Medical Marijuana Essay

The majority of the marijuana advocates' evidence comes from unscientific, non-scrutinized or analysed anecdotal statements from people with a variety of illnesses. It is unknown whether these individuals used marijuana prior to their illness or are using marijuana in combination with other medicines. It is also unknown whether they have had recent medical examinations, are justifying their use of marijuana, experiencing a placebo effect, or experiencing the intoxicating effect of smoking marijuana. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana (THC) is already legally available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription from medical doctors. This drug, Marinol, is less often prescribed because of the potential adverse effects, and there are more effective new medicines currently available. Marinol differs from the crude plant marijuana because it consists of one pure, well-studied, FDA-approved pharmaceutical in stable known dosages. Marijuana is an unstable mixture of over 400 chemicals including many toxic psychoactive chemicals, which are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths.

Medical Marijuana Marijuana is medicine. It has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of ailments. Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) was legal in the United States for all purposes - industrial and recreational, as well as medicinal until 1937. Today, only eight Americans are legally allowed to use marijuana as medicine. NORML is working to restore marijuana's availability as medicine.

Marijuana is a mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems and flowers from a hemp plant better know as Cannabis sativa. Uses of marijuana can be recreational or medical and the earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC. (Rudgley, “The

Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time now, its origins date back 5,000 years. Medical marijuana refers to the use of marijuana to treat a variety of health conditions. Marijuana, for medical purposes is seeing increasing coverage in the media. Chief Research Officer, Kymron DeCesare from Steep Hill Labs

Many opponents of medical marijuana claim that synthetic substances, such as Marinol (a synthetic THC derivative) are safer and more effective than marijuana. Current trends set by the National Institutes of Health claim that there is "no scientific justification that smoked marijuana is effective in treating glaucoma or multiple sclerosis and new drugs, such as Zofran, surpass THC's (the main active ingredient in marijuana) therapeutic value in calming cancer patient's chemotherapy-induced nausea" (Rebecca, 1645). However, these drugs may not always work for those who are suffering. For many patients, the drugs are hard to swallow, slow working, and difficult to dose.

The topic of medical Marijuana brings much controversy when discussing amongst people that are for it or against it. Medical Marijuana has been the heated topic of discussion for the past few years now mainly for it’s medical benefits and the fight to decriminalize the herb.

Medical marijuana has been proven to an effective drug in the treatment of a number of encumbering medical conditions. A large number of legitimate medical organizations recognize the benefits of marijuana. It is far less harmful and poses fewer negative side effects than many prescription drugs, including painkillers - and patients often find it to be a more effective treatment for a variety of illnesses. However, it is perhaps the most commonly misunderstood substance in America. The usage of the drug has been widely researched and proven to be a “most viable and safe source of medicine to many Americans suffering from Aids, Glaucoma, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, and Chronic Pains” (Medical Marijuana). According to the Institute of Medicines, (1999) “marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known” (Legalization of Marijuana). More and more resources and case studies will be further discussed and practices to back up the claim, and determine marijuana’s medical value.

Medical marijuana has been known for its instrumental role in the treatment of several ailments both physical and psychological. It has been found to play a role in the treatment of chronic pain, muscle spasm, multiple sclerosis, nausea, vomiting, appetite stimulation, stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia. The effects of marijuana are produced by the active ingredient found in it - delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because of these findings according to Hoffmann & Weber (2010) experts in the medical field have had to be revisiting the evidence as it relates to the medicinal benefits of marijuana and the American Medical Association (AMA) has been the driving force behind the petition for marijuana as a ‘Scheduled I controlled substance’ so that further research and development can be done on the plant. Further value is added to the advantages of medical marijuana when regardless of its criminalization, the FDA and American Cancer Society agree that the active ingredients in marijuana, orcannabinoids, have been approved by officials to “highlight increased nausea and vomiting and appetite in people with cancer and AIDS”. The American Cancer Society says that "marijuana has anti-bacterial properties, inhibits tumour growth, and enlarges the airways, which they believe can ease the severity of asthma attacks"

Although the truth can only remain as the truth, the opponent’s views are antithetical to mine. According to Bill Frist, a former US Senator, “Marijuana is a highly dangerous drug and the truth is that there are less dangerous medicines that offer the same relief.” However, this is just a hypothetical statement that is unsubstantiated. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health on November 4, 2013, “Natural, herbal cannibis(marijuana) is far more effective than pharmecuetical medicines.”

The debate for years \that has divided the question is weather not any good. Many states have legalized medicinal marijuana. The states that have legalized has it helped or has come from its use. What is the purpose? What should the guidelines be? The Medical board and the Government have hopes that in legalizing it, medical marijuana will help those with diseases to be able to cope much easier. However, the determination of which ones that should be allowed to have the okay to be able to use it. Even though some people may argue against medicinal marijuana use and legalization, there are too many reasons why it should be.

(Cannabis and HIV). The main factor in HIV victims has to do with the fact that

Medical marijuana helps people in many ways. For example,marijuana has been shown to alleviate symptoms of a huge variety of serious medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, and AIDS, and is often an effective alternative to synthetic painkillers.

When their child is in pain, parents/guardians want to do everything they can to make their child feel less pain and especially loved. Some children are not very good at describing where or what the pain feels like, so many parents/ guardians turn to pain-killer medications, but those do not always work. An alternative is to use medical marijuana. “Several types of research reveal that cannabinoids in medical cannabis possess a powerful analgesic effect. Cannabinoids in the herb bind to endocannabinoid receptors present in the central nervous system and peripheral muscles of children and minimize muscle spasms and pain in kids. Extracts of the herb provide kids a great relief from continuous, acute pain.” (Cite 4). The compound in the cannabis

Tijuana is a famous city in the Baja California region and a popular tourist destination in Mexico. People visit the city for a variety of reasons. One of the best advantages of visiting Tijuana is to gain benefit from its excellent medical facilities. It houses some of the top medical institutes of the country and encourages many people from other countries to visit the place for their medical needs.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).