HLTH 1050 Research Paper

HLTH 1050 Research Paper

Rachel Miller
Salt Lake Community College

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Medical Marijuana

Marijuana as a known drug goes back over 2000 years. The references to marijuana in
history are usually for medical purposes rather than a recreational drug. The Chinese Emperor Fu
His, whom the Chinese credit with bringing civilization to China, made reference to Ma which
is the Chinese word for Cannabis. This was a popular medicine that possessed both yin and
yang. According to Chinese legend, the emperor Shen Nung, who is considered the Father of
Chinese medicine discovered marijuanas healing properties (Medical Marijuana).
In 1621 an English Clergyman and Oxford scholar, Robert Burton came out with an
influential and still popular book, The Anatomy of Melancholy. In his book he suggested
cannabis as a treatment for depression. George Washingtons diary entries indicate that he grew
hemp at Mount Vernon for about thirty years. By 1850 marijuana made its way into the United
States Pharmacopeia, and it listed marijuana as a treatment for neuralgia, tetanus, typhus,
cholera, rabies, dysentery, alcoholism, opiate addition, anthrax, leprosy, incontinence, gout,
convulsive disorders, tonsillitis, insanity and other illnesses (Medical Marijuana).
By the turn of century the feeling towards marijuana was changing. In 1915, Utah passed
an anti-marijuana law and other states followed suit. In 1937 Congress passed the Marijuana
Tax Act, which imposed registration and reporting requirements as well as taxes on growers,
sellers and buyers of marijuana. This was the governments first attempt to regulate marijuana
(Medical Marijuana).
In 1970 the U.S. government passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and
Control Act. They basically organized the control of drugs under five different classifications

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called schedules of controlled substances. They based this on the drugs potential for abuse.
They put marijuana on the Schedule I list, which says it has a high potential for abuse and no
accepted medical use. It is to be used for research only, and it should be stored in a secure vault.
So far government has never taken marijuana off the Schedule I list (Levinthal p. 50).
Marijuana is a word that is used to describe the dried flowers, seeds, and leaves of the
Indian hemp plant. On the street it has many names such as: dope, dagga, bhang, grass, hemp,
Mary Jane, pot, reefer, roach, Texas Tea and weed. Cannabis describes any of the different
drugs that come from Indian hemp including marijuana and hashish. Hashish is a related form of
the drug made from the resins of the hemp plant. It is also called chocolate, hash, or shit. It is
six to ten times stronger than marijuana. Marijuana is a drug that is a hallucinogen, which
distorts how the mind perceives the world you live in. The chemical in cannabis that creates this
distortion is known as THC. The amount of THC in any given batch of marijuana may vary
substantially, but overall the percentage of THC has increased over the years (What is
marijuana).
Marijuana is usually green, gray or brown in color. It is usually smoked as a cigarette joint,
but it also can be used in a pipe. Occasionally it is mixed with food and eaten or brewed as tea.
Sometimes users open up cigars and remove the tobacco replacing it with pot. They call this a
blunt. Joints and blunts are sometimes laced with other, more powerful drugs such as crack
cocaine or PCP. When a person smokes a joint they feel the effects within minutes. The
immediate effects are increased heart rate, lessened coordination and balance and a dreamy state
of mind. Other short-term effects are sensory distortion, panic, anxiety, lowered reaction time

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and also a depressed feeling. Some of the long-term effects are: reduced resistance to common
illnesses, growth disorders, abnormality in the cells, reduction of male sex hormones, destruction
of lung fibers, difficulties to learn and retain information, apathy, lack of motivation, personality
and mood changes and the inability to understand things clearly (What is marijuana)
Marijuana is one of the worlds most commonly used illegal drugs. It is estimated there are
about 300 million users worldwide and about 28 million users in the United States. It is a very
popular drug and it used by all ages of adults. It is estimated that one in seven teens have used
marijuana in the last month. There are any number of reasons people use marijuana: to feel
good, to feel better, to feel different, to fit in and many other reasons. The facts are that using
marijuana as a recreational drug does have its consequences (Facts for Teens).
Marijuana is addictive. Not everyone who smokes marijuana will become addicted because
there are a number of factors that play into addiction such as genes, age when you started,
whether you use other drugs, family and peer relationships, success in school and many other
reasons. Basically they figure 9 percent of those who use marijuana will become addicted. The
rate is higher if a person started using as a young teenager (Facts for Teens).
It is unsafe to drive if you are under the influence of marijuana. It is marijuana that is the
most common illegal drug found in the drivers who die in auto accidents, and it is often in
combination with alcohol or other drugs. It affects alertness, concentration, coordination and
reaction time. It is not safe to drive when under the influence. It is more difficult to judge
distances and react to signals and sounds. Alcohol mixed with marijuana makes it much worse
than either drug alone (Facts for Teenagers).

