The Legalization Of Medical Marijuana And Cbd Oil Blurring Employers ' Drug Policies

First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very “loose” with the use of marijuana. Hoxter a weed smuggler explains how he began in the 1960’s trying weed and years later saw himself unloading four hundred pounds of pot in Vancouver. The story of this man ends in his isolation and argument of why he couldn’t smoke weed even if he stopped selling? He asked a parole officer and she didn’t know what to respond. It is true what Hoxter states, fifty years ago alcohol was illegal and now it’s not, was it bad then? Will weed be legalized? And will the conflicts have been in vain? (Schou 8). Around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression (Zeese 1999). With this new worldwide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country want the

CBD is a non-psychotropic part that does not have the high. THC is a psychoactive part that gives one the ‘high’ (Greenwell, 2012). In 2012, there was a successful story of a little girl named Charlotte Figi who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome had frequent seizures. Her first seizure was at three years old and by the time she was five years old she was having “up to 50 generalized tonic-clonic seizures per day” (Maa and Figi, 2014). By 5 years old, Charlotte was out of options. Her parents did a lot of research and found the Stanley brothers. They made a “rare, high CBD strain of cannabis” (Maa and Figi, 2014). Charlie started out on a low dose and increased the dosage. She “experienced seven consecutive days without a single seizure” (Maa and Figi, 2014). By the three months, Charlie had been weaned off her other antiepileptic drugs when she had more than a ninety percent “reduction in GTC seizures and had been weaned off her other antiepileptic drugs…and she has only 2-3 nocturnal GTC seizures” a month (Maa and Figi, 2014). The Figi family tried three times to wean her off of medical marijuana however the seizures returned more severe each time. The nonprofit organization the Stanley Brothers created addresses “the needs of other patients with catastrophic epilepsy syndromes by helping them gain access to consistent, high quality, lab-tested, high-CBD-content cannabis” (Maa and Figi,

The Bipartisan Bill TX SB339 also known as “Texas Compassionate Use Act” is an Amendment proposed to the Texas Legislature on January 23, 2015. It relates to the medical use of low THC cannabis for patients who have tried every other form of treatment. The Bill amends Texas constitution SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 6, of the Health and Safety Code, by adding Chapter 487. This amendment allows “Dispensing Organizations” cultivate, process, and dispense low THC cannabis to patients who low-THC cannabis is prescribed under Chapter 169 of the Occupations Code. The bill focuses on helping individuals, especially those who are children, with chronic medical issues and constant seizures caused by epilepsy by using cannabis oil. Cannabis oils do not

No matter what it’s called: reefer, hemp, cannabis, or weed, the medicinal properties of the leafy green herb have been recognized for centuries and the medicament was readily available in pharmacies as early as 1840 and continued to be for nearly another one hundred more. Then came “Reefer Madness”, a propaganda movie critical of the effects of marijuana and the plant, despite its known benefits, became prohibited. Fast forward to 1996 and the Compassionate Care Act of California gave the first hope to patients in need of new treatment alternatives. Though some states have legalized the use of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use, it remains illegal federally. Legalization of medical marijuana will offer a safer, more cost-effective approach to disease management for people suffering from debilitating conditions, as well as generate state and federal

Increasingly, more and more evidence shows how cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis is making a positive impact in treating children with rare diseases, particularly seizure conditions. The story of Jayden David, first shown on the Sanjay Gupta’s documentary Weed Wars, is only one of many that deserves to be told, as it highlights just how CBD oil is making a difference in the lives of families that dared to try their luck with an alternative form of treatment. CBD hemp oil, derived from the cannabis plant industrial hemp has been shown to alleviate a myriad of health conditions. Research and personal stories are expanding the dialogue on just how medical cannabis could be beneficial in treating conditions such as Dravet syndrome that plagues Jayden. CBD oil had made an incredible impact in Jayden’s life by reducing the frequency of his seizures and improving his quality of life.

Jacqueline Patterson was born with cerebral palsy. This condition makes her experience stuttering, crippling pain, and muscle imbalance. She has four children and was living in Kansas City, Missouri. Now she lives in California, where a judge determined that her cannabis use is medically necessary to ease her symptoms (Price, In Pot We Trust). Cannabis use for medical purposes and the relief of various symptoms has been around since before recorded history as the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that, “The earliest written reference is found in the 15th century BC Chinese Pharmacopeia, the Rh-Ya.” While cannabis can be used for recreational purposes, recent research and history provide evidence to its medical benefits (Procon.org, 2017). While the Chinese Pharmacopeia may not have understood the science behind medical benefits of cannabis on certain ailments, it provides a historical background into the use of medicinal cannabis. WebMD defines medical cannabis (or medical marijuana) as, “A drug that is made up of the leaves, flowers, and buds of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Medical marijuana is the use of this drug to help treat symptoms like pain, muscle stiffness (spasticity), nausea, and lack of appetite.” (WebMD, 2017) This definition provides us with a basis for what can be considered medical cannabis and what a doctor can prescribe legally. As with any other drugs like opioids, cannabis can be abused and it is important that we distinguish what can be used

