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¶ … Medical Marijuana Use
Drugs & Alcohol
Marijuana is a plant or herb that grows on various parts of Earth. Other names for marijuana are hemp and cannabis, which refers to its biological name in Latin, cannibus sativa. Cannibus simply is the Latin word for marijuana, and sativa is the supine form a Latin verb meaning "sown" and "useful." The issue of marijuana use has been prominent in American culture since at least the 1930s, with propaganda films against the use of marijuana like Reefer Madness. Marijuana use has been in the news over the past few decades with specific regard to the medical uses of marijuana. There has been increased attention and research into the medical properties and benefits of marijuana, which is a new endeavor or perspective from mainstream America, as it has been historically viewed and publicized as a narcotic that makes users vulnerable to the use of much harder and more dangerous drugs. Cocaine is a drug that comes from a plant and so is heroin. They, like other drugs, are directly derived from plants and have the potential for medicinal purposes and for narcotic abuse. Where marijuana differs is that it does not need any special process like cocaine, crack cocaine, or heroin to...
People simply harvest the plant, distribute, and sell it. The paper explores the uses and perceptions of marijuana providing insight as to why this plant draws so much attention.
Numerous cultures around the world have used hemp for medicinal and recreational purposes for many generations. Over the past few decades, in the United States, there has been an increase in the number of research studies conducted so as to ascertain the medical properties of marijuana, if any. For some years, the findings of American studies were inconclusive and the results were often contested. Attitudes in America have shifted somewhat, but the mainstream attitude is still to keep marijuana illegal as well as to discredit any medicinal properties found or experienced. Nonetheless, there are some states that have legalized marijuana for medical use. It has become more common knowledge for those familiar with the issue that medical marijuana is often used for various kinds of cancer patients who suffer severe effects from chemotherapy and pain from the cancer itself, as well as for AIDS patients to help counteract nausea and severe weight loss because of their treatments and the disease. Marijuana use for medical purposes has expanded exponentially into other areas:
Marijuana may also alleviate symptoms associated with certain neurologic disorders. For instance, marijuana has been used to treat muscle spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injuries.…
References:
Okie, MD, S. (2005) Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court. The New England Journal of Medicine, 353(7), 648 -- 651.
Seamon, M.J., Fass, J.A., Maniscalco-Feichtl, M., Abu-Shrarie, N.A. (2007) Medical marijuana and the developing role of the pharmacist. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacists, 64, 1037 -- 1045.
Paternalistic legislation, even when warranted, must be logically consistent both in theory and in practical application, in the case of marijuana, prohibitions against its medicinal use, even if still unproven in clinical trials, is logically and ethically inconsistent with the legal status of substances like tobacco which are devoid of any possible beneficial use and which, unlike marijuana, have actually been proven to cause disease and premature death. Governmental paternalism
Medicinal Marijuana Medical Marijuana The issue of accepting or not to accept the use of marijuana for the purported medical reasons still looms large. The Americans have divergent views on the Medical Marijuana with 73% supporting the idea of medical marijuana and another 31% supporting the legalization of marijuana. States like California passed the bill allowing the physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients who may find this medication appropriate and applicable to
De Jong, Prentiss, McFarland, Machekano & Israelski (2005) note in one study that medicinal marijuana use may be particularly useful in patients suffering from HIV with moderate to severe nausea. There study points out that adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is an essential and critical component for successful treatment of HIV infections. Further a recent study conducted by the researchers suggest that smoking marijuana improves adherence to ART, and thus
Evidence largely suggests that the subject in question would have been given a well-established pain-management strategy otherwise lacking had marijuana been available. Unfortunately, this plentiful, profitable, easy-to-grow and highly accessible substance has been demonized and victimized by hostile propaganda even as dangerous and deadly substances such as tobacco, alcohol and antidepressants remain highly proliferated. From the combination of my experience and my value system, I must implore you to reconsider
Advocacy for Medicinal Marijuana Over Other Drugs For a considerable period of time, the reliance for the betterment of the health of an individual has depended on herbal remedies, and in many part of the world and in many households even, these continue to take a preference over the more advanced medical drugs that have come to define modern medicine. Cannabis or Medical Marijuana is one such example of an herb that
However, someone sitting inside their own home smoking marijuana for pleasure is an important use in itself and one which should not be ignored. "Like sex, alcohol, or cigarettes, marijuana is one of life's little pleasures for some people," and although it can be a vice, the recreational uses are a definite reason for legalization (Messerli 2006). People should not be told what they should and should not enjoy;