain that it is so puzzling for a person to stop abusing drugs. Luckily, there are treatments that help people to neutralize addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control of their lives. Study shows that combining addiction treatment medications, when suitable, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are custom-made to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any concurrent medical, psychiatric, and social problems can help achieve sustained recovery and a life without drugs.
Marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa (National Institute on Drug Abuse), is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (Torrey). One in three Americans have used Marijuana at least once (“Negative Side Effects of Smoking Marijuana”). The two medical active ingredients are cannabidiol also known as CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol also known as THC. CBD has an impact on the brain without the high. THC has pain relieving properties and gives a person that high feeling (Loria). Marijuana affects everyone differently, but there are some pros and cons that have an effect on everyone.
What is marijuana? Marijuana is a mixture of the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa plant. Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. The plant contains hundreds of compounds, but the one that has the foremost intoxicating effects is called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana is consumed from users for the purpose of feeling intoxicated (high). The use, sale, cultivation, and transportation of cannabis is illegal under federal law in the United States. Marijuana is also consumed for medical purposes. Medical marijuana, is a synthetic form of marijuana. Despite the many medical connections within marijuana, it also provokes health issues, more likely affects the brain, and can become addictive.
Marijuana contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active compound in the plant responsible for creating “mind-altering effects”, but it depends on the user’s reaction to the plant. Among common effects of marijuana usage may include euphoria, relaxation, an altered perception of time, increase in appetite, and increase in sensitivity level.