College and University Blog
The Politics and Science of Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana has been around for centuries. It has been said that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung discovered the medicinal properties of marijuana almost 5,000 years ago, using it for pain control. Dioscorides, a physician in ancient Greece, noted that cannabis could treat pain, rheumatism, and gout. Queen Victoria’s physician recommended it for insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, and muscle spasms. One neurologist estimates that today, as many as 50,000 Americans with multiple sclerosis illegally smoke marijuana to alleviate their symptoms.
Pure delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is available by prescription as dronabinol. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug Marinol, a pill that contains THC. People taking Marinol say that the way the body receives the drug can, in many cases, make it less effective. Keeping a pill down can be difficult or impossible for patients with severe nausea. It takes hours for Marinol to take effect. Smoked marijuana provides an instant hit of cannabinoids in the bloodstream and relieves symptoms quickly.
No matter how effective it is, smoked marijuana is unlikely to be approved as a medicine in the United States. Use of a vaporizer can remove the smoking issue. There are other concerns about medicinal marijuana. It is known that cannabis interferes with cognition, at least in the short term. Smoking it also causes the heart to beat faster for a few hours, which could cause problems for people with heart disease. The possibility of dependence is much less than other drugs. We prescribe far more addictive and lethal drugs to patients all the time. Morphine will kill you, codeine will kill you.
This issue is important to college students because they are the future doctors, law enforcement officers, or U.S. Senators. They are the ones who will be making decisions about this issue in the future. Some people, including many physicians, think that marijuana should be used to treat patients that need it. It has been known to treat the nausea of cancer treatment, act as an appetite increaser for AIDS patients, and a pain killer for a variety of conditions. Many patients have said that marijuana is the only thing that gives them relief from their symptoms. Some report that marijuana enhances the effects of prescription drugs, which help, but don