Running head: MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Medical Marijuana
Name
Institution

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

2
Abstract

Public opinion is sharply divided on the subject of medical marijuana. Proponents assert that
marijuana has some therapeutic benefits and that legislations should indeed allow for its
legalization. On the other hand, opponents dismiss medical marijuana as a fabrication founded
on falsehood. Scientific research conducted on the medical benefit of marijuana have provided a
considerable amount of proof that it could be used to alleviate pain in patients with chronic
illnesses. The problem, however, is that the body of knowledge concerning medical marijuana is
still inadequate to reach significant conclusions. Nonetheless, some countries and American
states have legalized marijuana. The issue of medical marijuana is crucial to nursing because all
healthcare professionals and stakeholders need to have the correct information so as to make
informed choices. Until now, legalization of marijuana and its use medically remains an issue to
be resolved.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

3
Medical Marijuana

On the matter concerning the medical value of marijuana, public opinion is sharply
divided. Some individuals have already dismissed medical marijuana as a fabrication intended to
exploit humans natural empathy for the ill. Contrary, some people assert that it is a medicine that
soothes in a unique manner and has been hidden away from patients through regulations founded
on mere lies (Strouse, 2016). In the recent years, proponents of the issue have been growingly
championing for the legalization of the use of marijuana for medical purposes supporting their
claim through a myriad of scientific evidence. Controversies regarding the nonmedical use of
marijuana have already spilled over into the medical marijuana debate (McCall, 2015). The issue
of whether marijuana should be put to medicinal use is important to nursing since it is critical for
those caring for patients to be informed of the potential health benefits and risks of any substance
to improve patient care and safety. As researchers carry out further scientific studies on
marijuana, I am warming up to the idea that indeed it could be used medically to alleviate pain in
patients. This paper seeks to clear the smoke on the hot debate on the therapeutic role of
marijuana and prove that despite the negative impacts on several aspects of peoples lives,
marijuana can be used medicinally.
The analysis of the evidence and arguments concerning the medical use of marijuana in
this paper concentrates on the strength of the supporting evidence. Proponents have argued that
current drug laws on marijuana are inconsistent with scientific data. However, we ought to
comprehend that the choices about medication control depend on an assortment of moral and
social contemplations, and also on medicinal and scientific ones. Even if a drug is utilized just
for medicinal purposes, value judgments do influence policy choices concerning its therapeutic
use (McCall, 2015). For example, the magnitude of a medication's anticipated health advantages

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

affects legislative decisions about the agreeableness of the dangers attached to its utilization.
Likewise, in spite of the fact that some drug is allowed for therapeutic purposes solely on
evidence of its security and effectiveness, patients with life-debilitating conditions are seldom
allowed access to unapproved drugs whose advantages and dangers are unclear.
Value judgments play a considerably more significant part in regulatory choices
concerning medications, like, cannabis, that are looked for and utilized for nonmedical purposes.
Policymakers must, consequently, consider the dangers and advantages connected with the
therapeutic use and the conceivable associations between the regulatory courses of action
governing the medicinal use and the trustworthiness of the legitimate controls set up to limit
nonmedical use (McCall, 2015).
The use of cannabis for medicinal value has a long history in both traditional and
professional medicine. In the mid-nineteenth century, raw cannabis preparations were used in
India for the treatment of muscle spasms and convulsions. Later, samples were sent to London,
analyzed, and used to prepare standardized extracts that were incorporated into the British and
American pharmacopeias of recognized drugs and medicinal preparations (Strouse, 2016). This
act resulted in the widespread use of cannabis in medical practice in many parts of the globe. In
the 20th century, the medicinal use of marijuana gradually decreased because of the composition
of the extracts varied a lot leading to unreliability. Also, these ingredients had a short shelf life.
Marijuana or cannabis is the flowering or fruiting tops of the Cannabis sativa plant from
which the resin has not been extracted. It is popularly known as weed, herb, pot, grass, bud,
ganja, Mary Jane, and a vast number of other slang terms. The term medical marijuana refers to
making use of the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its primary extracts to treat a disease.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

