The Benefits of Medical Marijuana, Essay Example

Marijuana has been used in many spiritual healings and for recreational use for many years. Marijuana has been used as early as 2900 BC when Chinese Emperor Fu His referenced marijuana (Cannabis) as a popular medicine of the time. According to Richard Boire, and Kevin Feeney (2007), “In the 19th Century, marijuana emerged as a mainstream medicine in the West. Studies in the 1840s by a French doctor by the name of Jacques-Joseph Moreau [a French psychiatrist] found that marijuana suppressed headaches, increased appetites, and aided people to sleep.” (“Medical Marijuana,” 2009, n.p.).However, not until recently had it even crossed the minds of many medical professionals to be used in order to help patients who have been diagnosed with many diseases where relief is very seldom. It is now being legalized in many states in order to help with many medical diseases and chronic pain.“Medical marijuana clinics operate in 20 states and the District of Columbia, and its recreational use is now legal in Colorado and Washington” (Brody, 2013, n.p.). Even with the many medical clinics supporting the use of medicinal marijuana, there are still many different views by different people on whether marijuana should be used for medical purposes. Many believe that it shouldn’t be used as it is still considered a drug that may have adverse effects on the brain and other organs in the body. However, there are many people who support the use of marijuana as long as it is used for medical purposes. It is all a matter of opinion for many at this point. However, there are many benefits for the use of marijuana in the medical field today.

The real use of medicinal marijuana was introduced by W.B. O’Shaughnessy, a surgeon who learned that marijuana could be used to help alleviate pain and many other medical problems. According to the National Cancer Institute (2013), “its use was promoted for reported analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and anticonvulsant effects” (p. 1).Cancer is one of the largest medical problems in our society today and many clinical trials of medical marijuana have shown that it helps with the effects of chemotherapy such as vomiting and nausea under a generic name called dronabinol (National Cancer Institute, 2013). “Clinical trials determined that dronabinol was as effective as or better than other antiemetic agents available at the time” (National Cancer Institute, 2013, p. 1). Cancer and chemotherapy are just two of the aspects of the medical field that marijuana benefits. According to the former US Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders (2004), “the evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them” (“Medical Marijuana,” 2009, n.p.). Not only does marijuana help with the side effects of chemotherapy, but there is evidence that a chemical that is found in marijuana stops cancer from spreading. In 2007, the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco did a study that proved that cannabidiol prevents cancer cells from spreading (Astaiza, 2012). Astaiza (2012) states that cannabidiol by turning off the Id-1 gene in the person’s body. “The researchers studied breast cancer cells in the lab that had high expression levels of Id-1 and treated them with cannabidiol. After treatment the cells had decreased Id-1 expression and were less aggressive spreaders” (Astaiza, 2012, n.p.).

Many individuals are living with pain each and every day of their lives. This pain can stem from the smallest things such as back aches and headaches to larger problems such as multiple sclerosis as stated above. Randy Astaiza (2012) states the following in reference to how marijuana helps patients with multiple sclerosis:

Jody Corey-Bloom studied 30 multiple sclerosis patients with painful contractions in their muscles. These patients didn’t respond to other treatments, but after smoking marijuana for a few days they were in less pain. The THC in the pot binds to receptors in the nerves and muscles to relieve pain. Other studies suggest that the chemical also helps control the muscle spasms (n.p.).

Pain management is one of the largest parts of the medical field as well and many are beginning to say that marijuana helps alleviate much of the pain that patients feel. According to Jane E. Brody (2013), “the strongest evidence for the health benefits of medical marijuana or its derivatives involves the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain and the spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis” (p. 1).One of these pains, among many, is peripheral neuropathy which consists of many symptoms that can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life. According to Igor Grant (2013), this is something that can be treated by the use of medical marijuana. Grant (2013) describes painful peripheral neuropathy in the following paragraph:

Painful peripheral neuropathy comprises multiple symptoms that can severely erode quality of life. These include allodynia (pain evoked by light stimuli that are not normally pain-evoking) and various abnormal sensations termed dysesthesias (e.g., electric shock sensations, “pins and needles,” sensations of coldness or heat, numbness, and other types of uncomfortable and painful sensations). Common causes of peripheral neuropathy include diabetes, HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and certain drugs and toxins (p. 466).

