ABSTRACT

Curiosity has brought up the media to work on social issues – keeping us up-to-

date, knowledgeable and aware. Different forms of media has been published

everywhere to satisfy the people’s hunger for information. And through the evolution of

time, technology has been a great part of it.

Interest in medical marijuana is growing steadily, fanned by a large political

movement that aims to increase its availability and legality. But what's it actually good

for? Inaccurate, uncited memes claiming its efficacy in treating everything from cancer

to epilepsy travel on social media like wildfire, but what does the science actually say?

There are many misconceptions or myths about medical marijuana patients that

sometimes give the whole medical marijuana industry a bad name and bad reputation

which in return causes more hurdles and obstacles in the continuing effort to full

legalization of medical marijuana. Some believe that the majority of medical marijuana

patients take advantage of the law and only get access to medical marijuana to get

“high” as opposed to using the medicine to treat any actual ailments. Although it is

unfortunate that there are certain cases where there are some “patients” abusing the

law and simply obtaining medical marijuana to get high. However, the majority of

patients have actual ailments and find relief through the use of medicinal marijuana.

Keywords: Ailments, Availability and Legality, Aware, Epilepsy, High, Knowledgeable,

Legalization, Marijuana, Medical, Misconception, Patients, Political Movement, Science,

Social Media, Technology

 INTRODUCTION

Medical marijuana is cannabis and cannabinoids that are recommended

by doctors for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously

tested due to production restrictions and other governmental regulations. Limited

evidence suggests cannabis can: reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy,

improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and reduce chronic pain and muscle spasms.

Short-term use increases the risk of both minor and major adverse

effects. Common side effects include dizziness, feeling tired, vomiting, and

hallucinations. Long-term effects of cannabis are not clear. Concerns include memory

and cognition problems, risk of addiction, schizophrenia in young people, and the risk of

children taking it by accident.

The Cannabis plant has a history of medicinal use dating back thousands of

years across many cultures. The use of medical cannabis is controversial. A number of

medical organizations have requested removal of cannabis from the list of Schedule I

controlled substances, followed by regulatory and scientific review. Others such as

the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the legalization of medical cannabis.

Medical cannabis can be administered using a variety of methods, including

liquid tinctures, vaporizing or smoking dried buds, eating cannabis edibles, taking

capsules, using lozenges, dermal patches, or oral/dermal sprays. Synthetic

cannabinoids are available as prescription drugs in some countries; examples

include: dronabinol and nabilone. Recreational use of cannabis is illegal in most parts of
the world, but the medical use of cannabis is legal in a number of countries, some of

which include Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy,

the Netherlands, Poland, Peru, and Uruguay. Australia has passed laws to allow the

use of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes in some states. In the United States,

29 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation permitting the

possession, use, and distribution of medical cannabis in some form. Although cannabis

remains prohibited for any use at the federal level, the Rohrabacher–Farr

amendment was enacted in December 2014, limiting the ability of federal law to be

enforced in states where medical cannabis has been legalized.

Many different cannabis strains are collectively called medical cannabis. Since

many varieties of the cannabis plant and plant derivatives all share the same name, the

term medical cannabis is ambiguous and can be misunderstood.

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

There is often an assumption that this is somehow more potent than what is on

the streets or somehow more effective than what is available through other, illicit

means. In actuality, it is fairly similar to what is obtained on the street. The advantage is

clearly that this would be unadulterated, and so it is definitely a preferred method of

obtaining the product if people think that this is something that might benefit them.

Other common misconceptions of the medical marijuana patient is that they are taking

advantage of the system by having safe access to medical marijuana and then turn

around and resell it to those whom don’t yet have safe access to medicinal marijuana. It

is unfortunate that this is somewhat true for some patients and the real patients whom

need it for legitimate reasons get tainted with the idea that they might be doing this as

well. The patients have no control over what other patients do with their medications. If

a patient is caught reselling their medication I am for prosecuting that individual and

revoking their safe access to medical marijuana. Just like it is illegal to resell

prescription drugs the same goes for medical marijuana because after-all it is a

prescription medicine that has been recommended by a physician to a patient.

