Medical Marijuana Benefits
The negative view of marijuana and its effects have changed drastically in recent years. The medicinal benefits of marijuana have been highlighted in peer reviewed studies globally, and a push to change its illegal status has been a hot political issue amongst law makers and the medical community alike in recent decades. Most countries including the US, have laws against the use, possession, sale, and cultivation of marijuana. Even so, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the US (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015, para 1). Under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), the United States classifies marijuana as an illegal controlled substance (Gettman, 2001, p. 95-96). Under the CSA, marijuana is listed …show more content…
220).” According to Shi and Singh, CAM therapies can include herbal formulas, [like marijuana] to help treat chronic disorders as an alternative or complementary to conventional medicine for certain illnesses and diseases (2012, p. 279). Most are persuaded to at least try the alternatives to avoid or delay unwanted surgical procedures. Marijuana is an herbal, non-lethal CAM, compared to the potentially dangerous, laboratory prepared, prescription medications given to patients for their ailments. Prescription medication misuse is an epidemic, accounting for 27,000 unintentional overdose deaths in 2007 ("CDC Grand Rounds: Prescription Drug Overdoses, 2012, para 2). Prescription medications for pain are like, oxycodone and hydrocodone, are opioids, powerful pain relievers prescribed at a much higher rate in the last decade by practitioners seeking to effectively treat their patients pain ("CDC Grand Rounds: Prescription Drug Overdoses, 2012, para. 1). Marijuana could easily be a medicinal alternative to these highly prescribed medications with virtually no incidence of …show more content…
Dronabinol and Nabilone are two FDA approved prescription medications with delta-9-THC as the active ingredient (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para. 7). It is taken by mouth for patients who suffer from chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting and haven’t responded to other therapeutic options and in some cases, it is found to be more effective than other FDA approved nausea and vomiting medications (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para. 7). Another study highlighting marijuana’s cannabinoid delta-9-THC effectiveness was related to pain. Oral delta-9-THC was successful in treating pain as well as nausea and vomiting. When given in therapeutic doses its results were successful and comparable to that of giving a patient codeine as a pain reliever (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para.
The negative view of marijuana and its effects have changed drastically in recent years. The medicinal benefits of marijuana have been highlighted in peer reviewed studies globally, and a push to change its illegal status has been a hot political issue amongst law makers and the medical community alike in recent decades. Most countries including the US, have laws against the use, possession, sale, and cultivation of marijuana. Even so, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the US (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015, para 1). Under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), the United States classifies marijuana as an illegal controlled substance (Gettman, 2001, p. 95-96). Under the CSA, marijuana is listed …show more content…
220).” According to Shi and Singh, CAM therapies can include herbal formulas, [like marijuana] to help treat chronic disorders as an alternative or complementary to conventional medicine for certain illnesses and diseases (2012, p. 279). Most are persuaded to at least try the alternatives to avoid or delay unwanted surgical procedures. Marijuana is an herbal, non-lethal CAM, compared to the potentially dangerous, laboratory prepared, prescription medications given to patients for their ailments. Prescription medication misuse is an epidemic, accounting for 27,000 unintentional overdose deaths in 2007 ("CDC Grand Rounds: Prescription Drug Overdoses, 2012, para 2). Prescription medications for pain are like, oxycodone and hydrocodone, are opioids, powerful pain relievers prescribed at a much higher rate in the last decade by practitioners seeking to effectively treat their patients pain ("CDC Grand Rounds: Prescription Drug Overdoses, 2012, para. 1). Marijuana could easily be a medicinal alternative to these highly prescribed medications with virtually no incidence of …show more content…
Dronabinol and Nabilone are two FDA approved prescription medications with delta-9-THC as the active ingredient (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para. 7). It is taken by mouth for patients who suffer from chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting and haven’t responded to other therapeutic options and in some cases, it is found to be more effective than other FDA approved nausea and vomiting medications (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para. 7). Another study highlighting marijuana’s cannabinoid delta-9-THC effectiveness was related to pain. Oral delta-9-THC was successful in treating pain as well as nausea and vomiting. When given in therapeutic doses its results were successful and comparable to that of giving a patient codeine as a pain reliever (Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 2015, para.