Transcript Medicinal Marijuana

Jaelle De La Fuente
Nancy Cruz
Ariana Gines
Julie Hiers
Cheryl Hawkins
Aliesea Smith
Kimmesha Palmer
3/22/16
HIM 4676
What is Medicinal Marijuana?
What is Medicinal Marijuana?
 Whole unprocessed
marijuana plant
 Used to treat diseases/ or
symptoms
 Contains chemicals that treat
a range of illnesses
 FDA approved medications
What Medications Contain Cannabinoids?
Who’s Using Cannabis?
What Are Health Care Professionals Saying?
 “Proves to be less
addictive than
alcohol and cocaine,
respectively.”
 “Low potential for
abuse and has
legitimate medical
applications.”
 “Medicinal
Marijuana works.”
Medicinal Marijuana: Pros of it’s Usage
Pros of Using Medicinal Marijuana
 Medicinal marijuana can relieve specific types of pain
 It is a much safer drug than any other medical
prescription prescribed to patients and treats
symptoms the same way any other medical drug
would.
 Cheaper than other traditional drugs
 Helps treat diseases such as cancer, AIDS, neurogenic
pain, and multiple sclerosis
 Medicinal marijuana also helps relieve
nausea/vomiting, spasticity of muscles, and does not
increase risks of lung disease
Interesting Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana:
It Can Help Eliminate Nightmares!
 Some individuals suffer from a series of serious nightmares, this is especially
true for those who are suffering from PTSD
 Nightmares mainly occur in the later stages of the REM sleep, so medicinal
marijuana is used to interrupt those dreams to prevent them from occurring
 According to a research finding, a synthetic cannabinoid has been proven to
drastically decrease the amount of nightmares occurring in patients with PTSD
 During these severe situations, medicinal marijuana is also known for being a
better sleep aid.
Interesting Benefits of Medicinal
Marijuana : Spurs Creativity in the Brain!
 Although medicinal marijuana does impair the individual’s short term





memory, the drug has it’s positive mental effects as well.
When high on medicinal marijuana, individuals have a better chance at
performing well on tests enabling them to think of new ideas
A study was done on participants testing their ability to come up with
different vocabulary related to a specific idea or concept.
As quoted in my research this study has shown that medicinal
marijuana is able “to make the brain better at detecting those remote
associations that lead to radically new ideas”.
Increased verbal fluency and ability to come up with various concepts
may be due to dopamine released in the brain, allowing individuals to
feel tranquil.
That tranquility is what enables the individuals brain to become
vulnerable to creativity.
Interesting Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana:
Helps Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
 Medicinal Marijuana helps slow the progression of
Alzheimer’s disease
 A research study in 2006 was done by a woman named
Kim Janda of the Scripps Research institute
 The study proved that THC is the main chemical in
marijuana that assists in the decrease of symptoms in
Alzheimer’s disease
 It slows the genesis of amyloid plaques, blocking the
enzyme that creates them in the brain
What to Keep in Mind About Medicinal Marijuana
•It is safer than
traditional drugs
•Cheaper than other
prescription drugs
•Helps treat
diseases
Stakeholders
Stakeholders
 Patients
 Have a right to safe and




effective treatments
Parents with Minor Children
Health Care Organization
 Caregivers (Doctors,
Medical Personnel
 Advocate for the patient’s
treatment choices
Insurance companies
 Will therapeutic use of
Medicinal Marijuana be
covered?
Medicare/Medicaid
 Law Enforcement
 Does not want the
legalization of Medicinal
Marijuana to send the wrong
message
 Government
 FDA
 Has the right and
obligation to regulate the
sale of drugs, and to ensure
the safety of drugs
 State Governments
 Some state are in conflict
with federal laws
Stakeholders (cont.)
 HIM Professional
 Protect patient
confidentiality to prevent
a stigma connected to
Medicinal Marijuana use
 Advocate for the patient
What Are My Options?
Legalize
Regulation rather than criminalization
 Decriminalization- the process of removing criminal
penalties for possession, use, and non-profit transfers
of marijuana.
 National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws (NORML)- A not-for-profit organization that has
lobbied for the rescheduling and decriminalizing of
marijuana since the 1970’s.
 Necessitates legalization- would allow the government
to tax and would put a big boom in the economy.
Legalize (cont.)
 Largest crop in the United States by quite a significant
margin.
 Necessitates legalization- would allow the government
to tax and would put a big boom in the economy.
Legalize (cont.)
Ballot initiatives
 Petition for signatures to
legalize marijuana use for
medicinal purposes for
your state.
 Twenty-three states with
laws legalizing medicinal
or recreational forms of
marijuana.
Legalize (cont.)
2013 memo from Deputy Attorney General




