Medical Marijuana Therapeutic Analysis

A two year old, named Jaqie Angel Warrior had been suffering from several types of seizures ever since she was five months old. Doctors had tried many medications to control her seizures, such as klonopin , and depakote; but all failed to stop these thousands of seizures, resulting in terrible side effects. Jaqie’s mother, Brittany had been researching other potential cures, when she came across cannabis oil. Soon after, they moved to a motel in Colorado, and began using high-CBD oil, which also contains high levels of THC. Levels higher than any other states CBD-only bill allows. Since they began using the cannabis oil, Jaqie’s seizures have reduced by 90%, and Brittany ceased use of any dangerous pharmaceuticals. (Patient Success)

Increasingly, more and more evidence shows how cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis is making a positive impact in treating children with rare diseases, particularly seizure conditions. The story of Jayden David, first shown on the Sanjay Gupta’s documentary Weed Wars, is only one of many that deserves to be told, as it highlights just how CBD oil is making a difference in the lives of families that dared to try their luck with an alternative form of treatment. CBD hemp oil, derived from the cannabis plant industrial hemp has been shown to alleviate a myriad of health conditions. Research and personal stories are expanding the dialogue on just how medical cannabis could be beneficial in treating conditions such as Dravet syndrome that plagues Jayden. CBD oil had made an incredible impact in Jayden’s life by reducing the frequency of his seizures and improving his quality of life.

The article “Marijuana Stops Child’s Severe Seizures” by Saundra Young reveals an unusual solution to a child’s illness. Starting from a young age, Charlotte Figi started getting frequent seizures. The seizures lasted from two to four hours and often required Charlotte to be hospitalized. After doing several tests, the doctors were not able to find the exact cause for Charlotte’s seizures. They eventually diagnosed Charlotte with Dravet Syndrome. Following the diagnosis, the doctors decided to start treatment which proved to be unsuccessful. The next step they took was to implement a ketogenic diet which worked for two years with some side effects. Finally, Charlotte’s parents decided to try using medical marijuana that has low THC levels. The medical marijuana used proved to be successful in reducing Charlotte’s seizures drastically.

According to the authors, recent studies have shown that there is another compound in marijuana that is increasing the attention of both scientists and medical marijuana providers known as cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is not an intoxicating product, and does not produce a high when alone, but some researchers claim it may calm the anxiety produced by THC. Some research suggests that marijuana with a better balance between CBD and THC is less risky than the high-THC, low-CBD strains that now dominate the upper end of the marijuana market (Caulkin 9). With scientists discovering the new compound CBD, it makes them more interested in doing further research in order to discover more roles of other compounds

Medical marijuana has been one of the most controversial topics in politics for years regardings its legalization and any possible benefits. Marijuana is commonly referred to as the “gateway drug” and has been thought to be what causes the downfall of our youth in today’s society. This has caused Marijuana to earn a bad reputation due to the immense surrounding propaganda and bias opinions. Cannabis is the scientific name of the plant which is absolutely natural and free of chemicals, but the psychoactive components in the plant has been proven to be of medical use. If medical marijuana is prescribed correctly it has the potential to help thousands of patients due to the variety of benefits it can medically provide. Medical Marijuana should

Marijuana is the most essential and therapeutically active substance that has been discovered by man. Therefore, medical cannabis refers to the use of the cannabis drug as recommended herbal therapy by physicians. This is mostly known as antiemetic. The experimental demonstration of marijuana’s significant properties thousands of years ago proves that it is one of the most essential substances that can be used in manufacturing drugs (Minamide). As provided from the ancient Indians, its psychoactive properties were realized which triggered its use by doctors to treat a variety of ailments and illnesses. This argument has been supported by the modern scientific experiment in the United States. Researchers have found that marijuana was greatly important in treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, pain reliever mostly in childbirth. In addition, they also found out that smoking marijuana reduces pain, especially with patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, and chemotherapy (Minamide). In the recent past, marijuana has been found to be an important substance on AIDs patients where it reduces nausea, vomiting, and appetite loss. Moreover, it was recognized as a significant substance in relieving glaucoma eye pressure. It was also shown that it plays a vital role in Multiple Sclerosis. It reduces muscle pain, spasticity, and reduces diseases that cause body tremors. Epilepsy,

A 2014 survey at Stanford University resulted in good reports of parents who used cannabidiol to treat their children’s seizures. According to the study 84 per cent of the parents reported that their children’s seizures were reduced with the CBD. 11 per cent reported total freedom from seizures, 42 per cent reported an 80 per cent reduction in frequency of seizures, and 32 per cent reported 25 to 60 per cent seizure reduction. Other reported benefits included better mood, enhanced sleep, and a boost in alertness. The commonly reported side effects were fatigue and

