Legalizing marijuana is a controversial question because people have different views regarding the safety of this drug. However, the fact that a significant number of states have legalized the use of marijuana in healthcare displays that this substance receives its support among policymakers due to its beneficial effect and safety. Although people tend to focus on the social component of this issue, they disregard the role of this drug in individuals’ ability to cope with their health problems. Marijuana is medically and scientifically significant because it helps relieve chronic diseases’ pain, cancer symptoms, and Alzheimer’s disease complications, and it should not be compared with other harmful drugs.
Medical marijuana can be used to relieve pain among patients with chronic issues. Patients that have nerve pain resulting from their chronic diseases can find relief in the use of medical cannabis. Mainly, the chemical compounds in this herb influence the chemicals in the body, influencing a person’s appetite, feelings, and pain. The illustration of the effects of medical marijuana can be the analysis of this drug’s influence on human pain, which demonstrates that it may “provide effective analgesia” in the cases when patients have chronic diseases (Ananth et al. 5).
This statement demonstrates that this substance provides relief associated with chemical composition. At the same time, it is used in these cases because this drug is safer than other opiates such as heroin and opium. After all, it is less addictive and cannot lead to severe complications due to overdose (Ananth et al. 5). This observation proves that medical marijuana should not be associated with other drugs. It does not provide the same harmful effects on human health and simultaneously helps people to relieve pain.
Medical marijuana helps to cope with the symptoms of cancer. Patients with a cancer diagnosis may benefit from the use of this drug in different ways. Mainly, this herb has a positive effect on treating nausea and vomiting among patients after chemotherapy. The illustration of this fact can be the findings that this form of treatment is used in various hospitals where cannabinoid drugs are prescribed to patients after chemotherapy (Ananth et al. 4).
In addition, it provides a beneficial effect on the appetite of patients suffering from post-therapy symptoms. The demonstration of the role of this substance in coping with appetite difficulties can be the research that analyzes the marijuana use to alleviate the symptoms. Mainly, Ananth et al. explain that the patients apply this herb to increase their appetite and reduce stress symptoms (5). Accordingly, this statement supports the idea about the role of marijuana in allowing cancer patients to cope with the complications after procedures that include loss of appetite, nausea, and anxiety disorder. Consequently, it plays a significant role in helping patients with cancer.
Cannabinoid drugs can also decrease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is associated with cognitive degeneration and the symptoms of agitation. Consequently, cannabis flower is used to cope with these manifestations of the disorder to improve the patients’ situation. Mainly, this can be illustrated by the study results, observing the role of cannabis use in coping with dementia and agitation. Kim et al. explain that marijuana drugs can protect neuronal cells from various pathological changes that lead to such complications as memory loss, challenges in finding solutions, and difficulty in completing ordinary tasks (225).
In addition, the substance may influence the brain leading to neuronal cell growth, which helps to develop communication among neurons and contribute to a patient’s proper functioning. Moreover, this research demonstrates that medical marijuana can prevent the progress of factors contributing to disease development (Kim et al. 229). Consequently, the drug may protect the nerve cells and increase their resistance to pathological mechanisms.
There is the opposing view that marijuana is illegal because it may negatively influence human health, and interference in human brain functioning may be a risk factor. Mainly the supporters of this claim focus on the insufficiency in research observing and analyzing the effects of medical marijuana use on people’s brains. They regard that substance use can be unpredictable, which may result in irreversible brain changes. Next, they are concerned that the limitations in studies make the healthcare workers unable to understand whether this herb should be used in specific situations and its effect on symptoms and disease.
Their focus on the insufficiency of studies is irrelevant because multiple surveys and researches demonstrate the role of medical marihuana in health changes. One of the examples can be the analysis presented by Kim et al., which reveals that cannabinoid drugs may influence the brain directly, improving its functioning (229). This study reveals that specific analysis of the herb’s influence on human health provides scientifically based evidence. Marijuana cannot be compared with other harmful drugs because it does not lead to complications in overdose cases, and it is significantly less addictive.
Thus, marijuana has medical and scientific importance for patients suffering from such health issues as chronic pains, cancer symptoms, and Alzheimer’s disease. The components of cannabis help to alleviate painful feelings functioning as analgesia. Moreover, it is less addictive and does not cause complications that other drugs may have. Additionally, it helps to cope with nausea, absence of appetite, and anxiety among cancer patients. Finally, this herb allows preventing pathological changes in the brain among patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, it should be included in medical and scientific practice to enable people to benefit from its properties.
Works Cited
Ananth, Prasanna et al. “Medical Marijuana in Pediatric Oncology: A Review of the Evidence and Implications for Practice”. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, vol. 65, no. 2, 2017, p. 1-9.
Kim, Seok Hee, et al. “A Review on Studies of Marijuana for Alzheimer’s Disease–Focusing on CBD, THC.” Journal of Pharmacopuncture, vol. 22, no. 4, 2019, p. 225-230.