All these misconceptions could be easily debunked if medicinal marijuana was

completely legal and there was safe access available to the patients whom needed it. If

there was safe access to whoever benefited from the medicine there would be no

issues of “patients” abusing the law because there would be more strict regulations as

far as who has safe access to medical marijuana. Also if it were completely legal for

medicinal purposes there would be no worried patrons whom some are currently afraid
to get access to medicinal marijuana and therefore reselling would not be an issue. All

these myths about medical marijuana patients would be debunked if full legalization

were a thing of reality, but one can only hope and look forward to reform of current

medical marijuana laws.

Marijuana varies from state to state. As you know, this is still a schedule 1

narcotic, and so federally, it's still illegal. That's important for people to know. People

can't take it across state lines. If they were found to have the drug in one of those states

where it's not legal, it is a federal offense. People don't understand that because they

think, "Gee! I got it from a medical dispensary!" It doesn't matter.

Since using marijuana is a federal offense, the doctors don't actually prescribe it.

In states where it is “legal,” if you will, the physician typically certifies the patient. What

that means is they're certifying that the patient has one of the diagnoses that's approved

in that state. Cancer is clearly at the top of the list. They certify that the patient has that

disease and, in their best judgement, could benefit from the palliative use of marijuana

and also that the doctor has a sustained relationship with that patient. This is not

someone who just set up a booth somewhere and is signing off for people they don't

know.

When the doctor certify, the patient fills out a form, the doctor has to fill out a

form, and all of that information goes to the state. In different states there are different

requirements. For instance, some states require a patient to get fingerprinted or

get passport photos. The patient also has to determine which dispensary they're going

to go to, and they have to keep going to that same dispensary. I'm often telling people,
"Check out the dispensaries. Which ones are easily accessible you, and which ones

have the products that you think may be more useful to you."

Then the patient get a card from the state and that card has the dispensary listed

on it. That serves as their "prescription." So, they technically don't actually have a

prescription. Patients can then go to the dispensary with this card and get their supply

of marijuana.

There's so much fear and concern right now. With the opioid epidemic that got so

many attentions, people are worried that if we make these compounds more accessible,

we're going to have the same diversions as with opioids. It's hard to predict what's going

to happen.

These are the medical benefits and uses of medical marijuana:

Cannabinoids such as THC have been shown in numerous animal studies to

increase food consumption and some human trials have also shown positive results.

For example, a study comparing THC with a placebo in cancer patients found that those

taking THC had a better appetite and sense of taste, and although they didn’t consume

more calories they felt more relaxed and had a better quality of sleep compared to the

placebo group. Another study investigating the FDA-approved synthetic cannabinoid

(THC) drug dronabinol in HIV/AIDS patients presenting weight loss found that those

taking THC ate more than controls and stopped losing weight. However, in

a study comparing dronabinol with a standard drug (megestrol) in cancer patients

presenting loss of appetite, researchers found that dronabinol was not as effective as

megestrol in increasing appetite or weight gain.

No surprises here, but a study in healthy people found that those inhaling marijuana

consumed more calories (had “the munchies”), especially from fatty and sugary snacks,

than those inhaling a placebo.

How does it stimulate appetite? The CB1 receptor is active in numerous areas of the

body that are known to stimulate eating behavior, such as the hypothalamus and limbic

forebrain, and also certain areas in the stomach and intestine. THC can exert effects

by mimicking endogenous substances (called endocannabinoids) that are naturally

found in the body.

There have been numerous studies investigating the ability of cannabinoids to

reduce and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. A 2001 systematic

review of 30 studies involving synthetic cannabinoids (dronabinol, nabilone or

levonantradol) compared with a placebo or an active control (a non-cannabinoid drug)

found that the cannabinoids were more effective than the active control or the placebo

at reducing vomiting and nausea. Furthermore, patients demonstrated a preference for

the cannabinoid drugs over the placebo and the active control drugs, and they

presented limited side-effects.

How do they work? The endocannabinoid system (the name for the group of

molecules and receptors such as CB1 and CB2 that are collectively involved in a variety

of physiological processes and mediating the psychoactive effects of marijuana) is key

to modulating numerous systems such as reward pathways, pain perception and

emesis (vomiting). Areas of the brain involved in chemotherapy induced nausea and

vomiting are higher cortical and limbic regions that can influence the stimulation or

suppression of nausea and vomiting. CB1 receptors are found in high quantities in

these areas, and drugs such as nabilone can agonize these receptors.

