For many years cannabis was believed to be an abusive drug, and yet in high doses or case of its low quality, it can be dangerous for health. Recently, there have been numerous debates on the legalization of medical marijuana as it has a variety of benefits. This essay will focus on the reasons for marijuana legalization and its integration into medical practice. It can be used for treating alignments such as fibromyalgia pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and dental plaque. Although some people think that smoking cannabis can be detrimental to the respiratory system, there are other routes of administration that are efficient.
The first reason for cannabis legalization is its efficiency in relieving fibromyalgia pain. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that is characterized by severe muscular pain and affects around 6% of the population (Cameron & Hemingway, 2020). Currently, many patients, mostly women, report medical cannabis use for pain relief. Although multiple types of research suggest that this type of treatment is effective and safe, the studies’ results are often inconsistent. In their work, Cameron and Hemingway (2020) revised other research done between 2015 and 2019 on cannabis’s ability to reduce fibromyalgia pain. They used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and information from PubMed and Medline databases. The search resulted in 47 articles, among which only five were relevant for the study. The report’s data was critically reviewed, including types of cannabis medication, routes of administration, and participant characteristics. It was found that cannabis acts on cannabinoid receptors being an effective treatment option for people with chronic fibromyalgia pain.
The second reason for cannabis legalization is that its oil form was an efficient treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a disease characterized by lung inflammation and obstruction that results in breathing difficulty, coughing, and excessive mucous production (Mamber et al., 2020). Some potential treatment options, such as corticosteroids and bronchodilators, might have serious side effects. Another possible solution is the use of cannabis oils that include a mixture of substances with pharmacological effects. Mamber et al. (2020), in their study, tested cannabis oil extract “for its effects on the expression of 84 respiratory, immune response-related genes in human small airways epithelial cells (HSAEpC) using pathway-focused polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array technology” (p. 2). HSAEpC were cultured in the growth medium and treated with the mixture of cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid and tetrahydrocannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. According to the PCR reaction results, the cannabis oil extract regulated 11 genes related to COPD. After performing this experiment in vitro, it was tested on Caribbean Vervets. The results were successful, meaning that cannabis oils can be an effective treatment option for pulmonary disease.
The third reason for cannabis legalization is that cannabinoids infused mouthwashes have the anti-bacterial capacity for eliminating dental plaque. Dental plaque is a biofilm composed of diverse microbial communities on the teeth surface that eventually leads to the development of periodontal and caries diseases (Vasudevan & Stahl, 2020). Vasudevan and Stahl (2020) conducted research on 72 participants aged between 18 and 83 from Belgium dental clinic. The Dutch periodontal screening index was used starting from 0, no bleeding and perfect gum, and ending with 4, high tooth mobility and severe bone resorption. According to the results, cannabinoid-infused mouthwashes inhibited bacterial growth equally as or better than chlorhexidine. It was shown that cannabidiol, the derivative of cannabis, could deactivate the formation of membrane vesicle in gram-negative bacteria. Thus, other than pulmonology and rheumatology, cannabis can also be used in dental practice.
Although there are numerous benefits related to medical cannabis use, some people believe that smoking marijuana can because of respiratory problems. It was found that “the action of smoking marijuana has been found to increase risk of airflow obstruction, bronchitis, and airway injury such as edema” (as cited in Feeney & Kampman, 2016, p. 175). It may be true that marijuana smoke can cause respiratory problems; however, it may be the marijuana joints that cause impairments rather than other administration routes. In her studies, Sanchez (n.d.) examines different paths and suggest avoiding smoking as it produces toxic combustion products and causes chronic cough and bronchitis. But she claims that other ways of cannabis use, such as earlier examined oils, vaporization, and topical route, are safe if prescribed by the specialist. Thus, routes of administration for cannabis other than smoking is safe to use and should be legalized.
To conclude, cannabis or marijuana has gained specialists’ attention as it can be an efficient treatment option. Cannabis should be legalized because it used to treat a wide range of alignments. It relieves fibromyalgia pain by acting in endocannabinoid receptors, treats COPD by regulating genes related to immune response, and eliminates dental plaque by reducing pathological bacteria activity. It may be true that smoking marijuana can cause respiratory problems due to the chemical by-products; however, there are other routes of administration that are safe and efficient.
References
Cameron, E. C., & Hemingway, S. L. (2020). Cannabinoids for fibromyalgia pain: a critical review of recent studies (2015– 2019). Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(19), 1-11. Web.
Feeney, K. E., & Kampman, K. M. (2016). Adverse effects of cannabis use. SAGE, 83(2), 174-178.
Mamber, S. W., Gurel, V., Lins, J., Ferri, F., Beseme, S., & McMichael, J. (2020). Effects of cannabis oil extract on immune response gene expression in human small airway epithelial cells (HSAEpC): Implications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(5), 1-14. Web.
Sanchez, C. (n.d.). Routes of administration and cannabis products with therapeutic purposes. Fundacion Canna. Web.
Vasudevan, K., & Stahl, V. (2020). Cannabinoids infused mouthwash products are as effective as chlorhexidine on inhibition of total-culturable bacterial content in dental plaque samples. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(20), 1-9. Web.