Pro Medical Marijuana Legalization

Release the Green! Cannabis, or marijuana, should be legalized for medicinal usage because of its beneficial effects on a wide array of patients and diseases. It is a natural plant that is grown containing THC, a chemical that causes psychoactive reactions. Cannabis is an effective way to treat Alzheimer 's disease, symptoms of the terminally ill, mood disorders, chronic pain, conditions in which conventional medicines have no effect or have negative side-effects on the patient, Tourette 's Syndrome, HIV symptoms, and incontinence. In short, Cannabis has many positive and beneficial uses within the medicinal field. Maria L. de Ceballos, PhD, said: "Our results indicate that cannabinoid receptors are important in the pathology of AD [Alzheimer 's disease] and that cannabinoids succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the disease." The ingredients in cannabis slow down the process of deterioration within the brain enabling the Alzheimer 's patient to live a prolonged life. As positive results occur, the patient will become more accepting of the regressive disease they possess. As the patient keeps their disease under control, he/she is now capable of carrying out everyday tasks he/she would have done before the disease. Therefore, it can be argued that cannabis can assist with treatment of Alzheimer 's disease. In 2005, Ceballos 's team conducted a study where rats were injected with amyloid-beta peptide—a protein thought to be the cause of Alzheimer 's Disease—then administered synthetic cannibinoids to observe the effects it had on their brains. The studies conducted by Ceballos team found that the cannabis prevented cognitive impairment, meaning that it was successful in blocking out the effects of Alzheimer 's Disease. They also found that the cannibinoids reduced inflammation within the brain that is often associated with Alzheimer 's disease. Basically, their studies proved that cannabis was successful in assisting with the treatment of Alzheimer 's Disease. The smoking of cannabis can help alleviate the symptoms of the terminally ill. The Institute of Medicine published in its Mar. 1999 report titled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base": "For terminal patients suffering debilitating pain or nausea and for whom all indicated medications have failed to provide relief, the medical benefits of smoked marijuana might outweigh the harm." Nausea these patients experience from chemotherapy can be alleviated with marijuana by blocking pain receptors to mask the feeling. The risks of smoking cannabis are significantly lower for terminally ill patients because they have a limited amount of time left to live. The time it would take for a new condition to possibly occur, the likelihood of the patient still being alive would be slim. By smoking cannabis, these patients can make the remaining time left in their lives more enjoyable and bearable due to the relaxing effects cannabis has on the body without the side-effects of other mainstream prescription drugs. Bill Zimmerman, PhD, stated in his 1998 book Is Marijuana the Right Medicine For You?: "Some patients have found the mood altering effects of marijuana to be helpful for treating mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar (manic-depressive) illness.” Cannabis is beneficial to patients with these mood disorders because it does things like stimulate appetites and elevate moods. As the individual 's mood begins to heighten, they develop a better outlook on life and their condition begins to subside with the continued use of cannabis. With continued use and a better attitude and outlook, they are now capable of participating in normal activities within their daily lives without suffering from their diseases. To a person with one of these disorders, the use of medical cannabis could be the choice between a healthy, liveable lifestyle and a miserable, debilitating lifestyle. In a clinical study, rats were injected with low doses of cannabinoids then put through a test to measure their levels of depression. The team of researcher 's found that the rats injected with the low dose of cannibinoids had significantly lower levels of depression when compared to those of the rats not injected. Dr. Gabriella Gobbi published in the October 24 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience: "Low doses had a potent anti-depressant effect.” The study performed by these researchers proved that in low doses, cannabis has positive effects on patients with depression. Cannabis is an effective drug for relieving chronic pain in many patients. Denis Petro, MD, wrote in a paper: “The evidence in support of cannabis as a treatment for pain exists both in preclinical animal studies and in a small number of clinical trials.” Medical marijuana works faster than most other medications to relieve pain because it travels straight into the bloodstream and into pain receptors to block the pain being felt. Therefore, cannabis is preferred by many patients who suffer