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Noah Paxton

Prof. Strehle

CCP 1201

21 March 2021

Literature Review

The topic of medical marijuana has been a very touchy subject throughout the years all

throughout the United States. Medical Marijuana has very many varying viewpoints, from people

who believe marijuana is terrible for you, to the people who believe it is a life saved and can help

anyone. Some people also do not have a set side that they side with when it comes to if medical

marijuana should be legal or not. Medical Marijuana has varying side effects but the main

question is to think about if these side effects are worth it especially if it cures whatever you are

prescribed it for such as seizures, anxiety, depression, etc. When it comes to Medical Marijuana

are these effects valid enough to lead to legalization all throughout the states, or even the world

for anyone, and any age?

The very first question most people ask is “What exactly is medical marijuana and what

does it do?”. Medical marijuana is a plant based medicine of Cannabis sativa, or Cannabis indica

species made up of the three active compounds THC, CBD, and CBN. Medical marijuana is used

for a variety of things including pain, nausea, anxiety, sclerosis, sleep issues, autism, epilepsy,

and many more. This leads to a large range of people in the world who could be eligible and

could benefit from medical marijuana. Medical marijuana also leads to many benefits, these

benefits are seen in neuroplasticity, emotional and mood regulated, vascular health, and digestive

function. These are led on by the side effects, at low doses it mainly consists of dry mouth, and

fatigue but can worsen at higher doses. (Oberg).

Now that you know what medical marijuana is your next question may be asking if it is

safe, and to this there is no set answer as there has not been a long enough time to set for long

term effects and such but as of now there is nothing proving against the fact that it is safe. The

FDA have approved THC based medications in pill form for chemotherapy patients to alleviate

their nausea , and for wasting syndrome patients due to aids. Other marijuana based medications

have also been approved, and not just in the United States. Nabiximols is a mouth spray currently

available in the United Kingdom, Canada, and several other European countries for pain

accompanied by multiple sclerosis. Researchers do believe the purified chemicals derived from

the marijuana plant to be more promising for therapy than the entire plant and some crude acting

extracts of such. (National Institute on Drug Abuse).

Now while all articles and biased opinions can make medical marijuana sound heaven

sent, there are many debates on the cons to the drug as well. Some commonly discussed cons of

medical marijuana include a risk of abuse and addiction, many people worry about people basing

their lives around it and resulting in them not being able to function in daily life without being

high from such drugs. Another common con discussed with medical marijuana is the effects of

frequent use such as your short term memory, or your cognitive ability, and it has been linked to

a high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents. While these are all commonly

discussed, all of the pros of such do not go unnoticed, but unfortunately without the time to

effectively research medical marijuana over a long period of time no one knows for sure if the

pros outweigh the cons or vice versa. (Morrow).

While medical marijuana has not been researched long enough for us to know about all

about the long term effects, that does not mean it is a new practice. Medical marijuana use dates

back to 2700 BCE in China, and India. They used medical marijuana for about the same reasons
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that we do today, pains, seizures, poor appetite, depression, the list goes on. One issue

researchers are worried about is the withdrawal factors that people may acquire after stopping the

use of medical marijuana. Marijuana itself is pretty addicting and according to research between

9 and 30 percent of people who use it may become addicted or develop a substance use disorder.

Marijuana can be put into one's body in many different ways, some of these including the most

common form of smoking it, vaporizing it, nasal spray, ingestion, and many more. Marijuana is

technically a schedule 1 substance (same class as heroin and LSD) making it unavailable for

medical use. Many people argue the legalization of marijuana for medical use as they believe it

will lead to the increase of recreational use of marijuana as well (McGhee).

As of April 2020, marijuana was legal on the state level in 29 different states and

Washington D.C, but still illegal from the federal government's perspective. The different forms

of marijuana lead to different opinions from the public, the least controversial being CBD which

is an extract from the hemp plant. CBD itself had little to no intoxicating properties, while THC

is the chemical that the “high” goes along with the consumption of marijuana. Many reports from

CBD have been made to say how much it helps, One form of childhood epilepsy called Dravet

Syndrome is almost impossible to control but responds dramatically to a CBD dominant strain of

Marijuana called Charlotte's Web. Marijuana is an excellent muscle relaxant and can also be

used to treat PTSD in veterans returning from combat zones of war (Grinspoon).

One very controversial subject of the entire medical marijuana debate is the effect on

children and teenagers. Teen marijuana use is at its highest point in decades while many teens

believe that no long term effects will occur to them. The marijuana use could cause school

problems, memory difficulty, accidents, aggression, and additional risky behavior. The main risk

for teenager and youth marijuana risk is the impact it could have on your brain development.
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One's brain is not done developing until they are in their twenties resulting in the developing part

of the brain that controls emotion, cognition, and stress responses could be impaired. The risks

outweigh the pros for teenage medical marijana use says psychiatrists (Hurley).
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Angela Morrow, RN. “The Debate Over the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Use.”

Verywell Health, 23 Jan. 2021, www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-the-pros-and-

cons-of-medical-marijuana-1132484

Erica Oberg, ND. “What Is Medical Marijuana? CBD, THC & Cannabis Prescriptions.”

MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 14 Nov. 2019,

www.medicinenet.com/medical_marijuana_medical_cannabis/article.htm.

Katie Hurley. “Marijuana for Anxiety in Teens and the Effects on the Brain.”

Psycom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1996, 28 Feb. 2019,

www.psycom.net/marijuana-for-anxiety-in-teens/.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Is Marijuana Safe and Effective as Medicine?” National

Institute on Drug Abuse, 21 Oct. 2020, www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-

reports/marijuana/marijuana-safe-effective-medicine.

Nelson, Elizabeth Marie McGhee, PhD. “Medical Marijuana.” Salem Press Encyclopedia of

Health, 2021. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=94415462&site=eds-live.

Peter Grinspoon, MD. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, 15 Apr. 2020,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085.
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