Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana Annotated Bibliography

Introduction

The issue of marijuana being useful or harmful has been a controversial debate over the years as there are scholars who support marijuana use for medical purposes while there are those who oppose claiming that it is detrimental to the health. Although the pros and cons of marijuana are still underway, the societal trends have allowed the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes through vaping administration. The paper will, therefore, explore the pros and cons of medical marijuana.

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Amtmann, Dagmar, et al. "Survey of cannabis use in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 21.2 (2004): 95-104.

The article explores the advantages and disadvantages of the medicinal use of marijuana on the patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (p.97). One of the pros that the article highlights is that the cannabis contains over 400 substances and that 60 of them are cannabinoids. The cannabinoids are useful in the treatment of symptoms such as weakness, spasticity, among other signs of the condition (p.99). Another pro is that marijuana was reported to offer relief from depression with its effects experienced between two to three hours after treatment

Bradford, Ashley C., and W. David Bradford. "Medical marijuana laws reduce prescription medication use in Medicare Part D." Health Affairs 35.7 (2016): 1230-1236.

The article explains that medicinal use of marijuana has been a controversial debate because scientific research regarding drug interaction of the substance is still undergoing studies. The report, however, explains that there are pros and cons relating to the medicinal use of marijuana (p.1232). One of the advantages that the authors describe is that it can be of great use in the treatment of Glaucoma. Clinical evidence states that marijuana can be used in the reduction of intraocular pressure (p.1235). Similarly, the authors declare that it can be used in the calming of nerves for a person suffering from multiple sclerosis (p.1234). On the contrary, the con that is associated with the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is that its effect of treatment only lasts for one hour and it requires regular administration to continue offering relief, and this poses another danger which is a dependency to the body.

Johannigman, Suzanne, and Valerie Eschiti. "Medical use of marijuana in palliative care." Clinical journal of oncology nursing 17.4 (2013).

Suzanne and Eschiti explain that the pros of using marijuana for medical purposes entail; spasticity in pain, cachexia, and also relieve from rheumatic pain. On the contrary, the authors argue that the cons of marijuana, especially when smoked, which is considered the best way of administering it is that it causes lung cancer (p.17). Another disadvantage of medical marijuana is the development of dependency by the user as it tampers with receptors in the brain. In this regard, it is evident that there are more cons to the medical use of marijuana than its pros (p.17). The authors focus on smoking as the primary way of administering marijuana, although there are other methods such as vaping. Vaping entails the vaporization of the substance so that it is consumed as steam or in liquid form.

Suryadevara, Uma et al. "Pros and Cons of Medical Cannabis use by People with Chronic Brain Disorders." Current neuropharmacology vol. 15,6 (2017): 800-814. doi:10.2174/1570159X14666161101095325

Suryadevara, Uma, et al. explain that although cannabis is the widely used illicit drug in the world, there are pros and cons of its medical use. The scholars explain that one of the pros is its use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (p.802). Marijuana treats the condition by exerting anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects on the multiple neural pathways. As a result of the effect on the neural pathways, pain is relieved, there is also the control of spasticity, drooling, and loss of appetite (p.807). The text also explains that marijuana can also be used in the reduction of motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. The marijuana medication can be administered through synthetic and dronabinol drops. Similarly, late-stage Alzheimer's disease can also be treated through the dronabinol and synthetic administration of marijuana (p.810). It is known to increase food intake, decrease agitation, regulate circadian rhythm, and extend sleep duration. The authors also state that is one major con regarding the use of cannabis for medical and general purposes, and this is the creation of dependency in the user. Another con is that when its use is stopped, the body can develop withdrawal symptoms making the patient be iller.

Voth, Eric A., and Richard H. Schwartz. "Medicinal applications of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and marijuana." Annals of Internal Medicine 126.10 (1997): 791-798.

The authors' state that marijuana has been used in the past for medicinal purposes, and it has been proved to be efficient in the treatment of multiple diseases. One of the pros that the authors explain in regard to the medicinal use of cannabis is that if well regulated it can be the best natural medicine as it can be used in its raw form(p.791). Another pro for the use of cannabis is that it has a high affinity to various receptors in the brain and therefore brings calmness and relief from pain (p.795). Similarly, the authors state that the tetrahydrocannabinol (THT) in cannabis can be used to treat Glaucoma as it is useful in the relaxation of the nerves through the relieve form intraocular pressure (p.797). Another pro for medicinal use of marijuana is that helps in the treatment associated with chemotherapy. On the contrary, the study also explores the cons of the therapeutic use of marijuana, and this entails is that nine percent of the patients experienced hallucinations, mental depression, and the distortion of reality.

Works Cited

Amtmann, Dagmar, et al. "Survey of cannabis use in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 21.2 (2004): 95-104.

Bradford, Ashley C., and W. David Bradford. "Medical marijuana laws reduce prescription medication use in Medicare Part D." Health Affairs 35.7 (2016): 1230-1236.

Johannigman, Suzanne, and Valerie Eschiti. "Medical use of marijuana in palliative care." Clinical journal of oncology nursing 17.4 (2013).

Suryadevara, Uma et al. "Pros and Cons of Medical Cannabis use by People with Chronic Brain Disorders." Current neuropharmacology vol. 15,6 (2017): 800-814. doi:10.2174/1570159X14666161101095325

Voth, Eric A., and Richard H. Schwartz. "Medicinal applications of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and marijuana." Annals of Internal Medicine 126.10 (1997): 791-798.