In America, the Food and Drug Administration has not yet acknowledged or endorsed marijuana
plant as medicine. However, scientific study on medical marijuana has made it possible for the
FDA to approve two drugs that contain cannabinoids for use as pills. Cannabinoids are
chemicals related to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is the primary main mindaltering ingredient in marijuana. A lot of scientific research could probably lead to more
medications.
Since Cannabis sativa contains compounds that could help cure a range of sicknesses or
symptoms, many individuals argue that it should be legal for medical purposes. A growing
number of states have already legalized marijuana for medical use. Until 2016, twenty-three
states and Washington, DC have passed laws permitting smoked marijuana to be used for a
variety of medical conditions (Marijuana Resource Center: State Laws Related to Marijuana,
2016). Nevertheless, these state marijuana laws hardly change the fact that using marijuana
continues to be an offense under the federal legislation. One would probably wonder why the
marijuana plant is not an FDA-approved medicine. The answer is that this regulatory body
requires carefully conducted studies in several human subjects to determine the health benefits
and risks of a possible medication.
At the moment, the two primary cannabinoids from the marijuana plant that are of
medical interest are THC and CBD (Scott, Dalgleish, & Liu, 2014). The former increases
appetite and reduces nausea. The THC-based medications that have been approved by FDA are
used for the purposes aforementioned. THC has additional benefits that include pain and
inflammation reduction and alleviating muscle control problems. Apart from reducing pain and
inflammation, CBD controls epileptic seizures, and could be employed in treating mental illness
and addictions. Some government institutions have funded researchers to explore the possible

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

uses of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids for medical treatment. Recent studies on animals
have proven that marijuana kills certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. These studies
provide evidence that extracts from whole-plant marijuana are capable of shrinking a type of
brain tumor. Research conducted on mice revealed that these extracts, in combination with
radiation, increases the cancer-killing effects of the radiation (Scott, Dalgleish, & Liu, 2014).
There are several conditions that marijuana can cure and manage. One such condition is
the Alzheimer's disease. In 2006, the Scripps Research Institute discovered that THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, could prevent acetylcholinesterase enzyme from accelerating the
formation of "Alzheimer's plaques" in the brain. The enzyme could serve to repress the formation
of protein clumps that could inhibit cognition and memory (Smith, 2012). Epilepsy is yet another
condition that cannabis can treat. A study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth
University found out that the ingredients in natural marijuana played a critical role in controlling
spontaneous seizures in epilepsy (Longo, Friedman, & Devinsky, 2015). Dr. Robert J.
DeLorenzo, professor of neurology at the VCU School of Medicine, added that although
marijuana was illegal in the United States, individuals there and in other parts of the world had
reported that marijuana was therapeutic for them in the treatment of a variety of ailments,
including epilepsy (Smith, 2012).
Clinical trials provide evidence of marijuana's impact on multiple sclerosis patients with
muscle spasticity. Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and use marijuana medication
reported that marijuana helped them ease the pain in their arms and legs during contraction.
According to Adler and Colbert (2013), since the twentieth century, medical marijuana has been
an effective treatment for glaucoma that is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Further, marijuana helps reduce and relieve the intraocular pressure that causes optic nerve
damage.
Marijuana proves beneficial for various types of chronic pain conditions, but patients
with rheumatoid arthritis have reported less pain, reduced inflammation, and more sleep.
However, it does nothing to improve or curb the disease. A study carried out on addictive
behaviors revealed that those who occasionally consumed marijuana had lower levels of
depressive symptoms than those who had never tried marijuana (Adler & Colbert, 2013).
Medical marijuana, therefore, had an impact on depression. The patients stated that marijuana
was more effective than conventional drugs and helped relieve the side effects of those drugs.
Chemotherapy over the span of cancer treatment creates a great and incapacitating
nausea, absence of appetite, and loss of body weight. These symptoms are unmistakably
counterproductive in helping an individual fight with from related symptoms, as do those found
to have the gastrointestinal affliction, Crohn's ailment. Under these circumstances, standard antivomiting medications are habitually incapable. The beneficial impact of cannabis, particularly
THC, as an antiemetic medication is an essential use of marijuana as a restorative treatment
(Celio, Niger, Ricchini, & Agustoni, 2015). The other benefits of marijuana for cancer patients
include increasing appetite, relieving pain, and soothing anxiety.
The American Cancer Society supports the requirement for more scientific examination
on cannabinoids for cancer patients and perceives the need for better and more productive
treatments that can defeat the frequently crippling side effects of cancer and its treatment (Celio,
Niger, Ricchini, & Agustoni, 2015). The Society likewise trusts that the designation of marijuana
as a Schedule I controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration inflicts several

