Medical Marijuana as the Alternative Medicine - Essay Example

Medical Marijuana: The Alternative Medicine Abstract The essay aims to present the benefits and advantages of marijuana for medical purposes and to persuade the readers on its potentials as alternative medicine in identified interventions. Medical Marijuana: The Alternative Medicine Terminal diseases such as AIDS and cancer remained to be incurable. People with these diseases suffer from unbearable pain and tremendous effects of special treatments and chemotherapy. Medical practitioners and professionals are searching for alternative treatments that would relieve pain and adverse side effects. In line with this, researchers have found that marijuana produces a significant analgesic effect and is effective against weight loss, nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy (Kneisl, 2009, 338). However, the use of medical marijuana remains to be the center of debate with regards to legalization. But why should the state legalize the use of marijuana? To give light to the question, there are two categories of marijuana based on its usage, to wit: medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. Medical marijuana refers to marijuana that is used to alleviate undesirable effects of certain medications, treatments, and diseases. Recreational marijuana, on the other hand, refers to marijuana that is used to satisfy personal gratification or to achieve sense of euphoria. Thus, if legalization would be made for the sake of medical right, patients don’t have to endure extreme pain. Aside from usage, there are also two types of marijuana based on leaf appearance and effects. One of them is cannabis sativa. Cannabis sativa leaves are long, thin fingered, and light green. Its buds smell sweet, fruity, and perfumed. Its effect is energetic and uplifting, mostly cerebral. It gives a feeling of optimism and well-being, pain relief, and is hallucinogenic. Unlike sativa, cannabis indica leaves are short, wide fingered and deep green. Its bud is pungent. It gives relaxation, stress relief, and overall body pain relief. It is also used to treat insomnia. Marijuana for the terminally ill is still a debate between right and legality. It is a human right to live free from pain and suffering as well as to make self-determined decisions regarding managing health care in collaboration with the physician (Younts, 2005, 6). The plant exists and widely available, so why not used it to the benefit of those patients? With state regulatory organization, the fear of using marijuana in recreational use might be avoided. If an individual is suffering from a debilitating condition and relief for symptoms is present, we should not deny the right of this individual to choose the right treatment that would ease the discomfort. “The FDA has approved a drug known as Marinol, which contains THC, the active psychotropic ingredient of Cannabis sativa and a controlled substance, for oral use in treating both loss of appetite due to the AIDS-wasting syndrome and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting” (Cohen, 2006, 20). Likewise, the marijuana also contains the same compound THC. The only difference is that Marinol is a synthetic compound while marijuana is a hemp plant. If they both have the same active compound, maybe, we could use the marijuana legally for medical purposes. With all these debates regarding marijuana, a story in the 1994 issue of AIDS Weekly Magazine emerged. Christin Kehoe, a city councilwoman in California, said that she support the medicinal use of marijuana (Henderson, 1994, 6). Marijuana can be a drug of necessity to clients with glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and depression. The Public Services and Safety Committee heard testimony from cancer and glaucoma patients who said that marijuana lessens side effects of chemotherapy and nausea (Henderson, 1994, 6). According to the doctors, marijuana drastically reduces the eye pressure for patients with glaucoma (Henderson, 1994, 6). The same goes with individuals suffering from AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis who reported that the pain, nausea and vomiting brought by this diseases was alleviated (Henderson, 1994, 6). The benefits of treating terminal diseases using marijuana were clearly presented. What about marijuana in terms of treating depression? According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), depression is a serious mental illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. It has a variety of symptoms, but the most common are a deep feeling of sadness or a marked loss of interest or pleasure in activities. Since we stated earlier that cannabis sativa can make a person energetic and can provide sense of optimism and wellness, marijuana is a good option to treat client’s depression. There are also depressions that are characterized as manic. According also to American Psychiatric Association (APA), manic depression is a brain disorder that causes shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. It can cause dramatic mood swings - from high and feeling on top of the world, or uncomfortably irritable and 'revved up,' to sad and hopeless, often with periods of normal moods in between. Because this disorder is a recurrent illness, long-term preventive treatment is strongly recommended. Cannabis indica can be also used to these clients to provide a sense of relaxation and treat insomnia related to manic attacks. In fact, it has been used during ancient times dated 2737 B.C. as a Chinese tradition in treating euphoria. Jay Cavanaugh, PhD, National Director for the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, in his 2003 article Cannabis and Depression, wrote “Patients reported significant improvement and stabilization with their bipolar disorder when they utilize adjunctive therapy with medical cannabis. While some mental health professionals worry about the impact of cannabis on aggravating manic states, most bipolar patients trying cannabis find they 'cycle' less often and find significant improvement in overall mood. Bipolar disorders vary tremendously in the time spent in the depressive versus manic states. Those who experience extended depressive episodes are more likely to be helped with cannabis. Patients who use cannabis to 'relax' may be treating the anxiousness sometimes associated with depression. Cannabis aids the insomnia sometimes present in depression and can improve appetite. Better pain control with cannabis can reduce chronic pain related depression. While cannabis cannot yet be considered a primary treatment of major depression it may improve mood when used under physician’s supervision and in combination with therapy and/or SSRI’s” (Cavanaugh, 2003, 19) It was also reported that patients who used cannabis not only diminished undesirable moods but motivated them to productivity. Some women also reported benefits from using marijuana in improving premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (Zimmerman, 1998). With regards to which is safer between alcohol and marijuana, the latter one is the answer. Marijuana requires a thousand doses to reach death. It seems very theoretical because there has never been a recorded case of marijuana overdose. Alcohol on the other hand, with ten times used, can lead to death (Gable, 2006). Public perception is one of the greatest barriers in allowing use of marijuana in medical purposes. If FDA approved the Marinol (a synthetic THC), then why not eliminate the faulty reasoning and logical fallacies? Many people who need comfort and relief will benefit from legalization of medical marijuana. References Cavanaugh, J. (2003). "Cannabis and Depression," American Alliance for Medical Cannabis. Cohen, P. J. (2006). Medical Marijuana, Compassionate Use, and Public Policy: Expert Opinion or Vox Populi? Hastings Center Report, 36(3), 19-22 Gable, R. (May-June 2006). The American Scientist. Magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. Henderson, C. (1994). "Council Committee Urges Easing on Marijuana Laws".  AIDS Weekly, p. 6. Kneisl, C. R. (2009). Contemporary Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (2nd Ed.) Pearson Education Inc., pp. 338 Younts, K. (2005). Last resorts and fundamental rights: the substantive process implications of prohibitions on medical marijuana. Harvard Law Review, 118(6), 1985-2006. Zimmerman, B (1998). Is Marijuana The Right Medicine For You? 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