The 'WEED' Controversy: The Science Behind Medical Marijuana

Weed. Gangha. Maryjane. MJ. Pot. Burn. Smoke. These are a few words used by people when referring to the product of the plant, cannabis sativa (the scientific name) or marijuana. This post is intended to shed some light on this long-prohibited plant, its therapeutic uses over time, and some other things that may enlighten you about marijuana and its therapeutic properties. It isn't just a 'drug' any longer, its benefits and usefulness in treating patients with many conditions has been studied in other countries, and is now beginning to be recognized and studied in the United States.

This is not my original photograph. It was borrowed from this web site: Click Here

Prior to 1937, marijuana was widely used and prescribed therapeutically in the United States for multiple reasons, therapeutically. With the dawning ofThe Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and subsequent legislation, such as the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana use became prohibited in the United States, much to the consternation of millions of marijuana supporters and/or users. Not only was it prohibited and illegal to possess and/or use marijuana, it was deemed criminal to possess and/or use marijuana at all. Furthermore, marijuana was then classed as a Schedule Class I psychoactive drug in the early 1970's, which you can learn more about here. 

The American Nurses Association supports safe and legal access to therapeutic (medical) marijuana, and has for several years now (Click here for more information). On that note, I must add that I do not write for that organization, nor do I have any affiliation with the ANA at this point. I am simply writing from my own point of view, as a nurse and a concerned citizen, and adding supporting evidence and citations as I do so.

Research about the marijuana plant and its medical uses has been on the rise in recent years, especially in Israel. The country of Israel is ahead of its time with airport security, so it's no surprise that Israel has been studying marijuana's uses and conducting clinical trials in regard to its many astounding medical uses for years. Marijuana has been studied there for a very long time, and there are several conditions in which the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids are being studied currently. You can read about some of that research here.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, whose research with marijuana as early as the 1960's has earned him the nickname "The Father of Marijuana Research" was interviewed by the online news magazine, NoCamels, and that interview is not only an interesting read, it's informative and exciting. Dr. Mechoulam has been touted as the leading researcher in the field of medical marijuana studies, and is said to be responsible for identifying many of the 70 plus cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant, which may all be effective in treating and/or curing several diseases and symptoms of disease in the future. 

Research expansion here in the United States has been slow and grueling , due to a complicated federal approval process among other concerns and obstacles (American Nurses Association, 2014). Perhaps with the airing of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary on CNN last year (which you can view below), research will take hold in the United States. It certainly has the ability to open thousands of new avenues for evidence-based research in the field of health care. There could be answers to curing cancer, diabetes, or other chronic and potentially life-threatening illnesses found in the cannabinoids of the marijuana plant. 

Like the little 6 year-old girl in the following documentary, Charlotte Fiji (Charlie, for short), who suffered from more than 300 seizures a week, related to Dravet Syndrome, children suffering from epilepsy could be helped with a simple sublingual (placed under the tongue) oil. 

Charlie's parents used many combinations of pharmaceuticals to alleviate the seizure activity their child was experiencing on a daily basis, without a noticeable positive effect. When they started using medicinal oil that was extracted from a specifically hybridized marijuana plant, however, Charlie's condition improved dramatically. The plant was grown by a team of six brothers, who share the surname 'Stanley', and own and operate dispensaries and a growing farm for medical marijuana in Colorado. 

The strain of plant used contained less than 1% THC (the portion of cannabinoid that gives people the 'high' effect) and more than 21% CBD's, which is a therapeutic cannabinoid, and does not produce the 'high' effect in users. In fact, little Charlie's condition improved so quickly and vastly, that Dr. Sanjay Gupta was amazed. This documentary is a must watch for those who need more valid information about the miraculous and therapeutic effects of medical marijuana. 
  
In composing this post, I simply wanted to shed some light on the controversy surrounding the legalization of medical marijuana, maybe break through some of the untruths that the public has been spoon fed in regard to marijuana and its many uses, especially highlighted in films such as "Reefer Madness", and hopefully clear up some of the fallacies surrounding the marijuana controversy. 

If you click here you can read more about a study claiming that it can reverse certain symptoms of dementia. Marijuana cannabinoids have also been studied and shown to improve the brain function of people with traumatic brain injuries, and people with dementia. 

Perhaps in the future information and research will be more abundant and forthcoming in regard to medical marijuana and its various therapeutic uses.  

Sources:

In support of patients' safe access to therapeutic marijuana. (2008, December 12). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/Positions-and-Resolutions/ANAPositionStatements/Position-Statements-Alphabetically/In-Support-of-Patients-Safe-Access-to-Therapeutic-Marijuana.pdf

Sirven, J., & Shafer, P. (2014, March). What is Dravet syndrome? Retrieved from http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-epilepsy-syndromes/dravet-syndrome

Weed [Motion picture]. (2014). United States: CNN Special Report.

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