From the age of twelve and older nearly 40% of our country, about 98 million Americans, has used Cannabis sativa for its psychological and physiological effects in much the same way as it has been throughout recorded history (AMA Council). This lengthy past has constructed a harsh stigma around the plant and those who smoke it, sparking demonstrations, laws and cult classic anti-drug films. As modern science begins to understand how to apply its effects to medicine, this stigma persists. This conjured cloud of misunderstandings and myths confuses the issue, effectively hiding what medicine has already decided; Cannabis has a significant possibility to relief suffering for many different patients.
[...] This is a boon for many reasons, first of which, chronic Opioid use comes with extreme addiction, both physical and psychological, and terrible withdrawal syndrome, both of which Cannabis lacks. Chronic use of Opioids also saps the body of nutrients and can harm the Immune System and kidneys. For this reason some patients use a combination of the two to fully control their symptoms(Russo, Guy, Robson)8. Now that many different illnesses have been put forward that are helped by Cannabis, it is only fair to put forward a study that shows the reason the government may have been wrong about Cannabis' analgesic effects (Wallace).[11] The study did conclude that pain was reduced by inhaled Cannabis, but the circumstances were particular. [...]
[...] So to recap, studies and observations show that medical Cannabis most likely creates no long term complications, is not in any way a detriment to society and its inhaled form is much preferred by patients hoping to avoid too high a dose rather than an oral extract. Now, as to there being safer alternative medication, we must explore each individual illness. This paper will restrict itself to Fibromyalgia, Tourette's syndrome, Cancer and AIDs pain relief, Insomnia, Multiple sclerosis, Glaucoma, and Cerebral Palsy. [...]
[...] Kahan argues, most patients who were treated with a dose of oral THC, one of the active compounds in Cannabis, actually preferred how quickly the effects of inhaled Cannabis were felt. It was easier for them to judge how much they needed to ingest to fully sate their symptoms without going over the limit. Dr. Kahan failed to realize when making this argument that it is much harder for a patient to measure how much the drug effects him or her when the effects do not peak until four hours after it was taken. [...]
[...] Having lost a majority of her motor control she struggles to finish a simple sentence and is unable to move her entire left arm (Patterson)4. Doctors unable to treat her, she has assumed that Cannabis is her only option for treatment. "It helps my speech. I'm calmer, less rushed. I can control my muscles. It's kind of nice. I don't make as many funny faces”, she says about smoking the drug. She's not making this up either, that this treatment restores both her speech to near normal and returns some function to her arm by relaxing muscle tension is immediately apparent on camera. [...]
[...] Insomnia is another medical issue that Cannabis has been claimed to improve; especially those caused by neurological illnesses and chronic pain disorders. A small group of researchers from GW Pharmaceuticals details clinical trials of Sativex, an oral THC extract, and its relation to sleep in a study published this year. Consisting of over one thousand patient years in a study of 2,000 patients, some evaluated over the course of up to four years, the study brought to light some interesting facts. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
