Medicinal
marijuana worth risks despite dangers
Molly
Stewart
Cancer
is a major pain in the butt. Treat it
with chemotherapy and you lose your hair,
feel weak and suffer from lingering pain.
Despite crusading efforts from scientists
around the world, diseases like cancer
and AIDS are still a mystery.
To treat the chronic pain, many chemotherapy and AIDS patients turn to smoking
marijuana when they find no relief from conventional medicine. But some disagree
with allowing patients to smoke pot instead of popping painkillers.
The Food and Drug Administration has recently announced it does not support
the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Currently, marijuana is classified as an illegal substance, but some states
have recognized medicinal marijuana does have medical uses.
There is still no consensus as to whether the dying should be allowed to use
weed as a medical drug. Marijuana has been shown to alleviate nausea and vomiting
in those undergoing chemotherapy, help improve severe weight loss caused by
AIDS and treat chronic pain that doesn’t respond to traditional opoids
like morphine.
But there are harmful effects of marijuana as well. Chronic marijuana use has
been linked to a loss of coordination and short-term memory. It is even more
harmful to the lungs than smoking. Opponents of medicinal marijuana also point
out making it legal might make it more available for abuse.
The FDA isn’t endorsing the use of medicinal marijuana because it believes
marijuana hasn’t undergone the rigorous testing FDA-approved medications
normally get in order to be proven safe and effective.
Try telling that to a cancer patient on the verge of dying who finds relief
only from smoking a joint. While there is a pill (Marinol) made with THC, a
component in marijuana that is used to treat pain, it acts differently than
smoked marijuana and has been shown to be not as effective.
While the FDA may be taking a strict stand on grass, a 1999 study from the
Institute of Medicine found, “Marijuana’s active components are
potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS…”
So why is the FDA opposing medicinal marijuana if there is some evidence of
it working? The answer is because there is no concrete evidence either way
as to whether medicinal marijuana is helpful or harmful.
Also, like a lot of other health issues, it’s a political, rather than
a scientific decision. Congress opposes the use of weed as a medical drug despite
the fact many use it to ease their pain, not invite late-night runs to Vons
for massive amounts of cheesy puffs.
The United States Supreme Court ruled Congress can still ban possession of
marijuana in states that have eliminated sanctions for its use in treating
symptoms of illness. But clearly, there are still two sides to the debate over
whether medicinal marijuana’s benefits outweigh its risks and whether
it should be made legal or not.
“
There is abundant evidence that marijuana can help cancer patients, multiple
sclerosis patients and AIDS patients,” said Bruce Mirken, director of
communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. “There
is no scientific doubt that marijuana relieves nausea, vomiting, certain kinds
of pain and other symptoms that do not respond well to conventional drugs,
and does it more safely than other drugs.”
The problem is marijuana is also linked to cancer, breathing problems and damage
to the immune system. These are real health risks.
However, for some with chronic pain, medicinal marijuana is the only way to
relieve their symptoms when they aren’t responding to conventional medicine.
In these cases, patients should be allowed to use medicinal marijuana, even
though its benefits and safety are still unclear. If it makes dying people
feel better, why not?
Molly Stewart is a freshman journalism major.
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