[SOLVED] Write a controversial topic related to pharmacology

Use of Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana involves the use of cannabis sativa chemicals present in the plant to treat certain conditions. The chemicals, called cannabinoids, are close to one hundred in number with each having particular results in the body (Cerda, et al., 2012). The two main chemicals that have been approved by the FDA to be used for medicinal purposes are the cannabidiol (CBD) and Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some of the conditions treated by marijuana include glaucoma, cancer, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease, nausea, pain, eating disorders, mental health such as posttraumatic stress disorder, muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, and cachexia. Research on marijuana contends that the chemicals help in lowering inflammation, reduce pain, minimize anxiety, kills cancer cells and reduce the growth of the tumor. The chemicals have also been found to reduce the rates of vomiting caused by cancer, controls chemotherapy as well as prevent weight gain among people suffering from cancer and AIDS (Treat, et al., 2017). 

Medical marijuana is taken by smoking, eating, applying it on the skin either in the form of a spray, inhaling it or placing it under the tongue in the form of a liquid. The drug, however, leads to low blood pressure, feeling dizzy, causes hallucinations, may lead to depression and increased rate of heartbeat. The IQ of an individual can also be affected especially for the teenagers. Marijuana contains tobacco chemicals that can result in adverse lung conditions such as bronchitis (Treat et al., 2017).  The drug might be addictive and result to use of other drugs by the users. There is strong evidence of OCE reducing the pains for patients having MS with painful spasms, moderate evidence for THC treating the painful spasms and insufficient evidence for smoking marijuana reducing the pains (Cerda, et al., 2012). For one to get medical marijuana, he has to find a written recommendation from an approved doctor in regions where it is legally accepted. One’s condition must be relevant to the approval of medical marijuana. Some states will then ask the user to have an ID card for the drug (Cerda et al., 2012).

Relationship Between Quality Outcomes, Patient Safety, Medical Marijuana

Various policies are outlined to ensure good use of medical marijuana. In the USA, for instance, several standards have been put in place to address this issue. Since this drug is regulated in the FDA, clinicians are not allowed to offer it in the hospitals and instead, the hospitals will determine when to administer and the drug is then brought to the hospitals by the patients. The hospitals too are supposed to assess the integrity of the medication before administering it (Volkow, Baler, Compton, & Weiss, (2017). The hospital will then inform the patient and prescribe if the medication is not allowed. On the patient’s safety, since the hospitals might find it difficult to identify the reliability of the drug, clinicians are advised to evaluate the effect of the medication on the status of the patients and decide on whether the patients should continue using them or quit (Volkow et al., 2017). The nurse is supposed to be aware of the cannabinoid receptors, cannabinoids and the association between them. Besides, nurses should also have the knowledge of the marijuana and the research related to the medical use of marijuana and the potential side effects of its use in hospital settings to determine when to report to the physician or when to stop its use. One should also knowledge on the guidelines of the MMP (Volkow et al., 2017).

The use of medical marijuana has resulted in positive patient outcomes from various studies conducted prompting the FDA, for instance, to permit the use of CBD to treat epilepsy (Treat et al., 2017). The CBD drug, Epidiolex was used in a study where 120 kids and teenagers were randomly given the CBD orally. The result was that those who received the medication had their seizures reduce from 12 in a month to 6 in the same period after the intervention. Three children, however, did not experience any seizure. This 39% drop can be attributed to the use of the medication thereby serving as evidence of its importance to people living with Dravet syndrome (Treat et al., 2017).  The research showed that out of 10 children, 9 experienced high fever, vomiting, and fatigue which are common side effects of the drug as discussed earlier.

Effects of Medical Marijuana On Communities and Organizations

The use of medical marijuana can adversely affect the community while promoting the health and wellness of the people.  Studies have shown that with continued use of medical marijuana, people are likely to be addicted and as a result, be exposed to health problems.  People smoking marijuana are likely to experience suicidal thoughts with some ending up killing themselves (Volkow et al., 2017). There is also a likelihood of users experiencing depression in addition to the threat of developing respiratory diseases such as asthma. There have been serious unintended ingestions of edibles to the children who have the marijuana contents thus affecting children. The community, therefore, finds it hard to fight against it and as a result, it’s the role of the government to ensure strict labeling of products and stringent regulation to avoid misuse (Cerda, et al., 2012). An increase in the marketing of medical marijuana is also of concern as advertising can lead to unsafe use by teenagers as it creates the desire and curiosity to use the drug.  Some organizations could take this chance of approving medical marijuana for business purposes and as a result, it is recommended for policies and guidelines on how the distribution of this medication should be handled.

Inequities Regarding Access to Medical Marijuana

The use of medical cannabis sativa in the USA is limited to access to different medical situations. There have been reports that race has played a role in limiting access to medical marijuana. Valencia, Asaolu, Ehiri and Rosales (2017) report that White Americans have improved access to the drug as compared to the Asian, Latino and Black Americans and other foreigners who are born in the U.S. Some people from diverse ethnicities may prefer not to seek medical marijuana for fear of being immigrated and are in many cases a target of the law enforcement agencies thus limiting the use of the drug. The socioeconomic background is another inequality as many employed people with health insurance and higher income have higher access to the medication (Valencia et al., 2017). The issuance of marijuana cards demands some costs which may not favor the less-income earners. Marijuana Enforcement Memorandum allows federal prosecutors to establish ways of enforcing the marijuana laws (Cerda, et al., 2012). States also have a registry of patients who might guide against possession in case of arrest. States can allow patients to cultivate marijuana in their homes. The accepting of medical marijuana can be viewed as a way of dropping the beliefs associated with the dangers of marijuana since the majority of the people will take for medical purposes.

References

Cerdá, M., Wall, M., Keyes, K. M., Galea, S., &Hasin, D. (2012). Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 120(1-3), 22-27.

Treat, L., Chapman, K. E., Colborn, K. L., &Knupp, K. G. (2017). Duration of use of oral cannabis extract in a cohort of pediatric epilepsy patients. Epilepsia, 58(1), 123-127.

Valencia, C. I., Asaolu, I. O., Ehiri, J. E., & Rosales, C. (2017). Structural barriers in access to medical marijuana in the USA—a systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 6(1), 154.

Volkow, N. D., Baler, R. D., Compton, W. M., & Weiss, S. R. (2017). Adverse health effects of marijuana use. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(23), 2219-2227.