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There doesnt seem to be much of a debate that regular, long term use of marijuana will cause
damage to a person. Even knowing the dangers, it is still a popular, much used drug. The real
debate and discussion comes in to play, when the term medical marijuana is used. There are
two sides that really disagree on what is best, and some who are sitting in the middle of this
issue. The marijuana plant contains several chemicals that may prove useful for treating a range
of illnesses or symptoms. This is why many people argue that it should be made legal for
medical purposes. A growing number of states have legalized marijuana to be used for certain
medical conditions. The number was up to twenty states as of March 2014. When the term
medical marijuana is used, it generally refers to the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its
basic crude extracts. These are not recognized or approved as medicine by the Food and Drug
Administration. Scientists have studied the active chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids,
and this has led to the development of two FDA approved medicines already. The goal is to
harness the therapeutic benefits of the cannabinoids, but minimize or eliminate the harmful side
effects including the high produced by eating or smoking marijuana leaves (Is Marijuana
Medicine?).
The University of Mississippi has a Marijuana Project that has been going on since 1968.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has named this lab the countrys one legal source of
marijuana. They grow, harvest, process and analyze marijuana. They grow varying strains of
plants that have different amounts of THC, which is the chemical that makes a person high.
There are many indications that THC could be a good medicine if they can come up with the
right formulations and dosing. This is what makes the case for medical marijuana complicated.
The marijuana plant has more than 500 chemical compounds. Many of these compounds are

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cannabinoids, which bind to receptors in the body and then affect the immune system and brain.
The researchers have found two main cannabinoids that are beneficial. They are THC and
cannabidiol or CBD. The biggest difference between the two is CBD doesnt make you high.
The problem is that when these 500 or more chemical compounds are exposed to the high
temperature of a burning joint, then the marijuana produces hundreds or thousands of
byproducts. Many of these are carcinogens. Marijuana smoke can contain up to 70 percent more
carcinogenic materials than tobacco smoke (The Truth).
The smoke itself isnt the biggest issue. The real problem with smoking marijuana is the
delivery system. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, now an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School, had a personal family experience with medical marijuana. In 1967 his
teenage son was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Chemotherapy left him with no
appetite, vomiting spells and nausea. The drugs that were supposed to help this boy didnt help
him. This Doctor Grinspoon did something he never thought he would do- he got his son
marijuana. Before his treatments, the boy would take a few puffs of marijuana and never again
did he suffer like he had been before the marijuana (The Truth).
In the medical world smoking is not an accepted way of administering medication. There
are so many variables in the smoking process, that it is impossible to come up with a dosage.
This is in part why the FDA approved Marinol, a low-dosage formulation of synthetic THC that
is put in a capsule. It is supposed to stimulate the appetite and control nausea and vomiting
associated with chemotherapy. It is a good option for people with cancer who dont respond
well to common drugs. The problem with Marinol is the body doesnt absorb it very well. Only

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about 10 to 20 percent is absorbed into the body. This makes it unpredictable so it works great
for some people and doesnt help others at all. Also it often makes those who use it for
medicinal purposes higher, than if they had just smoked pot. Again this is an absorption issue
(The Truth).
The challenge is for researchers to create a THC delivery method, that has a better absorption
and at the same time reducing the psychoactive effect. Researchers at this university have
developed a patch that is put above the gum line, and it delivers THC in a way that solves the
Marinol absorption problems. If this new product gets approved it could really be an effective
medicine for cancer patients (The Truth).
Again the problem has to do with absorption. Just the right amount could really help a sick
person, but too much could make them irritable and even psychotic. That is one of the reasons
there is a ban on marijuana. Even though marijuana has been around for hundreds of years, we
still dont know a lot about marijuana. One other issue that concerns the people at the university
is- that is seems many people are getting cards to use marijuana when they really arent sick. It
then becomes a legalization issue rather than medical. It was pointed out, that in Colorado the
population that uses marijuana for pain is mostly young people who should be pain free (The
Truth).
The official policy statement of the American Medical Association is that for now
marijuana should remain on the Schedule I Controlled Substance list. However the AMA sees a
potential for medicine so they are encouraging more studies on marijuana to determine the
medical possibilities. Mitch Wallick, the executive director of C.A.R.E. Addiction Recovery in

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Palm Beach, Florida explains it this way. Marijuana is a lousy drug but it can be a great
medication. This is the same for most medications. They can be used for medicinal purposes, or
they can be abused in order to alter mood and the reality of life. Marijuana is a dangerous drug,
that can wreck lives as can Valium, opiates, diet pills and even Tylenol. Any medicine that is
misused can be dangerous. Chemicals are neither good nor bad so we shouldnt make moral
judgments on substances, but rather the benefit-risk ratio of use versus nonuse. There is no
argument that marijuana has no good recreational use; however it clearly does have medical
benefits (Expert Opinions). Dr. Joyce Elders, former US Surgeon General said there is no
question, that evidence points out that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea,
vomiting and other symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS (Pros and Cons).
Opinion
In my opinion there is enough evidence to warrant continued research on marijuana. There
are too many cases where it has helped really sick people. The goal is to develop safe ways to
help people, who could really benefit from medical marijuana. It seems those who are really sick
have lost nearly all quality of life have nothing much too loose by using marijuana. At the same
time as research moves forward, there needs to be a tighter more realistic way of determining
who really needs marijuana, and who is just out there to get marijuana legally for recreation
purposes. Based on my reading, I support keeping marijuana as a Schedule I drug but also
support continued research on the medical value of marijuana. I believe if I was in great pain
and very sick, I would want to see if marijuana could help me.

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References

Medical Marijuana 11/7/2012 Historical Timeline- History of Marijuana as a Medicine

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org
Top 10 Pros and Cons 5/6/2009 Medical Marijuana
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org
Expert Opinions Medical Marijuana Pros and Cons
http://www.thesurvivaldoctor.com
Shortsleeve, C. The Truth About Medical Marijuana Mens Health 2013
http://www.menshealth.com
Is Marijuana Medicine? National Institute of Drug Abuse April 2014
http://www.drugabuse.gov
Marijuana: Facts for Teens National Institute on Drug Abuse March 2011
http://www.drugabuse.gov
What is Marijuana? Drug Free World
http://www.drugfreeworld.org
Levinthal, C.F. Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society 8th ed. Pearson