Annotated Bibliography

Alexis, I. (29 January 2019). Can medical marijuana treat opioid addiction. Rehab Center.

Retrieved from https://www.rehabcenter.net/medical-marijuana-treating-opioid-

addiction/

This source focuses on the viability of marijuana as an option to treating pre-existing

opiate addiction. Although marijuana will not eradicate the addiction, it has effects that

help reduce craving and harm caused by the withdrawls, and helps safely “wean off

opioids”. The article will be used this source to explain the side of cannabis as a

treatment to already addicted individuals. As many people are already addicted to the

medication, the article will serve to acknowledge that fact and provide this as information

as yet another use for legalized medical marijuana. It will also include the information

stated that focuses on the differences between CBD and THC. CBD is found to decrease

pain and exclude the high that is provided with THC. THC is said to reduce nausea and

inflammatory pain associated with addiction and withdrawal symptoms. In addition, the

paper will include the cons of medical marijuana that are outlined in this article. The

main criticism is that there is not enough testing and research done on the effects of

marijuana being used as a treatment. Finally, the article will help to include the fact that

drug treatment with addiction does not get the patient high, but rather restores balance to

the brain while working towards recovery. Marijuana alone will not cure addiction, but

can be used as a first step towards recovery.

Chapkis, W. (2007). Cannabis, conciousness, and healing. Contemporary Justice Review, volume

10(4), 443-460. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

vid=3&sid=f9073440-fc8d-4fba-9918-30ef7e7651c7%40sessionmgr120
 The article outlines the misconception of THC as dangerously addictive with no medical

use. The author explains that the government has invested millions in proving that

marijuana is dangerous and that it produces harmful side effects, but to no avail. In fact,

the World Health Organization has deemed marijuana to have benign side effects, and

have found no evidence of harm biologically or psychological. A short line is also

included that says that it is virtually impossible to “ingest a fatal dose of marijuana”. The

article serves to highlight this information to prove pro-legalization, in that most research

conducted has come up inconclusive. In addition, the author includes marijuana’s various

medical benefits, which contradict the schedule 1 definition. It is also included that a

synthetic form of marijuana, more specifically THC which is the psychoactive

component that causes the high, has been legal for prescription for many years.

Dronabinol, the synthetic THC medication, has been deemed so safe that it was moved

from schedule 2 to schedule 3. The article gives this information to support pro-

legalization as well, in that many preconceived notions concerning marijuana are not as

true as many would like to believe.

Chapkis, W. (2007). Cannabis, consciousness, and healing. EBSCOhost. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=c07b1c34-471f-4059-9667-

b4a86751e74d%40sessionmgr120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=

27754101&db=aqh

This article aims heavily to debunk the argument against the psychoactive qualities of

marijuana. It says that this is viewed as a bad thing, but people using the drug for medical

purposes explain the “high” as important to the therapeutic properties of marijuana. The
 writer also says that the National Institute of Medicine and the World Health organization

have both concluded marijuana to be safe, and that the effects of it are benign and show

no dangerous biological effects or psychological impairment on the user. In addition, he

brings up Dronabinol, an already legal synthetic form of THC used in medicine, and that

the drug is viewed by medical professionals as extremely safe. According to the article,

the World Health Organization has also said that the psychoactive effects of marijuana do

not share a relationship with abuse. The article serves as a stepping stone towards

debunking FDA-created myths about the drug, and why the drug should be more heavily

looked at as opposed to letting it sit un-researched.

Church, S. H., et. al. Concurrent substance use and outcome in combined behavioral and

naltrexone therapy for opiate dependence. AM. J. Drug Alcohol Abuse, 27(3), 441-452.

Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Church3/publication

/11839332_ Concurrent _substance_use_and_outcome_in_combined_behavioral_and_

naltrexone_therapy_for_opiate_dependence/links/54ad54b10cf24aca1c6f0fe7.pdf

This article provides an experiment in which outpatient opiate addicts are given

medication. Every checkup, the patients provide urine samples to test for opioids and

other drugs in their system. The study found that those who have no other drug in their

system show low compliance with medication, and relapse on opiates. Those with an

over-use of marijuana also show the same results. However, patients who intermittently

use marijuana show higher compliance with medication, and generally no opiates showed

in the urine tests. to show that marijuana can help aid outpatient treatment of opiate

addiction, and ease the transition.

