Marijuana As A Medicine And Medicine - 1571 Words

The use of marijuana as medicine is a fairly new concept and doesn t have much information on it, however it is slowly being tested and studies have shown the advantages and disadvantages to using it medically. Marijuana, more scientifically known as Cannabis, is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Evidence supports that it may have properties that could show its usefulness in the medical field. For example, it has been used in the treatment of nausea, glaucoma, and migraines among other things. On the other hand, many of its effects are accompanied with side effects such as disorientation and hallucinations. Very little studies have been done concerning the beneficial and non beneficial effects of marijuana†¦show more content†¦It has been proven to reduce the inflammation of colon cancer. Medical marijuana can also stop the spreading of colon and breast cancer. Patients with liver cancer reported that they had a significant reducement of pain. Althoug h it may relieve pain and stop the spreading for most patients, 16% of patients have reported that Medical marijuana had done little to no effect on their pain. One of the commonly discussed alternatives for the treatment of glaucoma is the smoking of marijuana, because smoking marijuana does lower the eye pressure. Less often appreciated is the fact that marijuana s effect on eye pressure only lasts 3-4 hours, meaning that to lower the eye pressure around the clock it would have to be smoked 6-8 times a day. Furthermore, marijuana s mood altering effects prevent the patient who is using it from driving, operating heavy machinery, and functioning at maximum mental capacity. Marijuana cigarettes also contain hundreds of compounds that damage the lungs, and the chronic, frequent use of marijuana can damage the brain. Other means of administering the active ingredient of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), include by mouth and under the tongue. These methods avoid the harmful effect of marijuana smoke on the lungs, but are limited by the other systemic side effects, such as drowsiness and loss of judgment. In one study in which doctors offer ed some of their patients with worsening glaucoma the option of pills containing