Medicinal Marijuana Media Project | Assignment Help
Cannabis or marijuana has been at the epicenter of debate and arguments since way back in history. It used to be held in high esteem and was recommended for migraines, headaches and various other diseases by revered physicians, Baron (2015). Since then it has had a very troubling journey, from being legal and prescribed commonly to being illegal due to socio-political reasons rather than science (ibid). In recent years it has gained a lot of traction and there has been a drastic push for medicinal cannabis legalization. In the US on one side the federal government has placed a no exceptions ban on cannabis and on the other, forty percent of the US have for medical reason legalized cultivation, distribution and consumption of cannabis, Grabarsky (2013). That’s twenty-six states and the district of Columbia, Pacula, et al. (2002).
On February 8th of 2019, Forbes reported that it is the second time this year has a senator filed the bill ‘420’ to legalize marijuana federally, Forbes (2019). Currently it is held under Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act. Stating that it has a risk of abuse and a lack of medical use, Bostwick, et al. (2013). This article is going to look into the arguments for and against medicinal marijuana, and the viewpoints of the writers from whom this article is put together.
On November 5, 1996, voters in a referendum Proposition 215 in California for the legalization of medical marijuana. First ever law of this nature, the proposition was later known as the Compassionate Use Act (CUA), which was added to the California’s Health and Safety Code. After which 24 other states by legalizing medical marijuana also amended their state’s constitution. 2003 was when Governor of California, Gray Davis signed the bill 420 (the Medical Marijuana Act) which basically set a system of regulation of medical marijuana, later on other states that had legalized medical marijuana also passed laws similar to this one, Grabarsky (2013).
Many authors have supported the use of medicinal marijuana with the condition of controlled usage, while many authors are against this idea. In 1890, Sir John Russel Reynolds, who was a physician to the royal household and the president of the British Medical Association, backed the use of cannabis in his paper, analyzing 30 years of experience of ordaining cannabis, for migraines, Baron (2015). In 1915, Sir William Osler, termed as the father of modern medicine, supported the use of cannabis for migraines, in his book ‘The Principle and Practice of Medicine’, (ibid).
Since cannabis has been put under Schedule I, research on the possible benefits are halted largely across the US. Webb and Webb (2014) ran a survey of medical cannabis patients in Hawaii, which is one of the states that has legalized the use of medical marijuana. Between July 2010 to February 2011 they delivered personally by hand questionnaires to 100 consecutive patients who were certified medical cannabis users for at least one year and were applying for re-certification.
The result of their survey suggested a significant amount of pain relief due to medicinal marijuana. Average pre-treatment pain from a 0 to 10 scale was at 7.8, and post-treatment pain was as low as 2.8, 5 points lessening of pain on average. Half of the participants suggested stress and anxiety relief. 7 percent of the correspondents had release from depression, 45 percent had reprieve from insomnia and 12 percent had an improved appetite. Six patients wrote that with the help of medicinal marijuana they have decreased or withdrawn their other medications. More than ¾ of the total correspondents reported no harmful effects through medicinal marijuana. Both the authors believe that cannabis is a safe and significantly effective medication for chronic pain patients. They also stress that more research needs to be done to measure the effectiveness of cannabis in other areas as well. In conclusion they believe that cannabis needs to be legalized federally to make scientific research on cannabis possible.
Kondrad and Reid (2013) conducted an anonymous online survey of 1727 members of Colorado Academy of Family Physicians. 520 families responded to it and only 19 percent believed that physicians should endorse medical marijuana, while more than 40 percent were against it. More than 60 percent concurred that medical marijuana causes physical and mental health problems. 81 percent agreed that physicians should have appropriate training before they recommend medical marijuana. Both the authors had a very strict and staunch approach, in their article they assert that more research needs to be done pointing out two points. Firstly, that their needs to be further medical education for the physicians as 92 percent of the correspondents in the survey agreed to it. There should be teachings in the school curriculum. Secondly, marijuana needs to have proper base of evidence. In the survey conducted the correspondents expressed that there was not enough evidence about the benefits or the risks of medical marijuana.
As mentioned in Volkow, et al (2014), there are short- and long-term effects of marijuana consumption. Short term effects include short term memory loss, making it hard to retain information, possible paranoia and psychosis and weakened motor coordination, making it hard to drive. Long term effects include addictiveness, increased risk of chronic disorders, cognitive impairment and altered brain development, although these two also depend on how early in life has a person consumed marijuana. They further express that, there is a need for improvement of the understanding of the potential benefits if any of medical marijuana without exposing it to people who are sick of its essential properties.
Medicinal marijuana has its benefits, but it also has its adverse effects. All the articles mentioned here have stated that there needs to be further research and study on the effects medicinal marijuana has on a person before it is prescribed. With studying all the articles, I would like to conclude that in order to get a definitive result we must extensively research all the proponents of medicinal marijuana, and if it were to be legalized then first it needs to be taught at school. Everyone needs to comprehensively understand the properties of medicinal marijuana before prescribing or accepting to take it.
REFERENCES
Baron, E.P., 2015. Comprehensive review of medicinal marijuana, cannabinoids, and therapeutic implications in medicine and headache: what a long strange trip it’s been…. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 55(6), pp.885-916.
Bostwick, J.M., Reisfield, G.M. and DuPont, R.L., 2013. Medicinal use of marijuana. N Engl J Med, 368(9), pp.866-8.
Forbes (2019), Senator Files ‘420’ Marijuana Bill To Legalize It Federally [Online]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2019/02/08/feds-would-tax-marijuana-under-new-senate-bill-actually-numbered-s-420/#5c3391b6612f.
Grabarsky, T., 2013. Conflicting Federal and State Medical Marijuana Policies: A Threat to Cooperative Federalism. W. va. l. Rev., 116, p.1.
Kondrad, E. and Reid, A., 2013. Colorado family physicians’ attitudes toward medical marijuana. J Am Board Fam Med, 26(1), pp.52-60.
Pacula, R.L., Chriqui, J.F., Reichmann, D.A. and Terry-McElrath, Y.M., 2002. State medical marijuana laws: Understanding the laws and their limitations. Journal of public health policy, 23(4), pp.413-439.
Volkow, N.D., Baler, R.D., Compton, W.M. and Weiss, S.R., 2014. Adverse health effects of marijuana use. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(23), pp.2219-2227.
Webb, C.W. and Webb, S.M., 2014. Therapeutic benefits of cannabis: a patient survey. Hawai’i Journal of Medicine & Public Health, 73(4), p.109.
