The Physiological Effects of Marijuana

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The Physiological Effects of Marijuana

Marijuana derives from the dried leaves and flower of the

hemp plant Cannabis sativa; for thousands of years, physicians

regarded marijuana as a useful pharmaceutical agent that could be

used to treat a number of different disorders. In the 19th

century, physicians in the United States and Europe used marijuana as an

analgesic, as a treatment for migraine headaches, and as an

anticonvulsant (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1993, 1995). In 1938, a

physician used marijuana (hashish) to completely control the

terror and excitement of a patient who had contracted rabies

(Elliot, 1992, p. 600). 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). However, although marijuana has served as a

medicinal agent, marijuana can also produce some adverse

physiological effects; especially with patients with pre-existing

medical conditions who use marijuana may be at particular risk.

For instance, altho...

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