Exploring Medical Marijuana: Therapeutic Benefits and Historical Context

623 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Medical marijuana benefits

Medical Marijuana?
Mostly people who conservative are the ones who always view the negative points about the use of marijuana are the ones who don’t support the idea of marijuana being used for medical reasons instead of viewing the drug as being a recreational drug. Marijuana doesn’t always have to be used as a recreational drug marijuana can be used to lessen the pain of many diseases away. In this essay I will explain the many ways marijuana is used in the medical field and what diseases that it can help treat the pain.
Cannabis has also been used by ancient people for many reasons such as pharmaceutical, psychoactive uses and divinatory uses. The term Medical Marijuana refers to using the whole marijuana plant meaning the plant has been …show more content…

Several studies have found that smoking marijuana lowers pressure inside the eye, making the person with glaucoma and the symptoms that come with like glaucoma related discomfort for about three to four hours. In one randomized controlled trial, patients given a cannabis like compound were twice as likely to gain weight as patients given a placebo a boon for people battling the wasting effects of HIV/AIDS. Medical Marijuana has also helped through animal studies that THC, one of the main psychoactive chemicals in cannabis, may inhibit the brain processes thought to cause seizures. In another recent study it has shown that medical marijuana has slow down the process of alzheimer's …show more content…

"Is Marijuana Medicine?" DrugFacts:. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"Medical Marijuana ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"NORML.org - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." Medical Use. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"Signs + Symptoms of Marijuana Use." Narconon International. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 DHow ec. 2015.
"What Are Marijuana's Effects on General Physical Health?" What Are Marijuana's Effects on General Physical Health? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
“There are two FDA-approved, THC-based medications, dronabinol (Marinol®) and nabilone (Cesamet®), prescribed in pill form for the treatment of nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy and to stimulate appetite in patients with wasting syndrome due to AIDS.”
“Nabiximols (Sativex®), a mouth spray that is currently available in the United Kingdom, Canada, and several European countries for treating the spasticity and neuropathic pain that may accompany multiple sclerosis, combines THC with another chemical found in marijuana called cannabidiol

Show More
Related

  • Medical Marijuana Annotated Bibliography

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article discussed several potential health benefits to medical cannabis. For example, medical marijuana can be used to test glaucoma by slowing the progression of the disease and preventing blindness. It can help control epileptic seizures and decrease the symptoms of a severe seizure disorder known as Dravet’s Syndrome. The chemical CBD may help prevent cancer from spreading. In addition, it may decrease anxiety, ease the pain from multiple sclerosis, and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Medical marijuana may lessen the side effects from treating some illnesses such as hepatitis C. It has also been used to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and promote

    Read More

  • History of Medical Marijuana

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Grinspoon (2005) marijuana, may have been a crop farmed as many as 10,000 years ago. The first evidence discovered that attests to the use of medicinal cannabis dates back to the Chinese Emperor, Chen Nung, who lived five-thousand years ago when this plant was recommended for malaria, constipation, and rheumatic pains, as well as, the inability to concentrate and pains in relation to the female body (Grinspoon, 2005; Guterman 2000). Even Queen Victoria had a physician recommend that she use marijuana as medicine for ailments such as “insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, and muscle spasms” (Guterman, 2000, p. A21). Evidence of the power of marijuana as a medicine can be found in almost any culture on Earth. For example, some tribes in Africa use marijuana to treat snake bites and to reduced the intense pain of child-birth and in India, cannabis is used to “quicken the mind, lower fevers, induce sleep, cure dysentery, stimulate appetite, improve digestion, relieve headaches, and cure venereal disease” (Grinspoon, 2005, p. 1). Marijuana has been proven as a powerful medicine by people of many ethnic backgrounds and countries over the entire world, time and time again.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech: The Pro’s And Con’s Of Medical Marijuana

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Physiological Effects of Marijuana

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Results from a research conducted in the 1880s indicated that smoking marijuana might help manage certain forms of glaucoma; regrettably, other studies disproved such claims. (Watson, Benson, & Joy, 2000). Even though smoking marijuana temporarily reduces the pressure within the eye, 60 to 65 of the patients who smoked marijuana, experienced the desired medicating effects (Green, 1998). New findings indicated that in order for an individual to obtain and maintain satisfactory results in the reduction of eye pressure levels, the patient would have to smoke between 2 to 3 cigarettes every hour. Marijuana is believed to be an effective treatment of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis; furthermore, it seems to yield positive results in the treatment of chronic pain conditions (Watson, Benson, & Joy, 2000).

