August 4, 2004

Weights and Balances

When taking any medication, it is important to weigh the benefits against the risks. The negative side-effects from any medicine are part of the risks, and what it does to help you are part of the benefits.

The risks of marijuana, except for the smoke, is exactly the same as Marinol, the synthetic marijuana often prescribed today. The 1999 U.S. Institute of Medicine report on the Medical Use of Marijuana reported that "Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications."

While some patients prefer to use marijuana by smoking, there are numerous other methods of delivery, including edible cannabis, vaporization, tinctures, oils and teas. In addition, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has, since 1978, produced "a contamination-free source of cannabis material with consistent and predictable potency," pre-rolled into cigarettes prior to distribution to patients.

The side-effects of marijuana, for me, are very mild. Some, especially those who have never used marijuana before, will have a difficult time beginning marijuana treatment. It can cause fear, anxiety, dizzyness, and euphoria.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, M.D remarked in 2002 that "...tobacco, through its direct physical effects, kills many thousands of people every year. So does alcohol. And it is easy to fatally overdose on alcohol, just as you can fatally overdose on prescription drugs, or even over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin or acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol). I don't believe that anyone has ever died from a marijuana overdose."

Some government officials disagree with that, and use statistics that they claim prove otherwise. However, a close look at the statistics reveal that they are misleading the American public, and that marijuana is not the harmful narcotic they would like one to believe.

Marijuana has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years, going back to ancient civilizations in Egypt, India and Africa. In all that time, up to and including the present day, there has never been a report of a fatality directly due to the consumption of marijuana. In contrast, over 1,000 people die annually in the U.S. from an overdose of our most common non-prescription drug, aspirin. In addition, many thousands of deaths result from legal prescription drugs.

Denis Petro, M.D., in his 1997 paper "Pharmacology and Toxicity of Cannabis," wrote that "...the amount of smoked marijuana required to reach lethality is on the order of one to two thousand cigarettes. The physical impossibility of a fatal overdose using smoked cannabis is obvious."

Kate Scannell, M.D., wrote on 2/16/03 in the San Francisco Chronicle that "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss.... almost every sick and dying patient I've ever known who's tried medical marijuana experienced a kinder death."

In addition, WebMD's July 2003 poll of its physician and nurse members found that "Three out of four doctors -- and nine out of 10 nurses -- said they favored decriminalization of marijuana for medical uses."

When stoppin the daily use of marijuana, there are some short-term side-effects, which vary depending upon the frequency and amount consumed. For some light users, no side-effects are experienced. Others may experience headaches, shakiness, and insomnia for a couple days. This is much milder than some of the medications I take, one of which if stopped suddenly causes anger, frustration, nausea, depression and sometimes violence for weeks at a time. If marijuana is addictive, it is less addictive than tobacco, less addictive than coffee, even less addictive than red meat, which is more difficult for me to stop consuming than marijuana.

Time Magazine, in an 11/4/02 article, reported that "just 9% of those who have used the drug [marijuana] develop dependence. By comparison, 15% of drinkers become dependent on alcohol, 23% of heroin users get hooked, and a third of tobacco smokers [33 1/3%] become slaves to cigarettes."

All in all, when taking any medication, you and your doctor must weigh the risks against the benefits. For me, the choice is clear. The risks are mild and the benefits great.

Posted by Kroeme on August 4, 2004 11:58 AM

Comments

Posted by: prescription cialis at December 18, 2006 7:52 AM

Posted by: Yelkerson at June 25, 2008 10:37 PM

Posted by: Yelkerson at June 25, 2008 10:38 PM

Posted by: Yelkerson at June 25, 2008 10:38 PM

Post a comment