Weebly



Alyssa Candelario April 30, 2015ENGL 1010-028Annotated Bibliography Jamie McBeth-SmithMedical Marijuana: Rx or Risk?I have never been educated on drugs. Growing up in a small town there was not much to do, Friday nights everyone would be out partying. “Do you smoke weed?” was a question asked way too often. I guess it was the cool thing to do at the time. Now being out of high school there are still those people who smoke marijuana on a daily basis, hoping for it to become legal.You hear about how marijuana has become legal in some states for medical purpose only. People claim that marijuana helps with many different medical issues. But is that really the case? I was always under the assumption that it is good for people with an illness, until I did my research on medical marijuana. Anderson, D Mark, Daniel I Rees, and Joseph J Sabia. "Medical Marijuana Laws And SuicidesBy Gender And Age." American Journal Of Public Health 104.12 (2014): 2369-2376.MEDLINE. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.Marijuana has become legal in over twenty-one states including the District of Columbia for medical purpose only and more than twelve states have been considering medical marijuana bills. There has been evidence which linked marijuana usage with depression, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. Animal studies have been shown at a low dose of synthetic cannabinoid injection may have a powerful antidepressant effect, higher dosage leads to depression-like behavior. Epidemiological studies provide proof that marijuana use is associated with the symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts. Several states have different “illnesses” listed some of which can be difficult to confirm whether or not medical marijuana can cure or help this disease. Marijuana use has been positively linked with depression, panic attacks, psychosis, schizophrenia, and suicidal thoughts. Suicide in young adults and teens is more so triggered by stressful life events, while legalizing medical marijuana seems like it benefit many people it actually leads to increased marijuana use which then helps people endure stressful events. Although marijuana has been said to help people manage stressful situations there has been no scientific proof of that accusation, however alcoholism is more popular than marijuana usage in young adults who suffer from major depression. The authors of this article did a lot research on this topic. They definitely knew what they were talking about and showed several statistics of medical marijuana usage. Like the authors state there are currently are over twenty states which have legalized medical marijuana usage and a few including Washington and Colorado who have legalized it for recreational use. There has been no scientist studies to show that marijuana helps people cope with depression, stress and anxiety. It’s been shown that marijuana users have higher suicide rates than nonusers.This article gave me some good information. I would use this to further my research on medical marijuana. As I read I felt like this information is very good to know because many people think it helps relieve stress and depression, but that is not the case. Marijuana can become a dependent and people use it for stress and depression and often become more stressed or depressed when they do not have any marijuana. I really enjoyed this article and it has given me a strong viewpoint on this topic. "Marijuana." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpointsin Context. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.Cannabis stevia more known as marijuana has been used as a painkiller for several years. Marijuana is generally dried and crushed and can be smoked or eaten. Consumers may experience a physical high, causing red eyes and a dry mouth. A physical high may reduce nausea, muscle spasms and increases appetite. A psychological high can cause one to hallucinate, impair judgement and cause moody behavior. Studies have shown to relate marijuana users to have short-term memory problems. Although marijuana has been considered helpful for medical illnesses such as cancer, and AIDS and does not cause a physical addiction. Consumers may develop a psychological dependency on the drug.In 1937 possession and use of marijuana was declared illegal. The federal law classifies marijuana to be a “Schedule l drug” which states that it has no safe measure for medical usage and is a high potential for abuse. Even though these laws, marijuana is the commonly used illegal drug in America. In 2008 roughly 15.8 million Americans were recent users of marijuana according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. As of 2010 fourteen states voted for allowing extremely ill patients to use marijuana for pain regulator if prescribed by a doctor. The author of the article on Gale sates how long marijuana has been used for a painkiller, they also tell some of the few affects it can have on you. This author does not give many valid facts or observations. They say how marijuana has been illegal since 1937 and being classified as a “Schedule l drug” calls for it to be unsafe for medical usage. The author also states how regular-basis consumers may develop a psychological dependency on the drug which can lead to abusing the drug. This article will assist me with learning more about medical marijuana. After reading this article I feel it covered some basic information about marijuana as a drug. I’d like to find more information about medical marijuana and how it helps with illnesses (if it helps.) I’d like to know what it means as a “schedule l drug” and how do doctors determine if medical marijuana is safe or not. "Medical Marijuana." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. OpposingViewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.The most frequently used illegal drug is marijuana, commonly known as weed in the United States. Marijuana has several supporters whom consider marijuana to be a harmless beneficial drug which should be legalized. Beside the arguments marijuana is claimed to help in treating symptoms of many diseases which include “AIDS glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and chronic pain.” Many states have endorsed laws authorizing marijuana to be used for medical purposes only. Although there are still many medical physicians and lawmakers who will continue to disagree for legalization. Marijuana comes from the Cannabis plant and holds over 400 chemicals. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) has been found by the US Food and Drug Administration to be harmless and effective to treat nausea and vomiting. By causing hungriness, cannabinoids can be useful in treating diseases such as anorexia. Cannabinoids which are the chemicals found in marijuana have been known to help as a pain mechanism. Cannabinoids have shown by medical researchers to help treat pain that is related with chemotherapy. “Medical researchers have concluded that cannabinoids can be helpful in treating pain associated with chemotherapy, postoperative recovery, and spinal cord injury, as well as neuropathic pain, which is often experienced by patients with metastatic cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.”In 2009 American Medical Association overturned the decision for medical marijuana and insisted the government to reevaluate marijuana’s illegal status in hopes medical professionals would put further research into the medical benefits marijuana holds. Conversely, not all medical physicians approve that marijuana should be prescribed for medical use. According to Mayo Clinic marijuana smoke contains between 50 percent and 70 percent more chemicals than tobacco smoke does. In 2002 a British Lung Foundation found that if a person were to smoke three or four marijuana cigarettes a day it would be equivalent twenty or more tobacco cigarettes. The study showed that smoking marijuana would do the same amount of damage to the bronchia mucosa, it also specified that marijuana can weaken the immune system. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) marijuana users can have difficulty thinking and problem solving and can lead to addiction. The NIDA acknowledges marijuana’s beneficial value in treating pain, but does not recommend it as a medication due to it having so many chemicals. “Harvard Medical School professor Lester Grinspoon, MD wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “There is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of taking it represents a significant health risk.””The author of this article gives several studies about marijuana, some which say marijuana is good for certain illnesses and others which oppose the idea of using marijuana as a medication. The author gives the Mayo Clinic study which states that marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more chemicals then tobacco smoke does, then tells about another study how if a person were to smoke only three marijuana cigarettes it would be equivalent to nearly twenty tobacco cigarettes. The NIDA doesn’t acknowledge marijuana as a medication because of how many chemicals are in the drug. Medical marijuana will probably never be legal in all 50 states because there will always be medical professionals who disagree to use it as a medication. There is also the worry some have about abusing the drug. This article gave a few different aspects on medical marijuana. It definitely gave me a more open mind about the issue. I don’t think there will ever be a full vote to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Also learning about how much marijuana smoke is equivalent to tobacco smoke makes you wonder if marijuana should even be given for medical purposes. National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Marijuana Use Is Harmful." Teens at Risk. Ed. Stephen P.Thompson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "ResearchReports: Marijuana Abuse." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.The views recognized in this article about medical marijuana usage were conducted by a health and social perception. Marijuana has been noticed to be unsafe to memory cognitive and coordination. Marijuana users are perceived to increase the risk of cardiac problems, cancers, psychotic problems, and may even develop a dependency on the drug. Marijuana has an active compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol,) when reached to the brain it causes the consumer to feel high “by acting on the brains reward system.” Everyone has different effects during their high. Some of which are “relaxation, heightened sensory perception, laughter, altered perception of time and increased appetite.” While after the high diminishes “users may feel sleepy, depressed, anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.” Marijuana usage may damage a person’s capability to produce new memories and can possibly cause schizophrenia-like disorders. Almost immediately after inhaling marijuana smoke a person’s heart rate increases, bronchial passages enlarge, blood vessels expand causing the eyes to look red, and heart rate may increase causing your heart to beat 90 to 130 beats per minute. If taken with other drugs marijuana may intensify this effect. “Limited evidence suggests that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk.” Marijuana abuse comes with several consequences. The author of this article gave several observations made from a health and social perspective. The author states how marijuana effects of bodies in a negative manner and how users are at risk for many different consequences. The article states how although you may not become “addicted” after just one time smoking marijuana, you may develop a dependency on the drug after becoming a casual user. Being a casual user you may feel anxiety or depression after coming down from a high causing you to want to smoke again. Given in the article marijuana can damage a person’s ability to create memories and lead to schizophrenia-like disorder. After reading this article I feel more educated on the side effects caused from marijuana. This article really informed me on many things I never knew about marijuana. For instance I never knew your heart rate would increase 20 to 50 beats per minute after inhaling marijuana smoke, which could cause you to have a heart attack. You never hear about the unsafe side of marijuana. I am unsure how medical professionals could agree to marijuana being used as a safe pain relief. From these articles that I have studied I have learned a lot about marijuana usage that I have been unaware of. I have come to conclusion about the issues of medical marijuana and the affects it can cause on its users, it appears there are many different standpoints on medical marijuana. I’ve noticed that there are always going to be side effects no matter what type of drug you are taking and marijuana side effects don’t seem to be much safer than any other prescribed drug. Based on all I have studied I would have to agree that marijuana is not the best decision for a pain relief drug. Marijuana users can develop a dependent of the drug and without the drug they may become depressed which can lead to suicide. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download