While neither nabilone nor dronabinol are FDA approved for pain management, a

few studies have shown that they may be beneficial. For example, a small 2010

study carried out by McGill University Health Centre investigated 21 adults with post-

traumatic or postsurgical neuropathic pain. Participants were randomly assigned to

receive cannabis at 4 potencies (0%, 2.5%, 6% or 9.4% THC) which was smoked at

home three times a day. All participants used all four potencies, which were rotated

throughout the duration of the study. Participants recorded pain intensity and also

mood, sleep and quality of life. They found that cannabis smoked at a concentration of

9.4% THC moderately reduced pain and improved sleep, with few side-effects. Larger

studies are needed to verify these results.

A 2007 study carried out by researchers from the University of California at San

Francisco looked at HIV patients with peripheral neuropathy and found that a

significantly higher number of patients receiving the treatment (smoking marijuana)

experienced a reduction in pain compared with the placebo group.

Glaucoma is a condition caused by an increase in pressure within the eye which

can lead to blindness if left untreated. Cannabinoids effectively lower intraocular

pressure (IOP), likely by increasing ocular blood flow through

their vasorelaxant properties, and there have been a few studies since the 1970’s
investigating cannabis as a possible treatment for glaucoma. For example, an early and

small trial in 1971 demonstrated that smoking marijuana reduced IOP but the effects

only lasted 3-4 hours, limiting its usefulness when taken in this manner. However,

studies have shown that while marijuana may temporarily reduce IOP, it also lowers

blood pressure throughout the body, canceling out the beneficial effects.

A 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine concluded that despite the observed

reduction in IOP by cannabinoids and marijuana, “…the effect is too short lived and

required too high doses, and there are too many side effects to recommend lifelong use

in the treatment of glaucoma. The potential harmful effects of chronic marijuana

smoking outweigh its modest benefits in the treatment of glaucoma.”

Epilepsy, which is a neurological disorder characterized by episodic seizures,

affects around 2.3 million Americans, almost half of whom live with uncontrolled

seizures. The use of marijuana to treat epilepsy has a complex history. Some animal

studies have demonstrated that THC can control seizures that are unresponsive to

other treatments, whereas a few have also shown that it might trigger seizures. So far,

there exists only one published human clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness

of marijuana in the treatment of epilepsy which was conducted in 1980 and involved

only 16 participants. Half of the individuals receiving cannabidiol remained almost free

of convulsions throughout the study, and a further 3 demonstrated some improvement

in their condition. Only one of the placebo recipients improved.

Recent preclinical studies carried out by the University of Reading identified a

particular marijuana compound that showed great promise in the treatment of epilepsy

as it helped to reduce convulsions and was well-tolerated. To take this forward, a British
pharmaceutical company called GW Pharmaceuticals announced last September that it

would be initiating a Phase 1 Clinical Trial of a non-

psychoactive cannabinoid called GWP42006 in the treatment of epilepsy.

Anecdotal evidence for the success of marijuana in controlling seizures from

epilepsy sufferers also spurred a senator in the U.S. to put forward a bill allowing people

in South Carolina to use CBD oil to treat epilepsy, which was passed into law two days

ago.

It has been suggested that marijuana may be able to help control both muscle

stiffness and spasms, but the results are conflicting.

In 2001, a large placebo-controlled trial was initiated in Britain which set out to

investigate marijuana in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. 630 people with different

forms of MS were enrolled, and although the study found that oral derivatives or

marijuana did not provide objective improvements in spasticity (as measured by

physicians), the patients reported feeling improvements in spasticity and pain. Based on

these results, a further study was initiated to investigate whether dronabinol slows the

progression of MS. The study, which was published in Lancet Neurology, found that

dronabinol did not positively affect (slow) disease progression.

However, a 2013 study led by the same researcher investigating 400

individuals with MS found that muscle stiffness improved by almost twofold in the

cannabis group when compared with the placebo group.

Therefore, some inconsistencies remain in data and medics are currently unsure

as to whether the benefits outweigh the side effects.