Drug scheduling. United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Retrieved from https://www.
 dea.gov/drug-scheduling

This site provides a definition of what drug scheduling is. There are 5 schedules, all

primarily focused on potential dependency. Schedule 1 contains drugs that have the

potential for the highest dependency and abuse, which include heroin, LSD, and

marijuana. The article then goes on to include all 5 schedules, each accompanied with

examples of the controlled substances under them. This article will be used in an effort to

change the direction of my paper away from how marijuana effects opioid addiction, to

instead highlighting what sets marijuana apart from schedule 1 drugs.

Is marijuana addictive. (2018). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive

This article published by the NIDA, or National Institute on Drug Abuse, outlines the

addictive quality of marijuana. It says that the person does not become physically

addicted to the drug, but may experience dependence on it for things such as sleep,

appetite, and focus. The article also says that this dependency happens when large

amounts of the drug are consumed. The article can, unexpectedly, use this article to try

and debunk the argument that marijuana is addictive. The article says that only in severe

cases of marijuana use disorder will a person become addicted to the drug, and that one

can be dependent without being addicted. The article will be used to say that with

medical use, the distribution of the drug as treatment will not be in large quantities, and

will be regulated, lowering the risk for addiction or dependency.

Is marijuana a gateway drug. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/

research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug
 The article explains marijuana’s stereotype as a “gateway drug”, and why that may be. It

provides a study that seeks to find a link between marijuana use and alcoholism, and

found that within three years, the alcoholism either worsened, or began. This is due to

marijuana’s effect of “priming” the brain for other drugs, called cross-sensitization.

However, cross-sensitization in not unique to marijuana, and can be seen with alcohol

and nicotine as well. The article includes a bit at the end speaking in support of

marijuana, saying that the majority of people who use the drug do not seek out harder

drugs as a result, and that the gateway for many is simply the environment they are

placed in. This source will be used to identify a potential downfall to legalization of

marijuana, while also refuting the notion that marijuana is a prominent gateway drug.

Marijuana and Cannabinoids. (25 October 2018). National center for complementary and

integrative health. Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/marijuana

This source contains basic information on CBD, Dronabinol, and Nabilone. This site can

be used as an introduction into the idea of multiple types of treatments derived from

cannabis that are not as euphoric. In addition, the article could be used this source to

segway into these three derived treatments and their uses. CBD has been used to treat a

rare form of seizures and epilepsy. Dronabinol and Nabilone have both been used to treat

nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy, as well as loss of appetite associated with

AIDS. This information can lead to more research for a treatment for

nausea/vomiting/pain associated with drug addiction. Dronabinol contains delta-9-

tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the THC component in marijuana, while Nabilone

contains a synthetic form of the same substance.

War on drugs. (2017, May 31). History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com

 /topics/crime/the-war-on-drugs

This article provides information on the beginnings of the war on drugs initiative, as well

as the early beginnings of the movement. In one particular part of the article, history.com

talks about the Marijuana Tax Act of 1973, which fined the possession of marijuana and

mandated 5 years of prison, but did not criminalize possession. The article provides

potential to use this information in support of pro-legalization in the fact that a reason for

holding marijuana so tightly is that an intimidating stigma created in the 70’s remains

today. The article goes on to provide information about the Controlled Substances Act of

1970, which created the scheduling system, as well as the creation and evolution of the

DEA, or Drug Enforcement Administration. These governmental systems have

contributed to the bad stigma around marijuana, leading to reluctance by the FDA to

research it’s effects and potentially contradict earlier sentiment.

What are marijuana’s long term effects on the brain. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas

-long-term-effects-brain

The NIDA (National Institute for Drug Addiction) provides information on the negative

effects of marijuana on the brain. The article says that the rats tested in adolescence grow

up to have memory and learning impairments with specific tasks. It also suggests that the

impairments are dependent on the age used, and duration of use by the individual. A

“large longitudinal study” is provided that was conducted in New Zealand that found a

decrease of 4-8 IQ points in users who began ingesting marijuana at a young age. In

adolescence, synapses in the brain are still being heavily formed (endocannabinoid

system), and cannabinoid substances inhibit the production of synapses, producing long
term effects. However, the article found no effect on the brain in adults who heavily used

the drug. This article will contribute to the cons of marijuana use and legalization, while

potentially leading research in a direction that seeks to find the safety of restricting

marijuana use to an age requirement that accommodates for inhibited development in

adolescents.