Medical Marijuana Vs Pharmaceutical Drugs

An ongoing debate over the past few years has been the use of medical marijuana versus the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Patients and doctors automatically turn to chemical filled pharmaceutical drugs when trying to treat diseases and disorders. Treatment using medical marijuana is becoming a popular form of medicating. Medical marijuana is a beneficial natural plant in the medical community, but people do not understand that the similarities between pharmaceutical drugs and medical marijuana are so close that one should be able to choose for themselves which form of treatment to use. Medical marijuana and pharmaceutical drugs come in a variety of forms, are prescribe the same way, and treat a variety of ailments. Medical marijuana has many …show more content…
Pharmaceutical drugs are prescribed in the form of milligrams, which is the level of potency. Likewise, medical marijuana must have a prescription written by a doctor; unfortunately, medical marijuana is not legal in all states. Like pharmaceutical drugs, medical marijuana also contains certain dosages depending on the need of the patient. Medical marijuana is usually measured out in grams but the level of potency depends on the percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol in the marijuana. “THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects. It acts much like the cannabinoid chemicals made naturally by the body, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).” The lower percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol reduces the psychological effects and allows the cannabidiol to provide its benefits. "Cannabidiol is a cannabinoid and a major component of the cannabis plant, or marijuana plant. By itself, cannabidiol lacks the psychoactive effects most commonly associated with marijuana use yet still retains many of the medicinal benefits, such as its anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory