Should medical marijuana be legalized nationwide?

Team A

BCOM/275

October 9, 2011
UoP Instructor

Should medical marijuana be legalized nationwide?

The use of marijuana for the treatment of patients with serious health conditions is currently one of the top contentious debate topics in the United States. Until its prohibition in 1937, marijuana was one the top three most prescribed medicines in the United States. To date, 13 states have statutory laws legalizing medical marijuana; however, it is not legal at the federal level. Several pros and cons exist to support whether medical marijuana should be or not be legalized nationwide. The primary arguments in debating the pros and cons of legalizing medical marijuana nationwide focus primarily on medical benefits, disease prevention, medical risk, substance abuse, and legal issues. Many scientific professionals and patients claim medical marijuana provides some sort of medical benefits. Although it has been a contentious battle between the states and federal governments to legalize or not medical marijuana nationwide, there are three important points to take under consideration; first, marijuana is a potent analgesic in patients with chronic pain. Second, it is a strong anti-emetic for patients receiving cancer chemotherapy treatment. Third and most important, medical marijuana should be legal, so patients do not have to break the law to receive treatment.
Across the nation state organizations strictly supervise medical marijuana to ensure it is grown, sold, and used properly. According to “Harborside Health Center” (n.d.), which is one of the United States largest dispensaries of medical marijuana, “Harborside Health Center sees this as the key for achieving safe and legal access to medical cannabis for all suffering and sick Americans” (para. 3).
Physicians should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with chronic pain without fear of punishment by the federal government. Studies have proven medical marijuana can act as a natural herbal medicine, which is nontoxic and usually brings joys and promotes a normal life to those living in chronic pain. “Whole cannabis and its extracts provide an entourage of cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids that combine to create a synergy of benefits in holistic treatment of chronic and intractable pain” (Russo, MD, 2003, p2).
In addition, medical marijuana is an effective analgesics for people receiving cancer chemotherapy treatment. Cancer has many classifications; the most painful one is bone cancer in which many physicians recommend or prescribe medical marijuana. Some of the more serious symptoms of cancer are nausea, vomiting, and extreme weakness, which are side effects of some anticancer drugs. Controlling or diminishing symptoms resulting from anticancer drugs is critical for suffering patients.
Physicians prescribe medical marijuana based on the patient’s age, general medical condition, and other related factors. According to "Marijuana Use in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients" (2000), “Some anticancer drugs cause nausea and vomiting because they affect parts of the brain that control vomiting and/or irritate the stomach lining” (Nausea and Vomiting). Pain and suffering are always present in the seriously advanced cancer patients; therefore, these are the cases marijuana plays an important role as a medicine.
Patients require the legalization of medical marijuana to avoid him or her breaking the law while consuming the product in name of medicine. Patients with symptoms of chronic pain, nausea, and vomiting because of the effects of chemotherapy will endeavor to obtain marijuana as a medication even though it may not be legal to purchase it. Allowing patients to live in pain is difficult, and it even more arduous for patients who directly suffer in pain. However, patients or family members will find a way to obtain medical marijuana to facilitate pain relief. Therefore, to avoid these situations the federal government should consider legalizing medical marijuana nationwide. Another argument for legalizing medical marijuana is Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the key compound in marijuana. Recent studies have shown it may also be the key to help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. THC is a main component because; THC in marijuana has been shown to compound and block the formation of plaques that clog the brain in Alzheimer’s more efficiently than the current Alzheimer’s drugs. This discovery was made by a laboratory lead by Kim Janda, PhD, and director of the Worm Institute of Research and Medicine at Scripps Research Institute. According to statement made by Janda in a news release, (DeNoon, 2006), “While we are certainly not advocating the use of illegal drugs, these findings offer convincing evidence that THC possesses remarkable inhibitory qualities, especially when compared to [Alzheimer's drugs] currently available to patients” (para. 4). Janda stated, (DeNoon, 2006), “Although our study is far from final, it does show that there is a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which THC may directly affect the progression of Alzheimer's disease” (para. 4). The team of researchers on Janda’s team discovered that THC blocks an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase. According to Janda’s team, (DeNoon, 2006), “Acetylcholinesterase speeds the formation of amyloid plaque in the brains of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease” (para. 6). Aricept and Cognex are generally used for Alzheimer’s disease. Janda's studies have proven, (DeNoon, 2006), “When tested at double the concentration of THC, Aricept blocked plaque formation only 22% as well as THC, and Cognex blocked plaque formation only 7% as well as THC” (para. 7). The studies have shown THC not only helps to improve the disease of Alzheimer’s, but it also may prevent the symptoms and advancement of Alzheimer’s by combining it with Aricept and Cognex. One of the biggest reasons it is hard to link marijuana to Alzheimer’s is because doctors still do not know the exact cause of Alzheimer’s. Doctors who do not support the therapeutic effectiveness of cannabis for Alzheimer’s still use marijuana to ease patient’s symptoms.

The side effects of marijuana as hallucinogen is the primary reason physicians recommend it is used as medical sedative in the relief of a patient’s discomfort. Additionally, marijuana has also been found to relieve symptoms of many other major diseases. This includes glaucoma, asthma, and muscle spasms. Marijuana also helps with appetite for people who suffer with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS patients generally lose their appetite because of the medication they use.