    Read More

  • Marijuana's Effectiveness in Pain Management

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Marijuana Should Be Legal

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that governments around the world have made illegal. If legalized, marijuana can be beneficial to society in a number of ways: whether it be for medical, economic, or public safety reasons. Marijuana has been proven to treat several life debilitating, and even life threatening diseases. Although it is not a cure, marijuana can ease the pain and suffering of a dying person. Another benefit of legalization is the financial gains that governments will accomplish through the taxation of marijuana. This is a realistic claim if marijuana sales are compared to that of cigarettes; governments make billions each year from cigarette taxes (Caputo and Ostrom 484). Every year law enforcement spends countless man-hours trying to apprehend marijuana dealers and growers. This time would be better utilized in dealing with more serious crimes. This essay will display some main reasons why marijuana is a substance with beneficial uses and applications. First, marijuana can be used as a treatment for the effects of diseases such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and other terminal diseases. A study carried out in California clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of marijuana as a treatment for cancer: “Over 74 percent of the cancer patients treated in the program have reported that marijuana is more effective in relieving their nausea and vomiting than any other drug they have tried.”(Zeese 1990). Chemotherapy for cancer patients often produces nausea and vomiting. Marijuana has been proven to relieve these symptoms and there have been no known side effects recorded (Ad Hoc Group of Experts part 4).

    Read More

  • Marijuana Legalization Essay

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Legalization or decriminalization of marijuana is opposed by a vast majority of American’s and people around the world. Leaders in Marijuana prevention, education, treatment, and law enforcement adamantly oppose the substance, as do many political leaders. However, pro-drug advocacy groups, who support the use of illegal drugs, are making headlines. They are influencing decision making thru legislation and having a significant impact on the national policy debate here in the United States and in other countries. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is the oldest drug user lobby in the U.S.

    Read More

  • History of Marijuana

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Medical Marijuana

    2385 Words  | 5 Pages

    Medical marijuana refers to the use of cannabis and its chemical compound, which is THC and CBD, as medical therapy to treat disease or alleviate symptoms. The marijuana plant has a history of medical use dating back thousands of years through many cultures. Its usage in modern times is controversial, and in recent years the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and other pharmaceutical organizations have issued statements opposing its usage for medical reasons. From the early 1900s to the 1950s marijuana, opium, and coc...

    Read More

  • Legalize it

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Cannabis has been used throughout the ages in many societies around the world to treat many conditions; an ancient Chinese emperor prescribed it to cure conditions such as gout and malaria, soon its healing properties were heard around the world and the use of cannabis as a medicine spread like wildfire to many other regions (Earleywine, p. 168). In fact, marijuana was legal in the United States until 1942 when, against the medical community's recommendation, it was removed from the list of acceptable medications. Today there are numerous studies being conducted on the effects of medical marijuana and scientists have proven its effects on treating many symptoms.

    Read More

  • Physical and Psychological Effects of Marijuana

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Khamsi, R. (2013, May 31) How Safe Is Recreational Marijuana. Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-safe-recreational-marijuana

    Read More

  • Marijuana The Controversial Drug

    2556 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cannabis was acknowledged as early as 2,700 BC in Chinese manuscripts.      Marijuana has been used as a medicine throughout the world since the beginning of written history. During this time, companies such as Lilly, Parke Daivis, Tildens, Squibb, and other major drug manufacturers, have made everything from sleeping elixirs, to stomach medicine from marijuana. These drugs were even knowingly prescribed for children.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Marijuana

    2019 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stanley, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson, and John A. Benson. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy P, 1999.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Medical Marijuana

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • A Review of the Literature on Marijuana

    3126 Words  | 7 Pages

    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 ... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

More about Exploring Medical Marijuana: Therapeutic Benefits and Historical Context

Open Document