MARIJUANA HAS MEDICAL BENEFITS

According to a CNN/Time poll in November of 2002, 80 percent of Americans
support the right to use medical marijuana. This right is also endorsed by
organizations like the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American
Public Health Association, and the American Nurses Association.

Why are so many people in favor of legalizing the natural form of cannabis?
Because marijuana has been proven to be more effective than Marinol — an
oral medication containing marijuana's main ingredient, THC (or
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for all you science people).

Both marijuana and Marinol can be used to reduce the side effects of
chemotherapy and decrease AIDS-related wasting. Marijuana, though, has also
been shown to reduce pain and anxiety because it contains as least 60 other
cannabinoids. Marinol is made only of THC, which is recognized solely for
appetite stimulation and nausea control. It is interesting that Marinol is
used for nausea control because patients must swallow the pill when it is
often very difficult to keep food or medications down. Inhaling marijuana
smoke is a much easier way to deliver the needed chemicals.

In addition, because Marinol is taken orally, it cannot be effective until
absorbed, whereas marijuana has immediate results. The bioavailability (the
degree to which the drug is absorbed and becomes available at the desired
site) of Marinol can also vary greatly from patient to patient, or from day
to day for the same person, whereas marijuana is much more uniform.

The side effects of marijuana and Marinol are very similar, including
difficulty concentrating, distorted vision, and dry mouth and throat. Also,
when marijuana is used to treat spasticity and pain for patients suffering
from multiple sclerosis, its side effects are less severe than the drugs
that are currently prescribed. Using marijuana to treat MS patients would
improve these patients' quality of life.

A final benefit of marijuana is its lower cost. According to the L.A.
Cannabis Resource Center, If MS patients were to use medical cannabis for
one year, they would need 336 grams, costing about $3965. With Marinol, on
the other hand, patients would need 4562.5 mg, costing $8260. I feel it is
critical for healthcare workers to be good stewards when there are already
so many people struggling to pay medical bills due to a lack of insurance
and other resources.

The benefits of medical marijuana are indisputable, but are they sufficient
to outweigh the risks of using marijuana? After some research, I believe
there is enough evidence to answer, "Yes."

One obvious concern may be that smoking any substance will lead to an
increased risk for respiratory disease. However, the amount of marijuana
smoked by medical users is much lower than that used by recreational
marijuana users, or tobacco smokers. An alternative technique called
vaporization can also be used to avoid the harmful products present in
marijuana smoke. This is done by heating cannabis to a temperature where
the psychoactive ingredients such as THC evaporate without causing combustion.

A second claim is that marijuana is an addictive drug. However,
epidemiological studies show that there is a very high discontinuation
rate. In 1993, a study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services revealed that 34 percent of Americans age 12 and over had used
marijuana at some point in their lives. But only 9 percent had used it in
the preceding year, 4.3 percent in the past month, and 2.8 percent in the
past week, indicating that most used marijuana only occasionally. It is
possible that people could become psychologically attached to the "high"
from smoking marijuana and not want to stop. This is not the same as the
physical addiction caused by drugs such as nicotine, which is legal and
readily available, and should not prevent marijuana from being available to
sick people who could really benefit from it.

Others believe that marijuana is a "gateway" to the use of other drugs,
based on studies that show the majority of "hard" drug users first used
marijuana. However, research has disputed the relationship between
marijuana and other drugs because no consistent patterns have been found.
Another study by the Department of Health and Human Services stated that as
marijuana use increased in the 1960s and 1970s, heroin use declined. And,
when marijuana use declined in the 1980s, heroin use remained fairly
stable. Secondly, although marijuana use-rates fluctuated for the past 20
years, the use of LSD hardly changed at all.

Finally, cocaine use increased in the early 1980s as marijuana use was
declining. In the late 1980s, both marijuana and cocaine declined, but
during the last few years, cocaine use has continued to decline as
marijuana use has increased slightly. If marijuana really did lead to
harder drugs, these rates would be expected to move in similar directions.

A fourth claim is that impairment caused by marijuana will lead to more
highway accidents. In high doses, marijuana would probably impair driving,
just like having too much alcohol, or even drugs like antihistamines which
can cause drowsiness. These legal products come with disclaimers and
instructions for usage, which would be provided with marijuana
prescriptions. In a study done by the U.S. Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 2000 fatal accident cases were analyzed. The results showed
that 6.7 percent of drivers tested positive for marijuana; however, alcohol
was present in more than two-thirds of the cases. There is no reason to
believe that low dosage prescriptions of marijuana used by responsible
patients would significantly increase traffic accidents.

A final concern is that some people will misuse their ability to obtain
marijuana through prescriptions and sell it to others.

Sadly, this is the case with many drugs, including Valium, Oxycontin and
Ritalin. Just as these legal drugs are not banned because of a few "bad
apples," marijuana should not be either.

As I have shown, the benefits of medical marijuana are considerable, while
the downsides are either overstated or similar to other legally available
substances. It is time to reevaluate the classification of this potentially
valuable medicine.