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Should marijuana be used for medical purposes
Should marijuana be used for medical purposes
Medical marijuana literature review
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Thesis: Despite its legal status cannabis and CBD has been recognized as being beneficial in many ways. After all, cannabis and CBD has been medically beneficial when treating pain, seizures, and cancer.
I. Pain is something that several Americans suffer from on a daily basis for varying reasons.
A. Chronic pain signifies a developing public health issue of huge magnitudes, mainly in view of aging populations in developed countries (Russo).
B. Responses to an ABC News poll in the USA indicated that 19% of adults (38 million) have chronic pain, and 6% (or 12 million) have utilized cannabis in attempts to treat it (Russo).
II. Cannabidiol (CBD) has also been proven to reduce the number of convulsive seizures in children with a severe and
Management of pain is very important when it comes to palliative care patients, considering that 55-95% of this patient population requires analgesia for pain relief (Creedon & O’Regan, 2010, p. [ 257]). But what is considered pain management? And why does pain continue to be inadequately treated? According to the article on chronic non-cancer pain in older people: evidence for prescribing, in the past few decades significant improvements have been made to the management of pain in palliative care. However, it is universally acknowledged that pain on a global scale remains inadequately treated because of cultural, attitudinal, educational, legal, and systemic reasons (Creedon & O’Regan, 2010, p. ...
A long term condition not only brings the physical symptom of pain, but a number of psychological and social effects too. In 2014 the Department of Health recognised that the impact of having a long term condition can contribute to mental health problems like depression and anxiety (Department of Health, 2014). As well as finding ways to manage their physical symptoms, patients are encouraged to adopt acknowledge and address all of their health and wellbeing needs, in particular self-management at home and incorporating and educating the patient’s family and close friends as a support system (Kraaimaat and Evers, 2003). The suffering that a person with chronic pain endures not only impacts on their life, but also affects their family, time lost from employment and uses up precious healthcare resources.
What exactly is pain? According to Webster's dictionary, pain is "physical suffering typically from injury or illness; a distressing sensation in a part of the body; severe mental or emotional distress". Most everyone reading this paper has experienced some form of physical pain at some point during their lives; most everyone has even experienced the common daily pains such as stubbing our toe as we walk through the living room, accidentally biting our tongue as we chew, and having the afternoon headache after a long day of work. No matter the fact that it is unpleasant, pain has a very important role in telling the body that something is not right and leading to behavior that will remove the body from a source of potential injury. Imagine if we could not experience pain. We would not be able to change our behavior in any way when touching the burning hot dish in the oven, resulting in potentially serious burns. We could not recognize that perhaps we twisted an ankle when walking down the stairs, thus continued walking on that foot would exacerbate the injury to the point of not being able to walk at all. Indeed, pain is not pleasant, but in many cases it is an important way for our nervous system to learn from and react to the environment.
With marijuana is becoming legal in some states for medical reasons, other states are still questioning how marijuana can be beneficial and even a problem. In “The Truth about Medical Marijuana” by Carrie Shortsleeve, published in 2013 on the website Men’s Health, Shortsleeve describes how tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, found in marijuana, can be used for medical benefits. In the passage, she explains how the immune system and brain are affected by THC especially if the substance is high in dosage. When Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Ph.D., “the director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project,” injured his back, he begins to research what benefits marijuana has when using the drug as medicine, and Shortsleeve shares this with people who maybe considering medical marijuana. Shortsleeve uses statistics, in depth research, and real- life situations to show how some people trust marijuana as medicine; even though, some of these people were once against medical marijuana.
There is a general consensus of what physical pain is amongst society. Pain is never good. It is something that hurts and no one ever wants to actually be in pain. In infants and toddlers, pain is associated with cries, tears, and the word “ouch!” As they grow into adults, pain and all of its expressions follow and branch out with them. Its dimensions multiply and what used to hurt as toddlers, no longer does. At the same time, they begin to experience new physical pains – pains, which create such an unimaginable physical suffering. Today, pain remains as an unpleasant feeling that causes physical suffering; however, it can be seen and interpreted from many different vantage points. One perspective is the personal standpoint, where many people have trouble describing the feeling of enduring pain or the physicality of it. Another viewpoint is the neurobiological viewpoint, where neurologists have readily created three separate types of pain and explications for each.
In this essay I will explore the positive and negative effects of legalizing Cannabis in California. I support the legalization of Cannabis, these are my reasons why; If California does legalize Cannabis then it would decrease the money spent on drug enforcement and criminal persecution. Legalizing Cannabis would also reduce the value of the black market product. It would also generate revenue for the California economy because it would be a taxable item that is in high demand.
Scientific findings are illuminating novel treatment strategies for many illnesses, and CBD is being increasingly recognized as an effective advancement in healing therapeutics.
Wingerchuk, Dean. "Cannabis for Medical Purposes: Cultivating Science, Weeding Out the Fiction." The Lancet 364.9431 (2004): 315-16. Print.
Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants (Nahas 8). Since it became illegal in 1967, there have been questions of whether or not it is good for purposes, such as medicine, other than being a leisure drug. Debates between pro and con groups for the use of marijuana in the medical profession, have been heated and in recent months, referendums have been pasted in a least three states to make it accessible for medical treatment. Personally, I feel that marijuana has the potential to be a significant help with certain aliments, however, more research needs to be done to maximize its potential.
At 10 months old, Oliver Osborn was suffering from as much as 100 seizures a day as a result of partial migrating epilepsy, a condition which rarely sees children living past their seventh birthday. The remarkable success of Colorado native Charlotte Figi, who developed Dravet Syndrome and suffered up to 300 grand mal seizures a week, and was later treated with a cannabis extract (dubbed Charlotte’s Web) high in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in THC after conventional medicine fail, has given hope to Oliver’s family. The cannabis oil available to Charlotte has helped to control her seizures, but it is not available for use in Peterlee, County Durham in the United Kingdom where Oliver resides with parents Rik Osborn and Danielle Coils.
Borgelt, L. M., Franson, K. L., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2013). The Pharmacologic and Clinical Effects of Medical Cannabis. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 33(2), 195-209. doi:10.1002/phar.1187
Louie, Wason, and Ryan Wippler. "Marijuana: It's Role in the Medical Arena." Alternative Medicine. Creighton University Medical Center, Feb. 2005. Web. 28 Feb. 2012
Thesis Statement: I would like to show you through my research that, Medicinal Marijuana, when used correctly can be beneficial to patients with debilitating diseases that cause them pain and discomfort and should may legal throughout the United States.
There are many other uses for medical cannabis including treating symptoms of IBS, Chron’s disease and other gastrointestinal disorders, pain relief from cancer and multiple sclerosis, the prevention of Alzheimer’s and helping individuals suffering from ADD, seizures or Tourette’s. Unfortunately, the federal government fails to see the many benefits of cannabis and clear proof shown in the countless peer-reviewed studies done through the years and instead maintains its classification as one of the most dangerous drugs with no acceptable medical benefits. More and more states are taking steps to regain their rightful authority from an over-reaching federal government, and taking the necessary steps to offer relief to many patients suffering from a wide array of maladies.
Stanley, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson, and John A. Benson. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy P, 1999.