I. Introduction
The issue of Medical Cannabis has been a long-lasting and heated debate since its discovery. Ethics is often used as a reason of not using the medical cannabis in treating patients because of the huge possibility of drug misuse in the process of medication. However, opinions in this matter vary in every state. The state government’s decision regarding this matter is dependent upon how their society will react to their decisions. So far, the federal government is in opposite of legalizing the use of marijuana as a medical treatment substance (‘Medical Use’, 1997).
However, medical professionals including doctors, nurses and observers in various states have been asking the federal government to reconsider their perspective. They argue that Marijuana is a tool just like any other substances. It can be beneficial if used in the right proportions. Furthermore, they argue that not using the medical cannabis to treat patients while all other substances are not reacting positively will be against the basic code of medical treatment itself.
II. People’s Problem Against the Medical Cannabis
If we allowed the use of cocaine for sedatives, then why cannot we allow the use of marijuana as a similar medical tool? Policy makers and opponents of the medical cannabis has plenty to say regarding the legalization of marijuana as a prescribed medicine. First, they would say that long-term use of marijuana can be linked to neurodegenerative problems and even heart attacks and cancer. Second, they would say that marijuana works just like alcohol. This means marijuana impairs the central nervous system and the legalization of such drug can lead to many secondary deaths.
There are also studies that indicate that Marijuana is sensitive for heavily ill patients like AIDS patients because it weakens the white blood cells. Most of all, the main concern regarding marijuana is its image as a gateway drug. This means that people that are using marijuana are more likely to use stronger drugs afterwards. These arguments are the reasons why medical cannabis is discriminated as a drug in several states. These arguments are also the reasons why federal government believes that marijuana is a dangerous substance and the war against it should continue. In this paper however, I will address these arguments in separate subchapters to provide theoretical evidence that the use of Marijuana is necessary for certain medical treatments and therefore, legalizing the drug is also logical.
III. Moral and Ethical Discussion
III.1. Gateway Drug Theory
The use of marijuana as a medical substance is protested by many. Mostly, this is due to the image of the effect of marijuana toward the human psychology and behavior. Users of marijuana are said to be less sober, less aware of their own actions and more violent. Mostly, concerns about the social effects of marijuana are the fact that marijuana is often used as an introduction toward other drugs. Criminals that sell drugs often used marijuana as a tool to get their customers to crave for harder drugs. However, this does not justify the sentiment that marijuana causes users to turn to harder drugs.
Medically speaking, researches have been done to test the viability of the ‘gateway drug’ theory. Most of these researches concluded that there is a physiological basis that the use of marijuana will lead to other drugs. However, the influences are relatively small and would not actually lead to the use of harder drugs without external interference. The final conclusion of the researchers is that the gateway drug theory is not suitable to define the relation between marijuana and the use of harder drugs (‘Marijuana and the Gateway Theory’, 1996; Hall, 1998).
III.2. Marijuana and Motivation
Other social arguments regarding the use of marijuana as a legalized drug is focused on the daily activities of marijuana users. Some argues that marijuana users loose their sense of achievements and become less willing to engage in meaningful activities. For instance, marijuana causes students to be less active in classes, employees to be less aware of their objectives and goals, etc.
Nevertheless, a laboratory study regarding this subject generates no significant differences in motivation between marijuana users and non-users. Furthermore, in some medical cases, marijuana is used successfully to decrease patient’s depression (Hall, 1998).
III.3. Social Contract Theory
Besides the flaws of these theories, there are other arguments that support the legalization of marijuana as a prescribed drug. First is the social contract theory. People are always against the use of marijuana as legal drugs because considering our experience with the drug; it is simply socially unacceptable to do so. The social contract theory however, stated the otherwise.
In the social contract theory, an action is morally right if it is in accordance to a rule that is necessary for social living. Furthermore, a rule is defined necessary for social living if rational people agree to act in accordance to the rule for mutual benefits, and everyone acts in accordance to the rule. In this case, the discussed rule is the legalization of marijuana as a prescribed drug. The action discussed is using marijuana as a medical drug (Rosseau, 1762; ‘Legalizing Marijuana’, 2006).
The question that appears from the discussion is ‘do we need to legalize the use of marijuana as a prescribed drug?’. In many instances, health professionals have been troubled with conditions where patients are in need for the medical cannabis, but the law does not allow it. There have been many evidences that prove that there are conditions where the must suitable drug is the medical cannabis and other substances will generate even worse side effects. Thus, it is conclusive that the legalization of marijuana as a prescribed drug is necessary for some conditions of social living. Therefore, if the rule is necessary for social living, then the action (using marijuana as medical drug) should be socially acceptable (‘Legalizing Marijuana’, 2006).
III.4. Marijuana as Trigger of Mental Disorders
There are powerful sentiments that marijuana is also inducing mental disorder or causing them to re-emerge. Scientific studies have also been performed regarding this social accusation.
Nevertheless, none of these studies provided definite conclusion that marijuana triggers mental disorders or causing them to re-emerge. In opposite, marijuana has been used as an ingredient for curing mental illness like anxiety or stress (Heissman, 1998).