The legalization of marijuana in other states has increased access to and acceptability of this drug for both medicinal and recreational purposes. In the absence of well-designed research and FDA approval, this creates unique challenges for both practitioners and regulators alike. Doctors are being pressured to recommend medical marijuana based off of the requests of the users. The regulations that have been put on marijuana are extremely loose fitting and hard to control

Christopher Ingraham looks into marijuana’s first year as a business industry in “Colorado’s Legal Weed Market”. In Colorado’s first year of legalization, their recreational dispensaries brought in an estimated $700 million in sales and $63 million in tax revenue (Ingraham). Katie Rucke reports that nearly 10,000 new job opportunities have arisen in “Six Months In, How Has Marijuana Legalization Treated Colorado?” The state’s unemployment rate has dropped down to 6%, one of the lowest rates in the nation, and the lowest it has been in the state since the recession (Rucke). Many jobs created by the

The cannabis plant contains over 85 cannabinoids, with tertahydro-cannibinol (THC), the principal psychoactive compound and Cannabidiol (CBD) forming the largest constituent. According to the website Medical Marijuana Inc, CBD or Cannabidiol Hemp Oil is derived from high CBD, low THC hemp plant. Since hemp oil only contains only a small trace of THC, it is considered a non-psychotic product. Hemp oil works by interacting with the body through the endocannabinoid system or the endogenous cannabinoid system. The system contains millions of cannabinoid receptor sites located around the Central Nervous System (CNS), immune system and the brain. The systems plays an important role of regulating the body’s homeostasis or state of balance by impacting functionalities such as hormone balance, sleep, mood, immune response, appetite and pain.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under the US federal Drug Scheduling system created by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA), which indicates that the substance has a high potential for abuse and no approved medicinal use. This policy has the support of several propionate organizations such as the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) (Office of National Drug Control Policy 2014). Despite these facts, Medical Marijuana is currently legal in 23 States and the District of Columbia (23 Legal Medial Marijuana States and DC 2014). The use of medical marijuana in these states is supported by several national organizations such as the American Nurses Association, the

Not one state’s medical cannabis law is perfect, they are working pieces of democracy and this is where WE can establish patient lead policy in New Mexico and other states. We have the science, the research, the knowledge - the information the policy makers need to have and we need to get it in front of

Legalization of Marijuana has become a controversy in the United States. Medical marijuana has many benefits although recreational marijuana cannot yet be controlled. Many important medical improvements will be gained when marijuana is legal. There will be a time, within the near future, when it is legal federally. Today there are many states in the United States that have legalized marijuana for medical use. There are two states, as of November 2012, which legalized marijuana for recreational use. The federal government still states that marijuana, to be

Many of these states have a very narrow list of approved illnesses. Many of these state changes have been in large part due to mothers of children with severe epilepsy, whose children have failed countless medications. These mothers advocate tirelessly to their state legislators for change in their state laws, to allow them to administer cannabis oil to their suffering child, sometimes as a desperate last resort. According to ProCon.org, currently, 28 states and Washington D.C. have approved cannabis for medical use (Medical Marijuana: Should Marijuana be a Medical Option?). To qualify as a legal medical marijuana state, the state must pass a law that legalizes the marijuana plant for medical use. Some states, like Iowa, have passed a law allowing the use of CBD only, which is another component of the cannabis plant. Those states do not qualify them as a medical marijuana state. In states that have legalized medical cannabis, a cannabis card must be obtained and shown to the dispensary, before purchasing your medicine. To obtain a medical card, one must make appointments to see a physician who is qualified by the state, to confirm the ailment, and approve the cannabis card.

The issue of medical marijuana has become very controversial at work places. This follows the move by several states to legalize marijuana for medical reasons. As a result, many employers are caught in the quagmire of what they need to do with employees who use drugs such as medical marijuana while at work. A study conducted in 2007 by the Americans for Safe Access revealed that there were about three hundred thousand Americans using marijuana for medical purposes (Schubert 218).

Despite the current marijuana laws, medical research has shown a variety of therapeutic benefits that arise from the use of cannabis. (Gowling et al. 1998, p. 446)) Revealed that ‘Over the years, cannabis has been claimed to increase appetite, relax the muscle, improve mood, relieve anxiety and combat pain and nausea’. As a result of these advantages, medical marijuana advocates support and has pushed for the legalisation of cannabis. However, it is argued that harmful effects can arise, demonstrating an association between cannabis with psychosis. Psychosis is a condition of the mind, involving a “loss of contact with reality”. Hall (1998) stipulated that ‘A high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the