Medical marijuana assists the terminally ill patients in leading a better quality of life. By smoking marijuana it can give rapid relief to patients suffering significantly from serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s. This quickly improves the mental and comfort outlook on life by the terminally ill so they can still maintain their human dignity and experience with less suffering.

Legalizing medical marijuana has several inherent risks. For example, legalizing medical marijuana nationwide will have unintended negative effects and fuels the argument against this initiative. The first negative effect is commonly known as the gateway effect. The gateway effect is the correlation between marijuana use and the subsequent use of more illicit drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD. Scientific models and studies from a number of different countries and cultures support the existence of the gateway effect. “A proportional hazards model demonstrated that those using marijuana more than 50 times per year were 140 times more likely to progress to hard drugs than those test subjects using no cannabis” (Morral, McCaffrey, & Paddock, 2002, p. 6). Another perspective is drug use rarely initiates with a hard core drug and regresses to marijuana. As Morral, McCaffrey, and Paddock (2002) state, “A longitudinal study of 1265 New Zealand citizens identified as drug abusers revealed only three cases (.237 percent) in which hard drug use was initiated prior to marijuana use” (para. 10). The previous two examples demonstrate the relationship between the use of marijuana leading to more illicit drug use with science as the foundation to back the concept of the gateway effect.

Additionally, another argument against the legalization of medical marijuana nationwide crosses into the ethical and moral boundaries of practicing medicine. Specifically, prescribing marijuana to patients has the potential for secondary on personal health. The primary responsibility of physicians is to cure patients, not to cause other illnesses in the process of healing. The British Lung Foundation highlights, “Studies comparing the clinical effects of cannabis smokers have demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of chronic and acute respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough, bronchitis episodes, and respiratory cancer” (A Smoking Gun, 2002, p. 2). Of course, the same could be said of normal tobacco use; however, the typical method of smoking marijuana involves a longer inhalation rate and greater opportunity for carbon monoxide to attack the lungs. One other health effect of medical marijuana use is the potential to weaken the patient’s immune system. “Infections of the lung are due to a combination of marijuana smoking-related damage to cells lining the bronchial passage and impairment of the principal immune cells in the small air sacs caused by cannabis” (A Smoking Gun, 2002, p. 2). Physicians, as the healers of society must consider the implications of prescribing medical marijuana, morally, and ethically in relation to the health of the patient.

Finally, the most compelling argument in opposition of legalizing medical marijuana nationwide is the conflict between state and federal laws. According to Americans for Safe Access Association (2011), “Federal law still considers marijuana a dangerous illegal drug with no acceptable medical value. Also to further substantiate the position the United States Supreme Court upheld a ruling of federal government as the constitutional authority to prohibit marijuana for all purposes” (para. 9). The Supreme Courts position empowers the federal government to prosecute medical marijuana patients, even if they reside in a state where medical marijuana use is legal in accordance with state law (Americans for Safe Access Association, 2011). Further investigation shows numerous federal cases in which judges would not allow medical marijuana as a defense, even though a physician recommended the use as a pain control substance and legalized by current state of residence. Even if the remaining states legalize medical marijuana today, the federal government considers marijuana use, possession, and distribution against the law and chargeable as a federal offense. The practice of using marijuana to treat patients with serious health conditions has been prevalent in the medical community for many years. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 13 states, but legalization is not yet at the federal level. The supporting arguments primarily include examples of patients suffering from various medical ailments, which result in chronic pain and nausea. The argument in support of the legalization of medical marijuana nationwide depended primarily on emotional appeal, and less on scientific data to validate the pro position. The second supporting argument indicated emotional appeal similar to the first. However, this argument referenced some scientific studies, which showed how THC directly affects the advancement of Alzheimer's. On the other hand, the contention against legalizing medical marijuana referenced substantiated data from multiple scientific studies to show using marijuana can include social implications such serving as a “gateway” drug to more illicit drugs. Additionally, the argument against legal medical marijuana provided statistics based on medical research to demonstrate the secondary respiratory complications caused by smoking marijuana. The conflict between state and federal laws is also more persuasive than the other arguments because of research provided regarding federal case law. Based on the analysis of each argument, the cons outlined against the legalization of medical marijuana nationwide are more compelling and persuasive than the arguments in support. Therefore, Team A concludes medical marijuana should not be legalized nationwide because of the advancement of more illicit drug use, secondary respiratory complications, and the federal prohibitions.

References
Cannabis in the clinic? The medical marijuana debate. . Retrieved from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/marijuana.html
Armentano, P. Recent research on medical marijuana. Retrieved from http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002
DeNoon, D. J. (2006 ). Marijuana may slow Alzheimer's. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20061006/marijuana-may-slow-alzheimers
Can marijuana help treat Alzheimer's disease, Retreived on 10/05/2011 http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=00130
Americans for Safe Access. (2011). Retrieved from http://wwwsafeaccessnow.org/article.php?
Morral, A., McCaffrey, D., & Paddock, S. (2002). Reassessing the Marijuana Gateway Effect. Arlington, VA: RAND.
A Smoking Gun?. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.nationalfamilies.org/brain/a_smoking_gun