Medical Marijuana: A Fog of Misconceptions

When you hear the term medical marijuana, does your mind automatically conjures images of an individual smoking a joint? Or do you picture a prescription bottle full of weed
?
Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, glands, immune cells, and connective tissues. The main goal of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain a stable internal environment within the cell despite a fluctuating external environment. Endocannabinoids promote the death of cancer cells and help minimize the pain and damage caused by an injury. Endocannabinoids also increase appetite, reduce nausea, and could play a role in many autoimmune diseases.
The body synthesizes two main forms of endocannabinoids: anandamide and 2-AG. Research laboratories can produce synthetic cannabinoids which mirror the actions of our natural cannabinoids. THC is the most common synthetic which activates the same pathways in the brain as endocannabinoids. THC can be found in a pill form which can be prescribed by doctors for patient use. Herbal cannabis or marijuana can contain over one hundred different cannabinoids, including THC, which all work together to produce stronger effects than THC alone. This is where medical marijuana comes into play. Synthetic versions of cannabinoids created within the lab do not produce the same medical effects as marijuana. Although smoking often produces the best results, cannabis can be utilized in a variety of ways including vaporizers and topical solutions.

Medical marijuana has many benefits that mirror those demonstrated by the endocannabinoid system:

• Increased appetite
• Reduced nausea
• Induced apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells
• Acute pain reduction
• Reduction of inflammation
• Treatment of glaucoma
• Management of chronic pain
• Management of symptoms of autoimmune diseases
• Management of a mental disorders
• Reduction of seizures

These benefits are essential to the treatment and management of many human conditions. In some cases, cannabis and THC are the only or best option for treatment.
Why then is there such controversy surrounding legalizing medical marijuana? The negative side effects of marijuana, the potential for abuse, and the recreational use of marijuana provide strong arguments as to why we should not legalize medical marijuana. Side effects include:

• Loss of inhibition
• Reduced concentration and memory
• Increased heart rate
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Reddened eyes
• Restlessness
• Hallucinations
• Distorted perception of time and space
• A feeling of relaxation and wellbeing (feeling high)

Future research is focused on developing a synthetic cannabinoid that mirrors the strong benefits of marijuana but lacks the negative psychotic effects that it has on individuals. This new product could potentially replace the medical use of marijuana. The abuse potential for marijuana is relatively low, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) only about 1 in 11 users become addicted. The main concern is marijuana’s potential as a “gateway drug.” A gateway drug is a drug used at a young age that can lead to future use of more addictive and dangerous chemicals such as heroin or cocaine. Although marijuana can be seen as a gateway drug, I do not believe that the legalization of medical marijuana will increase the recreational use of marijuana.
Although we as a society have many concerns regarding the negative side effects of legalizing medical marijuana, do we have the right to refuse treatment for those individuals who will greatly benefit from the prescription use of marijuana?
Sources:

Why People Smoke Weed.

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Medical-Marijuana-Scrapped-For-Now-in-Nebraska-305204651.html
http://www.crengineering.net/portfolio-medical-marijuana-facilities.html
nida.com