Medicinal marijuana: the debate about pros and cons
Cannabis sativa extract (marijuana) was one of the most prescribed medicines in the United States, until its prohibition in 1937. However, after becoming illegal, the use of drugs for medicinal purposes was restricted in recent years, when some states decided to legalize smoked marijuana for individual patients, medicinal marijuana became an issue of controversial debate.
On the one hand, the United States Drug Control Agency (DEA) classifies marijuana as a drug from List 1 and considers that ‘it currently has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse’ ’.
List 1 drugs include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and methamphetamine, and are considered dangerous drugs because they are highly addictive and can cause ‘severe psychological or physical dependence’.
On the other hand, despite their stigma, many people believe that marijuana has a high value as a medicinal grass to treat various conditions. Marijuana can relieve many types of chronic pain, nausea and vomiting for any amount of ailments.
It is argued that many people suffering from terminal diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS could benefit from marijuana consumption and should have the right to do so if they wish.
Social implications of marijuana consumption.
Some argue that Congress should change the classification of marijuana under the controlled substances law. If marijuana was no longer a drug on list 1, its medicinal benefits could be legally recognized, relieveing the suffering of thousands of patients with terminal diseases.
However, on the other hand, if medicinal marijuana was legalized, there could be repercussions outside the scope of medicine, which would lead adolescents to believe that marijuana is safe for recreational use and increased drug availability.
Pros
- Reduce or control epileptic crises
- Can decrease the symptoms of dravet syndrome
- THC can delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
- It can prevent or calm muscle spasms
- Relieves the symptoms of treatments for hepatitis C
- It can be used to treat inflammatory intestine diseases
- It can be used to improve metabolism
- You can calm the tremors of Parkinson’s disease
- It can be used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Cons
- Thought deterioration, Skills to solve problems and memory
- Reduced reaction times and altered perception
- Reduced balance and coordination
- Apathy, drowsiness and depression that can affect personality and mood
- Greater risk of heart attack
- Greater risk of chronic cough and respiratory infections
- Possibility of hallucinations and symptoms of abstinence
- Suppression of the immune system by long -term use
- Reduction of male hormones
South Africa and marijuana
In September 2018, the Constitutional Court of South Africa legalized the use of cannabis in private for personal consumption, allowing adult citizens to cultivate, possess and use the drug for recreational or medicinal personal use.
Although South Africa may be at the forefront of the legal use of marijuana, the ongoing debate on the pros and cons United States and everyone in the coming decades.
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