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For over thirty years, it has been debated whether the use of medical marijuana should be allowed for medical purposes. Marijuana can be used as a treatment for nausea and vomiting, as well as a pain reliever from other medical treatments such as chemotherapy. Others argue that its use can lead to addiction and could lead to health risks such as lung and heart problems over time. Therefore, medical marijuana should be strictly limited for medical use and monitored to meet the needs of the patient. Medical marijuana should be allowed to relieve pain from illnesses and other treatments, and to assist with treating patients with other preexisting conditions.
The use of the cannabis plant has been studied and has been proven effective when used for medical purposes. Medical marijuana can be used because it contains molecules called cannabinoids. The human body has cannabinoid receptors that will activate and deactivate through certain biological events.( "Medical Use of Cannabis") The most common type of cannabinoid used is Cannabis indica. This specific species of the plant has higher levels of THC, which can be used in medicine. While we have recently discovered the medical purposes, marijuana has been used from as early as 2737 B.C.E. An emperor of China, Shen Neng, used marijuana tea to treat memory loss, gout, and malaria. In India, medical marijuana was used as a remedy for anxiety. Throughout the 1900s, use of marijuana was seen as an offense, and was banned in twenty three states by 1937. By 1996, the laws had been withdrawn in several states, and California became the first state to legalize marijuana. (Stack and Suddath) Marijuana had been proven effective with the treatment of nausea, tuberculosis, epilepsy, glaucoma, an...
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When marijuana is taken it can have amazing effects on the user, if someone with chronic neck or back pains, severe vomiting and nausea or someone with Neurological conditions uses marijuana it can remarkably relieve them from the pain. Marijuana has potent analgesic properties which can be used to treat a variety of different pains. Medical marijuana as a chronic pain reliever can reduce patients' pain and improve the quality of their life, without the same serious side effects associated with use of some pharmaceutical pain relievers. Marijuana can also be taken as an Anti-emetic which is a drug used to prevent one from vomiting, if a person potentially believes that he or she is going to vomit then smoking marijuan...
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Although there are numerous deaths, at least 100,000, from prescription drugs each year, there has never been a death attributed to marijuana. The late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former administrator of the US government’s marijuana research programs, stated that after he had treated about 10,000 patients in 15 years, he felt that there are about 200 different medical conditions that respond favorably to medical marijuana.
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.
Marijuana has a long medical history, ranging from its anecdotal use in ancient times, through medical prescribing in the 19th and early 20th centuries to modern. "The first record of cannabis as a medicine can be found in the oldest Chinese pharmacopeia, Shen Nag Ben Cao Jing, written in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD to 220 AD). It was indicated for rheumatic pain, malaria, constipation, and disorders of the female reproductive system" (Greenwell, 2012, Vol. 26 Issue 1). Pain is one of the most common reasons that medical cannabis is recommended. "Scientists have long known that tetrahydracannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, is an effective pain killer" (Mcdonagh, 2003). Studies of medical marijuana show significant improvement in various types of pain. "Marijuana appears to exert its pain relieving effects by acting on certain sites in the brain and spinal nerves. These specific sites are called cannabinoid receptors. The cannabinoid compound connects to these receptors, much like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Once, joined, the receptor alters the way the brain cell or nerve cell functions. This alteration of function changes the way the cell perceives painful stimulus, often reducing the intensity of pain that is interpreted by the brain" (Greenwell, 2012, Vol. 26 Issue 1). "The effect that cannabinoid compounds have on the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) found in the brain can create varying pharmacologic responses based on formulation and patient characteristics" (Borgelt, Franson, & Nussbaum, 2013). Several small clinical studies have confirmed the usefulness of THC, which at doses of 15 to 20mg was found to be comparable to 60 to 120mg pharmaceutical painkillers. But which form of pain manag...
History of Marijuana Marijuana has been used both recreationally and medicinally for centuries. There are numerous accounts of its medicinal qualities in multiple historical artifacts. Its use dates back to 2737 B.C. when the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, used it for medicinal purposes including malaria, gout, poor memory, rheumatism, and analgesia (Carter et. al., 2003). Eastern Indian documents, in the Atharvaveda, dating back to 2000 B.C. also refer to its medicinal use.
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Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over the 3,000 years and has been met with much resistance in the recent decade (Bearman 12). In the early part of the century, marijuana, also known as cannabis, was a part of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for about 90 years, but drug companies began to drop marijuana from medications when the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was passed (4-6). Medical marijuana can be used in two ways; it can be smoked in a cigarette form or taken in a capsule. Marijuana’s most potent ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be taken as a pill, but is “easily
The budgetary implications of marijuana prohibition. Marijuana Policy Project, 2005. Nelson, Steve. A great idea. Marijuana Use
Despite the 1976 ruling by the federal government that marijuana has “no acceptable medical use”, sixteen states have passed medical marijuana laws that allow for patient use o...
Marijuana is a cannabis drug that may be used for medical purposes. It was used to soothe malaria and constipation in many Asian countries including India and China (Ashton). It has the capability to relieve the pain of a serious sickness like malaria as well as a common every day stomach sickness like constipation. Marijuana has also been used therapeutically for the common disease asthma (Ashton). It “exert[s] a bronchodilator action on the small airways” therefore allowing a person to breathe better (Ashton). Marijuana has not only been used for amusement but it has been a treatment for many illnesses therefore; we need to consider all the characteristics of marijuana before making a decision to legalize it for medical purposes.
Numerous studies have attempted to explain the use of cannabis throughout history. For example, Doweiko (2009) mentioned that the Chinese physicians have used the cannabis to treat some diseases such as malaria, constipation, child birth, and as an anesthetic for surgery. During the nineteenth century, cannabis (marijuana) is also used for medical purposes to treat headaches and migraine. However, during the early years of the twentieth century, people began to view cannabis as an abusing drug as the researchers determined its ineffectiveness as a medicinal drug. Some historians have argued that marijuana was first introduced into the American society by the Mexican immigrants during the same period. This recreation drug was soon embraced by ...
Office of the National Drug Control Policy. "National Survey on Drug Use and Health." May 2008. Print. 26 March 2014.