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

conditions on researchers and discourages experimental research on cannabinoids. Government

authorities ought to explore alternatives in line with the regulations for granting more scientific
study on medical marijuana.
The essential dangers of cannabis utilization have been found by examining those who
use it for recreational purposes. Few studies have given an account of long-term outcomes of
marijuana if utilized for medicinal applications. Cannabis causes intense pharmacological
impacts, longer-term wellbeing dangers for the mind, body and conduct, and public security
concerns (Adler & Colbert, 2013). Prolonged use of marijuana impairs cognitive functions and
coordination. Its use is also associated with vascular conditions that increase the risks of stroke.
Despite all the perceived effects, several countries and some states in the United States have
permitted the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, with or without undergoing a systematic
medicines approval process.
Indeed, the medicinal use of marijuana has had some implications for nursing. As the
utilization of medicinal marijuana increases, pharmacists are being called upon to counsel
patients. Care must be taken by all doctors to maintain a strategic distance from the supporting
and abetting of medication use especially when a few states have suggested that pharmacists be
in charge of administering medicinal marijuana. Else, they could be captured for the offense of
abusing government laws concerning controlled substances. The use of medical marijuana also
has implications for P&T committees as it could affect their credentials based on how they have
been prescribing its use (Strouse, 2016). Hospitals and pharmacies are mandated to be in charge
of medical marijuana; a role that places them in a potential legal jeopardy. The violation could
result in fines, incarceration for healthcare professionals or closure of the facility (Strouse, 2016).
Most importantly, before offering to help a patient acquire a controlled substance like marijuana

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

for medicinal use practitioners should tread with caution in making their decision, considering
government and professional regulations, besides consulting with legal experts.
In conclusion, adoption of medical marijuana remains an issue to be resolved. More
scientific research that follows controlled clinical trials still need to be conducted so as to
understand clearly and come up with a final stand regarding the use of marijuana in medicine
(McCall, 2015). The proponents have had their reasons, and some states have gone ahead and
legalized it. Proper laws can be enacted to ensure medical marijuana is purely for health reasons.
Universally, the effectiveness, safety, and quality of the therapeutic merchandise available in
nations have profited gigantically from a robust scientific and evidence-based procedure
(Strouse, 2016). This aspect ought to keep on being the focal organizing principle in assessing
and approving substances for use as medication. By taking after a thorough process, the
scientific, medical, and society, in general, can be sure that choices are made on the premise of
scientific information and judgment. This consideration is the sign of a successful framework for
securing the general population. If marijuana is subjected to the same criteria as all
pharmaceuticals, the prescriptions endorsement procedure would require that clinical trials be
composed and directed in a way that furnishes administrative organizations with the requisite
scientific information after which they can settle on approval choices.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

10
References

Adler, J. & Colbert, J. (2013). Medicinal Use of Marijuana Polling Results. New England
Journal of Medicine, 368(22), e30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/nejmclde1305159
Celio, L., Niger, M., Ricchini, F., & Agustoni, F. (2015). Palonosetron in the prevention of
chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: an evidence-based review of safety,
efficacy, and place in therapy. CE, 75. http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/ce.s65555
Longo, D., Friedman, D., & Devinsky, O. (2015). Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Epilepsy.
New England Journal of Medicine, 373(11), 1048-1058.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/nejmra1407304
Marijuana Resource Center: State Laws Related to Marijuana. (2016). The White House.
Retrieved 8 June 2016, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/state-laws-related-tomarijuana
McCall, C. (2015). Momentum grows for medical use of cannabis. The Lancet, 386(10004),
1615-1616. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736 (15)00674-1
Scott, K., Dalgleish, A., & Liu, W. (2014). The Combination of Cannabinoids and 9Tetrahydrocannabinol Enhances the Anticancer Effects of Radiation in an Orthotropic
Murine Glioma Model. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 13(12), 2955-2967.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.mct-14-0402
Smith, D. (2012). Medical Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits That Legitimize Legalization.
Strouse, T. (2016). Cannabinoids in Medical Practice. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research,
1(1), 38-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/can.2015.0010