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Erin Price
Professor Dursema
English 1010
24 April 2015

Medical Marijuana

Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that has many therapeutic properties for a vast
amount diseases and disorders, however it is only legal for medicinal use in a handful of
states in the U.S. Marijuana is an incredibly safe drug; it is not known to cause lethal
overdoses or fatal side effects, however, it still needs to have controlled drug regulations
because like any other drug, it can cause impairment. The benefits of medical marijuana
are clear, and the risks of using it for therapeutic uses are relatively low. It is strange that
marijuana is a schedule I drug (meaning it has the highest abuse potential and risk for
addiction), and is illegal to obtain, while cocaine and opioid analgesic medications are in
the schedule II class, and are perfectly legal to obtain with a valid prescription. Medical
marijuana should be legalized in the U.S. with controlled prescription regulations because
it benefits a wide variety of patients suffering with chronic conditions. It has been shown
that cannabis is just as effective, if not more effective than other medications that are on
the market to treat many disorders.

Medical marijuana can be used in other ways than just being smoked. It is
effective being absorbed by vaporization, ingestion in foods, and even as topical

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treatments. Marijuana can even be synthesized into oil, or a tincture for use by the
sublingual route. Smoking marijuana can be associated with chronic bronchitis, however
there are many other methods for treatment with marijuana that do not involve the
dangers of smoking. Frequent use of marijuana has also been linked with tachycardia,
which is an usually high heart rate. However, a study that was conducted by Mukamal K,
et al) determined it was unclear whether the tachycardia was due to marijuana use or
heart stress (111).

Opioid medications are dangerous, and highly addictive, however they have been
shown to effectively treat chronic pain. Opioid analgesics are derivatives of opium, and
can cause detrimental, even life threatening side effects on several organ systems in the
human body. Baldini, Van Korff, and Lin explain that a study amongst Medicare patients
with arthritis found that Opioid therapy was associated with a 77% increased risk of
cardiovascular events. Chronic opioid use can cause severe liver damage, bowel
obstruction, and other serious side effects that can ultimately lead to death. A study at
the University of Iowa Clinical Research Center found that oral THC (the active
ingredient in marijuana) doses of 5mg to 10mg was nearly as effective as 60mg of
Codeine for relieving pain in 36 terminal cancer patients, with effects lasting several
hours. (Noyes RJ, et al)(66). Marijuana blocks pathways that are associated with pain in
the nervous system so it has been shown to effectively replace opioid medications, or at
least decrease the amount of them one must take to get their severe pain under control.
Marijuana also has excellent anti-inflammatory properties to relieve other types of pain
like arthritis.

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According to the United States Utah Department of Health, Just in Utah alone,
prescription overdoses have increased over 400% since 2000, and prescription opioid
deaths even outnumbered car accident fatalities in 2007. With this in mind, there has
never been a lethal overdose caused by marijuana. The receptor cells in the human body
that interact with marijuana are scarce in the brainstem. Our brainstem controls many
vital functions like breathing, and digestion so even at extremely high doses marijuana
does not interfere with these functions and thats why it is unlikely to see a lethal
overdose of marijuana. Marijuana is an incredibly safe drug, and is not physical
addictive like opioids and other medications, meaning that one would not experience
physical withdrawals once stopping the medication, even after chronic use.

There is a medication that is on the market and FDA approved as an anti-nauseant

and also an appetite stimulant for those suffering with AIDS, Hepatitis C, and cancer.
Dronabinol, is a concentrated form of THC that comes as oil in an oral capsule, it comes
in multiple strengths and has been proven to effectively treat these disorders. It is a
schedule III controlled substance and is perfectly legal to obtain with a valid prescription.
Cannabis has the same active ingredient, THC and is a fraction of the cost of dronabinol.
Treatment with dronabinol can cost thousands of dollars, and many health insurance
companies refuse to pay for it because medical marijuana remains illegal. Medical
marijuana has been shown to be successful at treating anti-nausea as well. In New
Mexico, New York, and Tennessee, smoked marijuana proved to be effective in 90% of
patients, and to be superior to oral THC like drobaniol. (Gieringer, et al, 41) The

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University of California at San Francisco and an Oakland substance abuse clinic found
that marijuana use dramatically improved the effectiveness of hepatitis C therapy.
(Gieringer, et al, 50)

There have been many claims and studies to support that marijuana can
successfully treat a mind-blowing amount of other diseases and disorders like epilepsy,
glaucoma, arthritis, and even psychological disorders like depression and anxiety.
According to Joan Bello, marijuana can reduce plaque in arteries, contribute to growth of
new neurons in the brain, and even kill brain tumors in rats (39). It has also been seen as
a substitute to help people wean off of alcohol and other dangerous medications and
drugs. Of course, the medicinal use of marijuana should be regulated because it is not
necessarily harmless. It does impair cognitive functions and short-term memory
processes, and should have regulations so that patients are aware of these dangers.

The science and studies that are out there are reason enough for marijuana to be
legalized with strict regulations like other controlled, scheduled medications. For many
patients suffering, the reward outweighs the risks of marijuana. Doctors and patients
should be well educated about medical marijuana to determine whether it is a good
option. Like all medications, marijuana has harmful side effects, and risks to be
considered before taking it. The legalization of medical marijuana would potentially lead
to more scientific studies and clinical trials. More clinical trials and studies would lead to
a better understanding of the benefits of using marijuana as a medicine, and it would also
bring awareness to what side effects it has.

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Works Cited

Gieringer, Dale, Ed Rosenthal, Gregory T. Carter. Marijuana Medical Handbook:

Practical Guide to the Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana. Oakland: Quick American, 2008.
Print.

Bello, Joan. The Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual.

Susquehanna: Lifeservices Press, 2008. Print.

Baldini, AnGee, Michael Von Korff, Elizabeth H. B. Lin. A Review of Potential

Adverse Effects of Long-Term Opioid Therapy: A Practioners Guide.
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library
of Medicine. 14 Jun. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Prescription Drug Overdoses. Health.utah.gov. vState of Utah. n.d.. Web. 10 Apr.

1015.

Volkow, Nora, Ruben D. Baler, Wilson Compton, Susan Weiss. Adverse Health Effects
of Marijuana Use. Nejm.org. Massachusetts Medical Society, 5 June 2014. Web. 1 April
2015.

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Fields, Howard L. The Doctors Dilemma: opiate analgesics and chronic pain.
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library
of Medicine. 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.