Essay Example on ANA's Stance on Marijuana Use in Healthcare

The American Nurses Association (ANA) offers its position on various matters related to ethics in the healthcare sector. The use of marijuana and related cannabinoids in the care of patients raises several issues. While some states have legalized the use of marijuana and cannabinoids for medical purposes, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I drug under federal law (American Nurses Association, 2016). Schedule I classification contains substances that have no therapeutic value and which have a high likelihood of being abused. The ANA supports the use of marijuana and related cannabinoids for healthcare.

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Marijuana and other cannabinoids are used in alleviating symptoms of various diseases as well as the side effects of certain illnesses. At the moment, the findings of controlled studies regarding the efficacy of marijuana are mixed (American Nurses Association, 2016). Federal regulations make it difficult for research to be conducted to establish the link between marijuana and related cannabinoids use and therapeutic effects (American Nurses Association, 2016). ANA seeks to advocate for research necessary to develop an evidence-based approach to the use of marijuana for treatment as well as for symptom management (American Nurses Association, 2016).

ANA offers several recommendations necessary to drive change for the improvement of healthcare. The first recommendation is the reclassification of marijuana into a Schedule II controlled substance. Removing marijuana from its current Schedule I identity would allow research to be conducted on the substance easily. At the moment, research on marijuana is limited, given its status. More so, sources of marijuana for research are limited to the government only. The second recommendation revolves around the development of prescription standards, including guidelines on specific dose, route, indications for use, possible side effects, and the indications for stopping a medication (American Nurses Association, 2016). Such standards would allow medical professionals to prescribe accurately with a low risk of an adverse or unexpected reaction. The third recommendation is the establishment of evidence-based standards for thru e of marijuana and related cannabinoids (American Nurses Association, 2016). The fourth recommendation is protection for patients using marijuana for therapeutic purposes from criminal or civil penalties as provided for under state laws (American Nurses Association, 2016). The final proposal regards the protection of medical professionals from criminal and civil prosecution of professional sanctions for discussing treatment alternatives involving marijuana or prescribing dispensing or administering marijuana while following professional standards and state laws (American Nurses Association, 2016).

While marijuana and the related cannabinoids are used widely in treating diseases or alleviating symptoms, the efficacy of indications is not apparent. This is attributed to the limited research conducted on the matter. Marijuana is used in alleviating chronic pain, alleviating symptoms of vomiting as well as nausea, stimulating appetite among patients with HIV, relieving intraocular pressure from glaucoma, reducing spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, and decreasing the symptoms of psychosis, sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety (American Nurses Association, 2016).

Marijuana was used in the United States until 1937 when the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 prohibited its use (American Nurses Association, 2016). In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act prohibited all therapeutic use of marijuana by giving it a Schedule I classification (American Nurses Association, 2016). This classification has limited the number of Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) licenses for clinical research. Additionally, although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has supported scientific research into the use of marijuana for medical purposes, it has not approved marijuana for any indication (American Nurses Association, 2016). Many organizations and scholars have advocated for the expansion in research on marijuana and related cannabinoids. Regulatory hurdles have become barriers to such research that would guide evidence-based practice (American Nurses Association, 2016).

Almost half of all states and the District of Columbia have legalized the usage of marijuana for medical purposes (American Nurses Association, 2016). The United States Supreme Court holds that Congress has the legal authority to criminalize homegrown marijuana even in states where it has been legalized for medicinal use (Bradford & Bradford, 2016). Therefore, some people who use marijuana for medical purposes may be at risk for criminal consequences. ANA supports patients' rights to legally use marijuana and related cannabinoids for therapeutic symptom management and the nurse's role in promoting quality of life for patients (American Nurses Association, 2016). ANA has supported providing safe access to medical marihuana for more than twenty years (American Nurses Association, 2016). Nurses maintain that healthcare is a universal right. This includes access to education regarding the prevention of health issues (American Nurses Association, 2016).

This ethics position from ANA has implications for nurses in all settings. A fictional situation involves a patient who was involved in an accident that left them with chronic back pain. After trying a series of pain relievers, the patient does not record an improvement in their quality of life. However, a conversation from a friend ignited interest in the use of medical marijuana. The patient lives in a state where medical marijuana is not legalized. A conversation with their physician prompts the patient to leave the state for his farm in Colorado, where marijuana use for medical use is legalized. After getting a prescription for marijuana, the patient proceeds with taking it. He records a significant reduction in their pain.

In the above case, there are several ethical issues in the conflict. The patient's primary physician allows the patient to try medical marijuana when monitored by a qualified professional. This raises an ethical issue given the doctor is practicing in Idaho, a state where recommending marijuana as part of therapeutic options to a patient is criminalized. The patient faces the ethical issue of remaining in the state where marijuana is legalized for medical purposes or going back to their primary settlement. The physician he visits in Colorado has the ethical obligation to ensure they prescribe the appropriate dosage for the patient. Without professional standards on the same, the doctor leaves significant room for error. They can only use generally accepted standards or experience with past patients in deciding the appropriate dosage and intake route.

ANA believes that healthcare is an inalienable right. The right to healthcare information can be boosted by the reduction of legal hurdles that prohibit scientific research on the use of marijuana. A nurse has the obligation of providing the best possible care given certain limitations. Legal limitations present ethical issues for medical professionals. For instance, a nurse may know that opioid medication for chronic pain will likely lead to dependence due to the long period of prescription. However, marijuana used for chronic has little chances of becoming addictive. Using the principle of non-maleficence, a doctor is obligated to select the option that has the lowest chances of reducing the patient's quality of life in the long-term (Butts & Rich, 2019). Further, the ethical principle of beneficence calls for choosing the best option for the patient to achieve immediate care objectives. The patient decides to go for medical marijuana in the state where it is legal. The primary physician offers advice on medical marijuana. These are the best courses of action for all parties involved, given the results are optimized therapeutic outcomes.

References

American Nurses Association. (2016). Therapeutic use of marijuana and related cannabinoids.

Bradford, A. C., & Bradford, W. D. (2016). Medical marijuana laws reduce prescription medication use in Medicare Part D. Health Affairs, 35(7), 1230-1236.

Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2019). Nursing ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.