Marijuana enforcement guidelines
Will tolerate state-legal marijuana activities
“Strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems”
Avoid infringing on 8 federal enforcement priorities
2015 Federal Budget Appropriation Rider
 Bans the DOJ from spending money to block the implementation of
state medical marijuana laws
Federal Marijuana Law Reform is both necessary and inevitable
Do Not Legalize
Controlled Substance Act (CSA)- most highly restrictive
categorization of a drug according to the federal
government.
 Does not matter whether the particular set of state
laws are for recreational or medicinal purposes.
 Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic
 Can only be legalized on a state level
Decision
Choices
 Legalize Marijuana
in every state for
medicinal
purposes
 Do not legalize
marijuana but
decriminalize it in
every state
 Do not legalize
marijuana in every
state for medicinal
purposes
 Legalize marijuana
for recreational use
in every state
Legalize Marijuana in Every State For Medicinal
Purposes
 Marijuana is less toxic than many of the harsh drugs
physicians prescribe today.
 Marijuana causes less overdose rates and dependence
compared to prescribed controlled substances such as
Xanax.
Do Not Legalize Marijuana in Every State For
Medicinal Purposes
 Causes short term memory loss
 Lack of available scientific data to prove marijuana's
medical benefits
Final Decision
Legalize marijuana in
every state for
medicinal purposes!
Justification
What Justifies My Choice?
 Justified
 Beneficence “promoting good”




Helps to promote appetite
Reduce intraocular pressure
Reduce nausea and vomiting in cancer patients
Provides relief from the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and
other traumas such as spinal cord injuries.
 Autonomy “self-determination”
What Justifies My Choice?
 Not justified
 Nonmaleficence “not harming”

Many risks and side affects with prolonged use
 Paternalism
Ethical Dilemma: Prevention & Solutions
What’s So Unethical?
Classic Conundrum
State Law vs. Federal Law
Federal Law
• Stance
• Marijuana has been illegal at the federal level since
1937.
• Support
• The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 ruled that state laws
allowing medicinal marijuana were subservient to
federal laws (the Supremacy Clause).
Can You Tell the Difference?
Marijuana
Medicinal Marijuana
Caught in the Crossfire
Patients
Medicinal
Marijuana
Facilities
Distributors
Farmers
“Growers”
Prevention of Ethical Dilemma
VOTE!
VOTE!!
VOTE!!!
One-by-One
 Make legal In all states
 Shared history with
alcohol, similar faith.
 Undeniable billion dollar
industry.
 Federal/State tax income
 Economic benefit will
outweigh stringent laws.
Take Action Florida!
 Revised 2016 Amendment 2:
 Florida Right to Medicinal Marijuana Initiative
 Approved for the 2016 Election
 The measure would legalize medicinal marijuana for
individuals with debilitating medical conditions as determined
by a licensed state physician
Social Stigma
Solution of Social Stigma
 Recreational vs. Therapeutic
 Re-educate the public on it’s history and uses.
 Through healthcare professionals, community leaders
and colleges.
 Show cannabis in a positive light
 Educate on how to use responsibly
Conclusion
1.
Cannabis
 Most used drug in the entire world.
 No recorded incidence of overdose/death in the last 5000 years
 Proven medicinal benefits
2.
Alcohol consumption
 88,000 deaths in the United States annually
 139 million disorders globally.
3.
State and Federal government
 work together to:




Decriminalize Marijuana
Educate it’s citizens,
Provide economical relief through its sales and
Allow patients the choice of using Medicinal Marijuana as treatments.




















References
http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4
http://dying.about.com/od/symptommanagement/f/med_mj_procon.htm
http://pharmacy.about.com/od/Products/a/What-Is-Medical-Marijuana.htm
Barnes, R. E. (2000). Reefer madness: Legal & moral issues surrounding the medical prescription of marijuana. Bioethics, 14(1), 16-41.
Sznitman, S. R., & Zolotov, Y. (2015). Cannabis for therapeutic purposes and public health and safety: A systematic and critical review. The
International Journal on Drug Policy, 26(1), 20-29. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.09.005
http://www.bestalliedhealthprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/health-information-management-300x199.png
http://pot-tube.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/updated-sign-petition-to-legaliz-640x360.jpg
Stingl, R., & Alexander, A. K. (2016). Legalization of Marijuana. In Salem Press Encyclopedia (January ed.).
Wagemaker, I. (2015). Professional Ethics-The Risk of Going Green: Problems Facing Transactional Attorneys and The Growth of the StateLevel Legal Marijuana Industries. Western New England Law Review, 37(3), 371-403.
http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/8/xw/rj/ekXWRJUeRAgOCLN-1600x900-noPad.jpg?1427145661
Alcohol Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcoholconsumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Here's How Fast The Marijuana Industry Is Growing, In 5 Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/marijuana-industry-growth-charts_n_6565604.html
Where Is Marijuana Legal in the United States? List of Recreational and Medicinal States. (2015). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from
http://m.mic.com/articles/126303/where-is-marijuana-legal-in-the-united-states-list-of-recreational-and-medicinalstates#.BajDf6VxI
Why Marijuana is Illegal. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://brucealanblock.com/why-marijuana-became-legal/
https://marylandassociationofcounties.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/cannabis-states.png
https://d2zfkpu1r6ym98.cloudfront.net/sites/guideposts.org/files/styles/article_full/public/doctorgupta_marquee.jpg
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/
http://www.trueactivist.com/congress-quietly-ends-federal-prohibition-on-medical-marijuana/
http://healthcurecenter.com/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-all-50-states-thanks-to-congress/
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine
References
(cont.)
Harman, L. B. (2006). Ethical Challenges in the managemetn of Health Information.
Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Phillpsen, N., Butler, R. D., Simon-Waterman, C., & Artis, J. (2014). Medical Marijuana: A
Primer on Ethics, Evidence, and Politics. Retrieved from Medscape:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/833782
Questions?