Many individuals that are suffering from these diseases attempt to get treatment and sometimes that treatment does work. However, many scientists and doctors that support the use of medical marijuana state that many of these patients would have better results if prescribed marijuana is small doses. In addition, researchers and physicians are also beginning to state that marijuana helps those patients with arthritis. This drug alleviates pain and discomfort as well as reduces the inflammation that many arthritis patients deal with on a daily basis. For example, “Researchers from rheumatology units at several hospitals gave their patients, sativex, a cannabinoid-based pain-relieving medicine. After a two week period, people on Sativex had a significant reduction in pain and improved sleep quality compared to placebo users” (Astaiza, 2012, n.p.).

In addition, marijuana can help with diseases such as epilepsy, anxiety disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.  According to Astaiza (2012), “Cannabinoids like the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC), control seizures by binding to the brain cells responsible for controlling excitability and regulating relaxation” (n.p.). This is one of the most amazing benefits of medicinal marijuana as there are many individuals that suffer from epileptic seizures on a daily basis. It is also said that marijuana helps reduce anxiety. According to researchers at the Harvard Medical school, marijuana helps a person’s mood and “acts as a sedative in low doses” (Astaiza, 2012, n.p.). Finally, it is said that marijuana helps slow the process of Alzheimer’s disease. Astaiza (2012) states the following to prove this:

The 2006 study, published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, found that THC, the active chemical in marijuana, slows the formation of amyloid plaques by blocking the enzyme in the brain that makes them. These plaques are what kill brain cells and cause Alzheimer’s (n.p.).

Many focus on the fact that marijuana is an illegal drug, that it can be addictive, and that many individuals will abuse the use of the drug if it is ever legalized (either recreationally or through medical use). When looking at only the negative aspects of something, it is not easy to approach a concept with a positive means of change.Many people are not taking the time to look at the benefits that it may have on the people who have to deal with chronic pain and irreversible diseases. These individuals go day to day with pain that they are not able to relieve even with legalized medications. The more research and studies that are done can certainly help make believers out of those that are against the use of marijuana for medical purposes. If a substance can be used to alleviate discomfort and pain, where there are proven studies that show its positive effects, many would think that the drug should be used to help patients. Unfortunately, too many people are focusing on the negative effects that this drug could have on a person’s body. One must open his or her mind to the idea that something could be beneficial even if they do not completely believe in its use.

In conclusion, marijuana can be very beneficial for the chronically ill. It also has benefits for those individuals that deal with chronic pain and other diseases such as epilepsy, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and much more. If used in a medical sense, with the right amount of dosage and the proper treatment by a physician, the use of marijuana could change the lives of many who are suffering. Unfortunately, this takes the work of many doctors, nurses, government officials, and supporters that will back up the ideas and the many negative contradictions with positive feedback about the drug when used properly. If this could take place and many could see the actual benefits, the use of marijuana in the medical field could help many individuals who continue to suffer on a daily basis.

References

Astaiza, R. (2012, November 08). All the reasons pot is good for you. Business Insider, Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2012-11?op=1

Brody, J. E. (2013, November 04). Tapping medical marijuana’s potential. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/tapping-medical-marijuanas-potential/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1

Grant, I. (2013). Medicinal cannabis and painful sensory neuropathy. American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, 15(5), 466-469. Retrieved from http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2013/05/oped1-1305.html

Medical marijuana. (2009, May 06). Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000141

National Cancer Institute. (2013, November 21). Cannabis and Cannabinoids. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page2