Medical Marijuana and Cannabis is becoming more accepted and researched in health care: FACT
Medical marijuana, or cannabis, has had a recent increase in interest with large acceptance from medical professionals and the public. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications made from cannabis but not the use of the whole unprocessed plant.
Marijuana and cannabis contains two main components, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and little to no Cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the psychoactive element of cannabis while CBD is known to have no psychoactive effects and contributes to a healing feeling.
Physicians want to apply the same rules and logic to marijuana as they do to any other emerging treatment.
The Medical Use of Marijuana: Issues and Indications
Marijuana is Still Largely Illegal: FACT 
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 banned medical marijuana as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
The form of marijuana that is sold illegally contains a high amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and little to no Cannabidiol (CBD) while marijuana approved for clinical studies has more CBD and less THC. THC and CBD are two separate components of marijuana and cannabis.
In states where it has been legalized, physicians can only recommend rather than prescribe it because of its current Schedule I classification.
Reclassification of marijuana as a less-dangerous drug or allowing its legalization for medicinal use would make it possible for:
- Further research to refine marijuana’s safety
- Clinical use indications
- Prescribing guidelines for different conditions
- Conform to the ethical principle of patient access to all treatment options that have the potential to be beneficial
My Body Produces it’s Own Cannabinoid Chemicals: FACT
The body produces its own cannabinoid chemicals, also known as endocannabinoids. Cannabinoid chemicals consist of a group of closely related compounds that include cannabinol and the active components of cannabis. These play roles in regulating:
- pleasure
- appetite
- pain
- memory
- thinking
- concentration
- movement
- coordination
- sensory and time perception
Marijuana and Cannabis Will Hurt My Body: FICTION
Marijuana and the lung: hysteria or cause for concern?
Marijuana has proven positive affects on the mind including euphoria (a feeling of intense excitement and happiness) and relaxation. Though it is unknown why, cannabis smoking is unlikely to be harmful to the lungs in low doses, does not produce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and does not appear to have the potential to cause cancer (Ribeiro & Ind 2018, p. 199). Good news for marijuana users, right?
Not so fast, with chronic marijuana smoking does come an increase in respiratory symptoms such as cough, mucus production, and wheezing. This suggests that cannabis smoke can cause chronic bronchitis in current smokers but not shortness of breath or airway damage beyond repair.
Marijuana Can Only be Smoked: FICTION
While smoking marijuana is the most common form of ingestion, THC is available orally as well as edible CBD gummies or foods and oils. It can also be vaporized, ingested using chewing gum, drank, or used in a topical solution.
Medical Marijuana is Only Used for Epilepsy: FICTION
The most accepted uses for medical marijuana include
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Chronic pain
- Spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Metabolic syndrome
- Epilepsy syndromes such as seizures
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
Dating back to the 1970’s research showed that marijuana decreased the high intraocular pressure (IOP) characteristic of primary wide-angle glaucoma, a disease of the optic nerve that can lead to vision loss. However, it is not recommended by the American Glaucoma Society to treat glaucoma.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells and ends up causing total disability. Data suggests that cannabis has neuroprotective effects that can extend neuronal-cell survival, delay the onset, and evens slow progression of ALS.
Cannabis also demonstrates a significant analgesic effect that relieves pain making it beneficial to those with chronic or severe pain.
The majority of both past and current marijuana users with gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reported that marijuana was “very helpful” in the relief of their symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea. In an observational study on the effects of cannabis on 30 patients with Crohn’s disease, a chronic IBD that affects the lining of one’s digestive tract, 21 subjetcs had a significant reduction of symptoms after being treated with cannabis. After the treatment, there was also a reduced need for other medications and surgeries related to the Crohn’s disease (Horowitz 2014, p. 322-324).
An analysis of data from a national sample also showed a significant association between current marijuana use and lower blood levels of insulin and insulin resistance in adults with metabolic syndrome.
PTSD is a disorder causing a person to have difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event or series of events. A study was conducted on 10 patients with PTSD, ultimately noting that 5mg of oral THC twice a day, as an add-on treatment, provided significant decreases in symptom severity, improvements in sleep, and a decrease in the frequency of nightmares.
Only anticonvulsant medications will help control epileptic seizures: FICTION
Medical Marijuana for Epilepsy?
Both CBD and THC are reported to have anticonvulsant properties. Cannabis has therapeutic benefits for both stimulated and unstimulated seizures in those with epilepsy. It is also shown to diminish neuronal over-excitability and decrease seizure frequency and severity. In animal models, it additionally improved the spasticity and tremors of MS and Huntington’s disease as well.
One case in particular that became known around the country was the effect medical marijuana had on a little girl named Charlotte who was diagnosed with epilepsy at age two. Charlotte had intractable Dravet syndrome epilepsy and the use of a certain type of marijuana, now known as Charlotte’s Web, decreased her seizures contributing to the popularity of medical marijuana. This caused particular interest in derivatives of cannabis to be used as a treatment in epilepsy, regardless of the lack of proven evidence for safety or effectiveness.
There is evidence on a completed study with 8 normal volunteers and 15 patients with generalized epilepsy and the benefits it had on their symptoms. During phase one, eight normal volunteers were given CBD or placebo for 30 days. A placebo is a substance or drug that has no therapeutic effect and is used as a control in testing new medications and effects. The second phase consisted of randomized subjects with epilepsy blindly receiving CBD or placebo for 135 days. During which, they continued their previously prescribed anticonvulsant medications. At the end of both phases of the study, those given CBD had the following results; four subjects with epilepsy claimed to be almost seizure free, three experienced decreased frequency of partial seizures, and one remained unchanged (Kolikonda, Srinivasan, Enja, Sagi, & Lippmann 2016, p. 24-25).
Although there is research supporting the effectiveness of medical marijuana by specialists, it is important to remember it remains an unapproved therapy in epilepsy.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine
References
Horowitz, S. (2014). The Medical Use of Marijuana: Issues and Indications. Alternative & Complementary Therapies, 20(6), 320–327.
Kolikonda, M. K., Srinivasan, K., Enja, M., Sagi, V., & Lippmann, S. (2016). Medical Marijuana for Epilepsy? Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 13(3/4), 23–26.
Ribeiro, L., & Ind, P. W. (2018). Marijuana and the lung: hysteria or cause for concern? Breathe, 14(3), 196–205.