Medical Marijuana: A Historical and Medical Perspective

Medical marijuana has been a hot topic of debate for many years now. Despite it being illegal in most states and considered a gateway drug, many medical professionals and politicians alike have started to consider this plant to ease the symptoms of specific medical conditions, making it medically legal to a degree in many states across the U.S.. There are many things to consider in this debate, and people question if it is morally acceptable to break the law if the benefits will outweigh the risk. In this paper, we will look at the pros and cons of using medical marijuana for patients who have various illnesses, while also looking at a brief history of the plant, and lastly how it is currently being used to help patients of all ages.

Marijuana has been around for centuries, dating back to around 2900 BC, where it was used in China as medication for a number of ailments. Marijuana has dated back in American since the early 1900's, where it was found in most medicines and tonics sold in drug stores and pharmacies. During the Mexican Revolution, many hispanic immigrants brought over their beliefs and culture, which included the plant “marihuana.” According to “The demonization of the cannabis plant was an extension of the demonization of the Mexican immigrants. “ () This association provoked public outcry over

Mexican immigrants as well as marijuana, and in turn, it was taxed to the point where the public lost interest in it and it was removed from all medications. Fast-forward to the 1960's, where marijuana became a mainstream drug. It was widely available and a favored drug among youth population, specifically at concerts and festivals. In the 1970's, it became a Schedule I controlled substance, the class given to drugs with the highest potential for abuse with no medical value. Richard Nixon, who was president at the time, was a huge supporter of this. In the 1980's, Ronald and Nancy Regan introduced the D.A.R.E. program in almost every school across the U.S., which educated children about the effects of taking drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. This was reinforced by PSA's on television, many depicting a brain turning into a useless blob after someone had smoked the plant. It remained illegal until 1996, when marijuana was first approved in the state of California to be used for medicinal purposes. Ever since then, many other states have followed suit, some of which have even legalized it for recreational use, dulling marijuanas stigma of being a hardcore gateway drug.

Marijuana is made up of over 400 chemicals. We will be focusing on the two main cannabinoids, which are the chemical compounds found in the plant. THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is probably the most well-known compound in marijuana. This is what gives the plant its mind-altering effects. THC has been shown to enhance appetite, reduce inflammation, suppress seizures, and can also be used as an antidepressant. CBD, or cannabidiol, is another main compound found in marijuana. Compared to THC, this has less of an effect in a psychological aspect, which will not produce a feeling of being ‘high’ in the patient. According to (), "It may be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating mental illness and addictions." This sounds promising, and it may carry less of a stigma if the psychological effects are minimal. More research will be done with these and other cannabinoids found in marijuana to further explore all of its benefits.

Proponents of medical marijuana boast it for its therapeutic effects to treat a number of different ailments for patients spanning a wide range of age. In adults, it can be used to treat the symptoms of various types of autoimmune disorders, such as HIV and MS. For chemotherapy patients, it can help prevent nausea and boost the appetite during treatment. It is also able to resolve pain and inflammation, specifically in RA and other movement disorders. In children, the use of an oil containing cannabidiol (CBD) proves helpful in reducing the amount of seizures in patients with epilepsy. This type of oil does not contain any mind-altering components, so the child will not get ‘high’ with it’s use. While on an oncology unit for clinical, I was able to ask a doctors opinion on the pill Marinol, which had been prescribed for some of her patients. She said that it has helped many of the chemotherapy patients when first line medications had failed to work against nausea. All of her patients knew what they were taking and had no objection to it, although some did not like the way it made them feel. Interestingly enough, she stated many of her patients had said the same thing about being on opioids or other narcotics, so she believes it comes down to each patient’s preference.

The opponents to legalizing medical marijuana argue that it’s psychotic effects are more of a risk than a benefit in the treatment of these diseases.

According to ()”Research both in animals and in people provides evidence that marijuana is an addictive substance, especially when used for prolonged periods.” This proves troubling, as most medical marijuana users use the plant on a long-term basis. Along the lines of addiction there is also the question about going through withdrawal after stopping its use, as well as marijuana being a gateway drug, leading to experimentation with more serious drugs. One study even suggests that the use of marijuana

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There are many forms of medical marijuana available to patients who own a medical card. The form that works best is dependent on the patients condition. The bud, flowers, leaves, and hash/hash oil, which comes from concentrated resin, can all be ingested by smoking. Smoking marijuana provides an almost instant relief, as it is absorbed in the lungs directly into the bloodstream. Vaporizing is similar to smoking, but the marijuana is heated slowly, eliminating the carcinogens that come with smoking the plant. Cannabis oil and butter, made from the bud, leaves, and flowers of the plant, is used in most edible forms of marijuana. The cannabis must be heated in fat, as cannabinoids are fat-soluable and will not dissolve in water. The butter or oil can be used to make a variety of edibles, from tea to soda to candy, being substituted for regular oil or butter. This type of medical marijuana takes longer to kick in, as it is absorbed through the digestive tract, but may have a longer effect in the body. Tinctures, which uses an alcohol medium to extract cannabinoids, comes in drop for and is administered through the mouth using the mucous membranes for absorption. Cannabis can also be applied directly to the skin in topical form.

There are also a few forms of medical marijuana that are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. These differ from the other forms listed above because they are regulated and have a consistent level of drugs in every pill. Dronabinol, or brand-name Marinol, is synthetic THC in pill form. It is mostly used in patients going through chemotherapy to improve their appetite and suppress nausea and vomiting. It also can be used in HIV patients as an appetite stimulant to help with weight loss. This is considered a Schedule III drug, which is a more lenient class than the actual plant itself. Sativex, which has not been approved for use in the U.S., is a spray used for patients who has MS, cancer, spasticity, and neuropathic pain. It is administered in the mouth, and sites are rotated after each use. This contains THC and CBD.

In conclusion, medical marijuana will still be a highly debated subject for many years in the future. Many people still consider it a gateway drug that can lead to addiction, which may be true for some people. But one must look at the question "Does the benefit outweigh the risk?" For many other people, the answer to this question is yes. Many parents seek out CBD oil to help with their children's violent seizures, which will not alter the way they think at all. Others might use a form of the plant to ease their nausea after chemotherapy. I have seen medical marijuana help people lead normal lives first-hand, so I am a supporter of making marijuana legal for a specific set of disease processes. Although more studies will be done to prove how effectively this drug can be used, many people rely on marijuana today to get through their illness, and although it is illegal, many are willing to break the law if that means they have some respite from heinous symptoms.