Medical Marijuana

Introduction

Bogdanoski contends that the use of marijuana divides the medical and scientific communities along the pragmatic lines of therapeutic risks and benefits. Persistent observations of the medical users have revealed that cannabis use has significantly improved their health by lessening their uneasiness and pain (2010).

 

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Willis, in her article, has shed light onto the excessive use of medicinal cannabis in Australia mainly for the treatment of anorexia and chronic pain. Following the leniency of restrictions in March 2018 by the Federal Government, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved over 3,100 scripts of medicinal cannabis (2019). Experts, on the other hand, have estimated that more than 100,000 Australians have been treating themselves with illegally obtained cannabis. The use of this drug has been advocated by many experts who claim that obstinate and inflexible medical conditions can be treated effectively through medicinal marijuana. On the other hand, Australian experts and other critics argue that the evidence supporting the use of medicinal marijuana plant is limited in many medical conditions. Cardiovascular and respiratory problems are a likely outcome of excessive use of marijuana, alongside cognitive impairment and carcinogenicity (Hall, 2009).

Finding evidence about the safety of cannabis has been very difficult particularly because of the illegal nature of the drug, and also the complications associated with the plant. There are over 400 bioactive molecules in cannabis. Of these molecules, over 100 are referred to as the “cannabinoids” that are responsible for the production of several different effects within the body. Therapeutic benefits are commonly found in the two major cannabinoids, “cannabidiol” (CBD) and “tetrahydrocannabinol” (THC). A person gets high when exposed to THC, and this effect is subsequently moderated by CBD (Willis, 2019). The author seems to be rather neutral towards the use of medicinal marijuana, matching the therapeutic risks and benefits of the drug. She also reports that the disease is treated through the production of a suitable medicine using the CBD, THC and all other cannabinoids in appropriate ratios. The ratios of CBD and THC vary in distinct cannabis strains. However, the experts have still not been able to find out if they work together, or individually.

The complexity of the cannabis plant varies significantly, as a result of which, several methods have been proposed to administer it. Therefore, TGA is still unable to firmly conclude about how how the medicinal cannabis can be best used. As a result, the availability of the medicinal cannabis is not as common as that of other prescription medicines. The author has also listed down some of the evidences advocating the use of medicinal marijuana. The drug not only helps reduce anxiety, but also alleviates chronic pain. The medicinal cannabis was reviewed back in 2017 by the National Drug and Research Centre (NDARC). This review has played a key role in forming the TGA guidelines of the present day. The evidences reported by the author favoring the use of cannabis for the treatment of certain medical conditions can well be explain through the recent changes in the Australian legislation. It is mainly because of increasing consumer demand that the legislation has made cannabis products available in Australia to be acquired legally (Australian Government, 2016).

The availability of the medicinal cannabis complies with the TGA guidelines. Since the medical experts have warned the medical users against the therapeutic risks of medicinal cannabis, its use has been limited (Lintzeris, et al., 2018). Willis, in her article, reports all the risks and benefits associated with the use of cannabis amongst the Australians, not allowing the bias to produce distorted information for the readers. According to a recent review by the TGA, medicinal cannabis is a safe drug mainly for the adolescents and children that can develop an epilepsy, resistant to the intake of drugs. The medicines and other products prodigal with CBD are likely to lessen the occurrence of fits by more than 50% in about half of all paedriatic patients.

According to the TGA review, the use of medicinal cannabis for the treatment of symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis was very little. The nerve pain associated with chronic pain could be alleviated to a certain degree with the intake of medicinal cannabis. However, the use of medicinal cannabis by most patients suffering from chronic pain only made a modest impact, as per the evidence. Another evidence by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the United States advocated in favor of the use of cannabis to be effective for the treatment of chronic pain amongst adults, in a 2017 review. The two evidences do not stand parallel, hence, it is assumed that cannabinoids can benefit a lot of people, but at the same time, there may be some side effects of the drug, especially amongst the older patients (Willis, 2019).

 

Conclusion

The Australian legislation has approved the cultivation of cannabis in the country solely for scientific and medical purposes. The Federal Government recently passed this legislation. Some amendments were made to the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967. The amendments into the act have allowed for the cultivation of cannabis in Australia via a national licensing scheme. The article by Oliver Willis has significantly contributed to the broader understanding of AOD. There are a lot of diseases and other illnesses with symptoms that are extremely painful. Therefore, the demand for therapies and medicines for the alleviation of these symptoms has grown over the years. The findings of several studies and researches have suggested that medicinal cannabis, if consumed orally, can prove to be beneficial in many cases. However, medicinal cannabis has a lot of side effects, just like any other drug. These side effects can range from drowsiness to problems with one’s thought process (Therapeutic Goods Administration, 2018). The article suggests that conventional medicines may not always prove beneficial for chronic pain. There is a high likelihood that the use of medicinal cannabis for this matter will be beneficial. However, some patients may also be treated with the use of conventional medicines, but leave side effects that could be relieved through cannabis (Rattenbury, 2014).

 

Bibliography

Australian Government. (2016, March 2). Narcotic Drugs Amendment Act 2016, No.12 . Federal Register of Legislation .

Bogdanoski, T. (2010). Accommodating the Medical Use of Marijuana: Surveying the Differing Legal Approaches in Australia, the United States and Canada. Sydney Law School.

Hall, W. (2009). Challenges in Reducing Cannabis-Related Harm in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review , 28 (2), 110.

Lintzeris, N., Driels, J., Elias, N., Arnold, J. C., McGregor, I. S., & Allsop, D. J. (2018). Medicinal cannabis in Australia, 2016: the Cannabis as Medicine Survey (CAMS-16). MUA , 209 (5).

Rattenbury, S. (2014). ACT Greens Medicinal Cannabis Discussion Paper.

Therapeutic Goods Administration. (2018). Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: Patient information: The side effects of medicinal cannabis treatment.

Willis, O. (2019, February 20). Medical marijuana is on the rise in Australia, but we still don’t know a lot about how it works. Retrieved from ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-02-20/medical-marijuana-whats-the-evidence-for-treating-illness/10823036