In 2006 my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). For anyone who doesn't know, MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering around nerve cells. Inflammation causes the damage and results in slowed and/or stopped nerve impulses. For my mom everyday is a struggle because everyday is different. MS has forced her into a wheelchair because she has difficulty walking. She also has a lack of muscle coordination and muscle spasms, as well as an uncontrollable bladder. Though medications do help she still has periods of relapse; she can go weeks without symptoms and other times have symptoms everyday. Through a friend, my mom was recommended to try marijuana as a treatment for some of her symptoms.
For the next few things I am going to discuss I got the majority of my information from The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis. I also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about marijuana in all aspects.
So what in cannabis makes it so medically beneficial? That would be delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC or just THC) and cannabidol (CBD) as well as many other cannabinoids. These molecules attach onto receptors in our brains, on our cells, and on tissue. This allows cannabis to treat many ailments. For MS patients cannabis acts as a muscle relaxant , smoothing out the muscle of the bladder. This allows for better control of the bladder. Cannabis has also been show to be useful as an anti-inflammatory medication giving it potential to change the course of autoimmune diseases like MS. For the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, cannabis has been shown to alleviate many symptoms. It can treat the patients nausea from the disease itself and from the response to their medication. Cannabis is also used to increase appetite in HIV/AIDS patients and in turn increase weight. It has been shown to increase overall quality of life in these patients. Some other things cannabis has been shown to treat: epilepsy, stroke, acute head trauma, stress, loss of appetite, nausea, promote healthy bone growth, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic pain to name a few.
For my mom marijuana has been a life saver. Marijuana helps treat her muscle spasms and gain more control of her muscles. She is also able to walk short distances with help from someone and is in more control of her bladder. Overall her quality of life has increased ten-fold from the use of marijuana. Then there's the issue of cost. Marijuana is so much more inexpensive than the medications prescribed to my mom. Plus she prefers marijuana over all her medications because it does a better job alleviating her pain and symptoms. What I can't understand is why something that has been shown to be so therapeutic is classified as so dangerous and illegal by our government?
That is a good question. Why is marijuana classified as so dangerous and illegal by our government when it is therapeutic? Your mom is an example of benefiting from Marijuana as a treatment because you mentioned that marijuana does a better job of alleviating her pain and symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. You made a good point that marijuana is also beneficial in treating HIV/AIDS patients beside Multiple Sclerosis patients. Your point can be proven with the name of a research and studies that demonstrate the benefits in these patients.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think the government should make Marijuana legal. I have not read about any studies that refute that Marijuana is an addictive drug. Cigarettes are addicted and dangerous but it is legal. Pure Marijuana does not have any side affects and cigarettes have side affects. Cigarettes are made from household chemicals and have contributed to poor health. Marijuana is a medical treatment that actually enhances health. I don’t understand how Marijuana is classified as dangerous and illegal by the government when cigarettes are addictive and dangerous but legal.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that marijuana can help alleviate pain from diseases such as MS, HIV/AIDS, and other harmful diseases/disorders. For this reason, marijuana was made an exception for medicinal purposes. There are many scientific studies that prove there are benefits of medicinal marijuana use. I also agree that marijuana would be a cheaper remedy, but disagree that marijuana cannot be dangerous. There is an ongoing debate over substance abuse and the harmful effects of marijuana. One side of the argument believe marijuana is an addictive substance that has harmful effects. For example, Amy Strumolo argues, “Despite a popular myth that cannabis use is harmless, marijuana smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains cyanide, as well as higher levels of benzopyrene and carbon monoxide. Marijuana joints the same size as a cigarette produces five times the carbon monoxide in subjects' blood. Smoking marijuana produces three to four times the tar of tobacco, and more of it stays in the lungs. Because marijuana smoke is inhaled more deeply and held far longer in the lungs than tobacco smoke, damage to the delicate pleural tissues is as or more pronounced. Some researchers equate one joint to five cigarettes.”
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