 A very recent study, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, has

suggested that THC can suppress the immune system of rodents through epigenetic

modifications (changes in gene expression that do not involve changes in DNA

sequence), raising the possibility that it could be used to treat autoimmune diseases

such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. However, it is certainly early days yet and further

investigation is warranted since the study left many questions unanswered, for example

how long the effects of THC last for. Furthermore, their results also hinted that the

infamous BRCA2 gene may be suppressed by THC. This tumor suppressor gene

produces a protein involved in DNA repair, so we certainly don't want to be suppressing

its activities as this can lead to cancer.

There have been numerous laboratory and animal-based studies that have

shown antitumor properties of cannabis, or more specifically THC. In particular, several

studies have shown that cannabinoid administration can prevent the growth of cultured

brain cancer cells and tumor xenografts (human tumor tissue transplanted into animals)

in rodents, including gliomas (brain cancers derived from glial cells).

One study investigating the most aggressive glioma, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM),

which is also notoriously resistant to anticancer therapies, found that THC in

combination with the conventional GBM therapy (temozolomide) exerted strong

antitumor activities in mice with glioma xenografts. They also found that administering

submaximal doses of THC and cannabidiol, another cannabinoid, together with

temozolomide reduced the growth of both temozolomide-sensitive and temozolomide-

resistant tumors in animal models.

 Although no human studies (in the medical field) have yet been carried out on

cancer and cannabis, the promising results gathered so far from cell culture and animal

studies prompted researchers to initiate the first human trials using cannabis to treat

GBM. The small pilot study will involve a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled

phase with 20 patients investigating cannabinoids in combination with temozolomide.

Results have not yet been published.

A 2007 Harvard study investigating THC also found that non-toxic doses of the

cannabinoid inhibited the growth and spread of lung tumor cell lines and also

reduced tumor size in mice with human lung cancer xenografts when compared with a

control group. However, the researchers cautioned that they did not know the exact

mechanisms behind this and that further investigation is needed since some studies

have actually shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. For example, a 2000

study published in the Journal of Immunology found that THC promoted lung tumor

growth in mice by impeding the body’s antitumor system.

There are many websites which state that “cannabis cures cancer”- it doesn’t. As

demonstrated, cannabis may have many potential applications in medicine, and

laboratory and animal studies have yielded some promising results with regards to

cancer. But cancer is not one single disease, and saying it is a “cure” is wrong,

especially due to conflicting results and the fact that studies so far regarding antitumor

properties have not been conducted in humans.

If you'd like to find out more, check out this great review of cannabis studies

conducted for a variety of medical conditions.

 Marijuana is a fascinating plant, with a wide range of uses. Its use in medicine is

currently being researched all around the world, and there are many situations in which

it can be helpful. However, anything being touted as a "miracle" cure for anything should

be treated with suspicion. There is no such thing as a miracle, and everything that has

an effect also has side-effects. The positives and negatives to every treatment must be

carefully weighed up. It is also important to not overstate the importance of laboratory

and animal models - while useful and scientifically interesting, they do not prove

anything with regards to human treatment. Long term, human trials are required before

we can state definitively how useful medical marijuana is in treating each of these

illnesses.
 CONCLUSIONS

Many physicians believe that marijuana is the best available treatment for some

of their patients, because marijuana produces no unacceptable risks to its users or the

community, because it is half the price of the legal drug Marinol (which works less

efficiently than marijuana for some patients) and because 70% of the US population

wants it as a medical option, marijuana should be a medical option.

Even if it were clear that marijuana caused long term risks to such patients, the

risks would be less relevant than immediate relief from suffering.

In truth, these issues are peripheral to a greater subversion providing an entry

into legalization debates.

Proposals to fund medical marijuana research go through the same peer review

process available to any other drug research. With a limited amount of funds available,

the government can only afford to support the most well-designed and promising

studies. Medical marijuana has to stand in line with other research proposals, so that

medicine can progress the most for society overall.

It is hoped that scientific input on this issue will take it out of the political

arena and the state-based referenda process, and place it where it belongs: in the

laboratory and in the hands of researchers and medical professionals working to help

people in pain.
 RECOMMENDATION

As a recommendation, marijuana should be legal because prohibition doesn't

help the country in any way, plus, it causes a lot of problems. There is no scientific

evidence that suggests prohibition decreases drug use, but there are several theories

that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use. One effect of marijuana

prohibition is that it makes the drug available to minors. Marijuana dealers usually don't

care how old a buyer is, as long as they have the money. It is actually easier for high

school students to obtain marijuana than it is alcohol; this is because alcohol is legal

and therefore regulated to keep it away from teenagers. If marijuana were legal to

people above the age of twenty-one like alcohol, then it would be harder for teenagers

to obtain it. Prohibition is not working and I believe that education and treatment are

better ways to address the drug problem.