As stated earlier in this paper the strain CBD is the most important ingredient for medical marijuana purposes. A study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics stated that CBD can help stop cancer by turning off a gene called Id-1. More research on CBD stopping cancer, has shown that marijuana slows tumor growth in the brain, breasts, and lungs by a considerable amount. THC can also serve medical purposes but it a lot less commonly used for medical reasons compared to CBD. One instance where THC does help medically is in preventing Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s happens when an enzyme in our brain begins to divide improperly, creating a form called beta amyloid which is toxic to the neurons in our brain. THC has been proven to help

“Marijuana contains more than 460 active chemicals and over 60 unique cannabinoids” (Seamon et al. 1037-1044). Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds within the cannabis such as, THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). These two chemical compounds are responsible for more the majority of the active effects of marijuana.

The use of cannabis toward medicine should not be shocking to anyone, since it has been around for centuries. As a matter of fact, it has been under medicinal aid for an estimated 5,000 years. Western medicine truly grasped marijuana’s medicinal abilities in the 1850’s. Infact, doctors documented over one hundred papers about how marijuana helped numerous disorders, such as nausea, glaucoma, movement disorders, pain relief, depression, and anxiety. It also helps cancer patients and those with HIV or Aids. Currently, many American patients have access to marijuana use so that they can have effective treatments for their illnesses. Medical marijuana use is achievable because

There is no cure for the disorder and in some cases, it is deemed fatal. One in three epilepsy patients do not respond to traditional medicines and treatments. Introducing marijuana to epilepsy patients has shown to be a positive solution. They don’t actually have to smoke the plant. They are given CBD, which is one of the main compounds in marijuana. They are not exposed to THC, which causes the feeling of euphoria. Therefore, they do not get “high”. It has also been shown to be anticonvulsant and have antipsychotic effects. Establishing CBD as a safe and effective drug treatment has become the goal of many doctors that have epileptic patients. There are not many studies that have been conducted on it, but it doesn’t show any severe or life-threatening side effects.

Nevertheless, there have been shown to be considerable cognitive and substance-abuse related negative effects related to THC use that have to be taken seriously, particularly in relation to young or inexperienced patients (Malone, Hill & Rubino, 2010). Despite this, the adverse effects may be avoided if THC were to be replaced with a non-psychoactive cannabinoid such as CBD (Schubert et al., 2011). When a smaller dosage is used e.g. 4 - 5 Mg, CBD shows almost none of the adverse effects that THC exhibits, and it has the added bonus of not causing the patient to become “high”, which is especially attractive when using cannabinoids as a treatment for younger patients (Cunha et al., 1980). CBD has also been shown to reduce the psychoactive and anxiety effects of THC (Russo & Guy, 2006), and have very little, if any effect on the CNS, but still maintains its anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. Because of these very key points, inactive synthetic CBD could be a good choice for development as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug (Fride,

Glaucoma is a condition which can lead to blindness if left untreated. It is caused mainly by the increase pressure in the eye. Marijuana is made primary of cannabis which contains Cannabinoids. Cannabinoids successfully lowers the pressure in the eye making it a possible cure for glaucoma. What about patients who suffer from epilepsy or seizures? In 2015 at the New York University medical school researchers have found a fifty percent decrease in the patients using Cannabidiol(CBD). Cannabidiol is simply defined as a compound found in marijuana except it will not make the person high. Many parents of children who suffer from seizures are being treated with Cannabidiol.

Based on what Maggie Fox’s article called, “FDA committee recommends cannabis-based drug,” says I can most definitely conclude that this is a cannabis-based drug that has been safely tested so that kids with the two types of epileptic syndromes, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, can live a normal life as well as possibly helping people with other conditions, such as anxiety, AIDs, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis. Based on how this article explains how much this new medicine called, Epidiolex, could help kids with these rare and severe epileptic conditions and other conditions that is may help with as well, which really helps to show how important marijuana can be for people on the medical spectrum. The company that made this

When most people hear the word “weed” or “pot” they may think of the illegal drug of marijuana and how horrible it must be. People are brainwashed on how bad this drug is but after a little bit of research, you may think otherwise. To start, studies on medical marijuana have proven that the drug has therapeutic effects concerning pain management, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and appetite loss for patients suffering from medical diseases. These diseases include cancer, HIV, epilepsy, and more. Legalizing the use of marijuana as a medical remedy would improve a patient's quality of life and promote positive responses to treatment. Doing this could also help boost our economy with taxation, create employment, and save our economy billions of dollars. Legislators should legalize marijuana solely to benefit those individuals with terminal medical diseases and to help put a boost in the United States economy.