from chronic pain because of its ability to quickly relieve their unbearable symptoms. Researchers at Germany 's University of Heidelberg conducted a study where patients were given daily oral doses of THC ranging from 2.5-15 milligrams for pain. After the study was completed, all patients said that they had a high reduction in daily pain. Cannabis, which contains a high amount of THC, is an effective way to cure chronic pain when used on a consistent basis. When a patient finds that they do not respond to conventional opioid drugs—prescription drugs such as painkillers—, he/she may turn to medical marijuana for relief. In Denis Petro 's paper, he also stated: “Considering the alternative of addictive drugs such as the opiate analgesics, patients may opt for the relative safety of cannabis.” Cannabis is a great alternative to prescription drugs because it rarely has adverse side-effects such as constipation. It is a safe drug because an individual cannot become addicted to it if used too long as a conventional medicinal user would. Medical marijuana can also be used for patients with Tourette 's Syndrome, a syndrome that causes an individual to make involuntary movements. A study was done where 10 milligrams of THC, an active ingredient in marijuana, was given to a patient with severe Tourette 's Syndrome. After administration of the drug, his “tic score” fell from a high score of 47 to 7 within two hours of the seven hour study. Researcher 's at Germany 's Medical School of Hanover reported "significant improvement of tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) after treatment with delta-9-THC compared to placebo.” in a March 1999 issue of the “American Journal of Psychiatry”. This means that the person has reduced symptoms of their disease after administration of the THC, proving it an effective was to help relieve symptoms of Tourette 's Syndrome. Cannabis is used in patients with HIV to restore an appetite since one of the main symptoms of this disease is loss of appetite. The Institute of Medicine concluded in its Mar. 1999 report titled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base": "The profile of cannabinoid drug effects suggest that they are promising for treating wasting syndrome in AIDS patients.” Although this method has not yet been scientifically proven in clinical trials, it has still shown to be highly effective in treating symptoms of wasting syndrome within patients infected with HIV. Cannabis can also be used for incontinence—a loss of control of the bladder—caused by a number of different things. Investigators at Oxford’s Centre for Enablement in Britain wrote in the February 2003 issue of the journal “Clinical Rehabilitation”: “self-administered doses of whole-plant cannabinoid extracts improved bladder control compared to placebo in patients suffering from MS and spinal cord injury.” In 2006, a study was conducted where 630 patients were given oral doses of cannabis extracts, known as THC, for relief of their symptoms. These patients experienced 38 percent less episodes as they did before administration of the drug. This study has proven that THC extracted from cannabis helps to reduce the number of incontinence episodes a patient experiences. In conclusion, cannabis has a wide array of uses within the medical field that all bear positive effects. Medical marijuana should be legalized in all states because of the advantages it can bring to patients suffering from many diseases, conditions, and syndromes.
Works Cited
Bill Zimmerman, PhD. “Is Marijuana the Right Medicine For You?” book. 1998. E-book. October 1, 2013.
Denis Petro, MD. "Spasticity and Chronic Pain" report. 1997. Web. October 8, 2013.
Institute of Medicine. "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base" report. March 1999. Web. October 1, 2013.
Investigators at Oxford’s Centre for Enablement. “Clinical Rehabilitation” journal. February 2003. Web. October 18, 2013.
Maria L. de Ceballos, PhD. “Prevention of Alzheimer 's disease Pathology by Cannabinoids: Neuroprotection Mediated by Blockage of Microglial Activation ”Journal of Neuroscience. February 23, 2005. Web. October 1, 2013.
Mueller Vahl, . N.p.. Web. 21 Oct 2013. .
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Cited: Bill Zimmerman, PhD. “Is Marijuana the Right Medicine For You?” book. 1998. E-book. October 1, 2013. Denis Petro, MD. "Spasticity and Chronic Pain" report. 1997. Web. October 8, 2013. Institute of Medicine. "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base" report. March 1999. Web. October 1, 2013. Investigators at Oxford’s Centre for Enablement. “Clinical Rehabilitation” journal. February 2003. Web. October 18, 2013. Maria L. de Ceballos, PhD. “Prevention of Alzheimer 's disease Pathology by Cannabinoids: Neuroprotection Mediated by Blockage of Microglial Activation ”Journal of Neuroscience. February 23, 2005. Web. October 1, 2013. Mueller Vahl, . N.p.. Web. 21 Oct 2013. . . N.p.. Web. 23 Oct 2013. . . N.p.. Web. 17 Oct 2013. . ScienceDaily, . N.p.. Web. 23 Oct 2013. .