III.5. Giving the Socially Sensitive Medical Treatment
The use of substances that can affect the central nerve systems is always perceived with cautions. This is important because all drugs that affect the nervous system have a hug possibility of misuse. In the medical society however, such substances are often necessary to reduce patient’s pain and suffering during a painful medical process or recovery. Some patients are in desperate need for such substances because no other medical treatments are available at the moment.
In some terminal cases, the family of the patient can make a specific request that the patient is kept as comfortable as possible during the critical times. Health care practitioners interpret this request as reducing as much pain as possible by giving the patient a pain-killing drug like cocaine and marijuana. There are arguments regarding this type of decisions but most writers perceived the treatment as socially sensitive rather than illegally offensive (‘Showdown’, 2006).
III.5. Fight against Drugs
The United States of America and many other nations are is in a burdensome battle against drug. In order to save the lives of millions of people from ruin, most modern governments of have spent billions of US dollars to fight and eliminate illegal drug distribution. Marijuana is often perceived as one of those illegal drugs. Therefore, the use of marijuana as a medical drug seems to be an offensive idea for most people.
However, there is another perspective in viewing the fight against drugs and marijuana. Like cocaine, marijuana too has positive effects on human health if used correctly. The billion dollar war against marijuana is until today, a failed battle against crime. Observers and experts stated that if we cannot get marijuana off the streets, then why cannot we change strategy and educate the people on how to place marijuana on the right place. This is also a fight against crime (Legalizing Marijuana, 2006).
IV. Medical Arguments 2
Physiologically speaking, the frequent use of marijuana is proven to have certain effects on human health. These effects includes increased heart rate, reddening of the eyes, dryness of the mouth, mild motor skills impairments, reduction is intra-ocular pressure and increased hunger. People crave the use of marijuana because it produces many subjective effects like enhanced enjoyment of music and humor, greater enjoyment of food and aroma, creates a state of euphoria and relieve tension, etc. Nevertheless, at a slightly higher dose, the use of marijuana can create distortions of time and space, it can temporarily disrupt body reflexes, change bodily image, and create auditory or visual hallucinations (Merri, 1938; Brill, 1974).
Nevertheless, studies have concluded that marijuana is even less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. In other researches, marijuana is mentioned to relief pain for cancer patient, relief nausea and reduces eye pressure in glaucoma. Hemp, a substance that are often related to marijuana because their almost identical composition has a recognized 25,000 friendly medical roles (Brill, 1974).
In the light of those medical considerations above, we must not forget the nature of marijuana and the nature of our discussion. Marijuana is a substance like any other, it may have devastating effects if used falsely, but it can help people get through the worse time of their life when applied accordingly. In a sense, in this discussion, we must consider the legalization of a substance as a drug, even if it has only a single positive effect on one medical case. Denying people from the substance they need in a medical treatment is a wrongful medical act. Therefore, based on the elaboration of marijuana’s medical roles, any medical discussion should favor the legalization of marijuana as a prescribed drug rather than banning it (Brill, 1974).
V. The Nursing Society
In the discussing the effect of marijuana and how should it be placed in the medical environment, medical practitioners have massive rights to speak of the matter. Doctors have spoken through researches that there is no actual evidence that marijuana is the cause of social impairment of its users. In this chapter, nurses will say their opinion regarding marijuana and how they benefit from its use in patient’s wards.
In the perspective of medical nurses, marijuana has a rather positive image because of what it can do for the patients. Nurses argued that the use of marijuana in medical facilities is shrouded with fears, myths and unreasonable negative sentiments toward the drug. They believed that it is a terrible shame considering that marijuana is proven to be very effective in handling many medical cases that other drugs could not. For instance, marijuana has been proven to relief a number of debilitating symptoms like vomiting, nausea and certain types of pain and pressure felt by glaucoma patients (Nursing Association, 2001’; ‘Dennik-Champion’, 2005).
The nurses argued that instead of many arguments regarding the safety of marijuana in medical facilities, marijuana is proven to perform its role with remarkable safety compare to other type of drugs. In some medical cases, the use of other drugs instead of marijuana would have worse and more unacceptable side effects. The nurses argued in support of the legalization of marijuana as a legalized medical substance because more addictive and dangerous drugs are used beneficially by millions of patients’ everyday. Compare to these drugs, marijuana has never caused a fatal overdose (‘Dennik-Champion’, 2005).
Nurses are concern about the issue where patients with extremely painful conditions are denied effective drugs. For instance, HIV/AIDS and cancer patients. Nurses argued that it would be ridiculous to justify leaving these patients in pain just because the government does no want to give the wrong message to the community. Marijuana’s medical use has been recorded to go back 5,000 years before our time. It was used as therapeutic medicine throughout the world. In most instances, it is safer than American drugs used today. Like other potentially dangerous substances, the solution is not to ban them completely, but to find a way to use them safely (‘Dennik-Champion’, 2005).
VI. Conclusions
There are many arguments why people and the government disagree with legalizing marijuana as a prescribed medicine. However, most of these reasons, whether they are medical or ethical, are shrouded by the unreasonable fear and negative sentiment toward marijuana. Despite their potential to be an addictive substance, marijuana also have positive medical effects that could help millions of sick people around the globe. Both ethically and medically, common people and especially medical practitioners should use their health mind and conscious and vote against legalizing the drug for medical use
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