Cannabis was used for medicinal purposes dating back to 2737
BC. Since then eighteen states and the District of Columbia have allowed the
use of medical marijuana. Currently two states, Colorado and Washington, have
legalized the use of recreational marijuana.
Different forms of medical marijuana have had positive
effects on treating pain for neuropathic, chronic, postoperative, and that
related to fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. Some
side effects noted were dry mouth, sedation, dizziness, tachycardia,
conjunctive irritation, and hypotension. Additionally, medical marijuana
decreases muscle spasms in people with multiple sclerosis.
Marijuana causes psychiatric implications. Some people experience
anxiety, disorientation, paranoia, and psychosis. Regular adolescent users are
more prone to getting schizophrenia. Cannabis use is associated with
impairments in memory and cognition. Extreme marijuana users have trouble in
the encoding, storage, and retrieval of memory. Cannabis is also associated
with depression and suicide.
The problems associated with medical marijuana depend
greatly on the persons underlying conditions and the way they use marijuana.
Additionally, the lack of quality control makes it hard for physicians to
prescribe a certain formula of the drug. Also, patients that use medical
marijuana need to be monitored for fear of addiction. However, to make sure this does not happen, patients need to
go through training programs, which most health systems do not have.
Cannabis is the most used and abused illicit drug. Although
it does greatly help people with medical conditions, medical evidence is still
lacking and should be used with caution.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/10.1002/phar.1187/full
No comments:
Post a Comment