The two most deadly drugs in America are legal. Marijuana is not a dangerous

drug and has never killed anybody. Alcohol and tobacco accumulate over 675,000

American deaths each year. Over the counter drugs and aspirin kill over 35,000

Americans each year. Alcohol and cigarettes are highly addictive and can cause an

endless amount of health problems. Alcohol alone can cause gastritis, pancreatitis,

ulcers, liver cancer, cirrhosis, and other liver diseases. Tobacco contains at least

nineteen different types of cancer and is the major cause of cardiovascular disease.

Despite the known health risks of these drugs they remain legal and available almost

anywhere. If the government wants to have drug policies that are logical and effective,

then marijuana should be regulated and taxed similar to alcohol and tobacco.
 Marijuana should also be legalized because of its medical benefits. Written

references to the use of marijuana as a medicine date back nearly 5,000 years. Well

documented studies show that cannabis can relieve minor pain, nausea, spasticity,

glaucoma, movement disorders, and can help with insomnia. The active ingredient in

marijuana is called THC. Studies at Harvard University show that THC has been found

to reduce tumor growth in common lung cancer by fifty percent, it also reduces the

spread of cancer in some patients. Cannabis is also a very powerful appetite stimulant,

especially for patients suffering from HIV or eating disorders such as anorexia. Studies

also show that marijuana helps with multiple sclerosis, depression, headaches, labor

pains, and menstrual cramps. Despite all of these documented records of marijuana

being a significant medicine the government classifies marijuana as a schedule one

drug. Other schedule one drugs include heroine, meth, crack, PCP, and LCD. In order

for a drug to be schedule one, the substance has to have no medical uses, and the drug

also has to have a high potential for abuse. Marijuana is not physically addictive and

when compared to legal drugs, abuse problems with marijuana are far less severe.

Marijuana is also legal in fourteen states for medical use, and over 2,500 different

physicians have recommended it for use by their patients. I don't get it, marijuana has

been proven to have medical uses and doesn't have a high potential for abuse, yet it is

still classified in the same category with some of the deadliest drugs on this planet.

Prohibition causes massive crime and suffering, causes government/police corruption,

causes America to have the highest prison population of any country, causes the waste

of trillions in taxpayer dollars, causes wars, and causes violence and death in other

countries.
 REFERENCES

BOOKS:
 5 Common uses of medical cannabis. Retrievedfrom Discovery Fit and Health:
Alaoui, M., Melloul, M., Amine, S., Stambouli, H., El Bouri, A., Soulaymani, A., &
ElFahime, E. (2013). Extraction of High Quality DNA from Seized Moroccan
CannabisResin (Hashish).Plos One, 6

 Medical marijuana laws in 50states: Investigating the relationship between state

legalization of medical marijuana andmarijuana use, abuse and
dependence.Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 22-27.Deem, R. (2013)

 The medical "benefits" of smoking marijuana (cannabis): A review of thecurrent

scientific literature. Retrieved Discovery Fit and Health. (2014, February).

 What you should know about medical marijuana.CINAHLComplete, 92-96.Cerda,

M., Wall, M., Keyes, K., Galea, S., & Hasin, D. (2012).

WEBSITES:
 http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/medical-marijuana-
what%E2%80%99s-it-good/

 http://www.mbc.ca.gov/Licensees/Prescribing/medical_marijuana_cma-
recommend.com

 https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000142

 https://vialsondemand.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/common-misconceptions-of-
medical-marijuana-patients/

 https://www.curetoday.com/articles/expert-addresses-common-misconceptions-
about-medical-marijuana-use-in-patients-with-cancer
 MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

The Environment of Today

“THE MISCONCEPTION OF USING MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN

THE FIELD OF MEDICINE”

Prepared by: Submitted to:

Datingaling, Patrick D. MR. D. L. AUREADA

Felices, Hazel Mae M. CETD FACULTY
Bringel, Neal Alfred
Flores, Aleena Myrtle
Abenilla, Marissa
FRI (10:30 – 12:30)
Nov. 17, 2017