Marijuana is a Poor Excuse for a Medicine
Below are some of the disorders that marijuana advocates contend that marijuana will help relieve. The subsequent statements concisely summarize the state of the medical literature.
Nausea from cancer chemotherapy: Neither marijuana nor cannabinoids have been evaluated against the newer effective anti-nausea medicine such as Zofran or Kytril. Marijuana and pure THC are only approximately as effective as the ancient medication compazine. The newer medicines have far fewer side effects than cannabinoids.
Glaucoma: There is no evidence that cannabinoids slow the progression of optic nerve deterioration, blindness, nor any element of the disease. Marijuana would need to be used several times daily, and has far more toxicity than available prescribed medications.
Appetite in AIDS wasting or cancer: While cannabinoids and cannabis increase appetite, it appears that only body fat is increased. Healthy nutrition would need to increase lean body mass in order for the weight gain to be beneficial to the subject.
Pain: While cannabinoids may have some benefit in modulating pain, they are no more effective than currently available medicine called neuroleptics or opiate-based pain medication. They also have a very small therapeutic window, so higher doses can actually increase pain.
Spasticity in Multiple sclerosis: Cannabinoids can reduce some muscle spasticity, they impair stable gait (ability to walk). They are generally more toxic than available MS medicines.
Depression and anxiety: There is no compelling evidence that marijuana helps these disorders. In fact, marijuana is a cause of psychosis, enhances anxiety in some people, and higher doses actually cause depression. It also causes dependence.
Headaches and Menstrual cramps: Marijuana is dangerous in women of child-bearing age because of toxic effects on the fetus. There is also no clear evidence that marijuana actually benefits these disorders any more than sedatives, and perhaps only from the intoxicating properties.
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Marijuana has "redistribution kinetics". This means the smoked form of the drug can be closely titrated to balance off symptomatic relief with side-effects. The same is not true of the oral form, where it is easy to overshoot and produce (e.g.) undue sedation. The studies raising question about the efficacy of cannabis as medicine always seem to use the oral form.
BTW, we physicians often take advantage of redistribution kinetics, particularly with certain surgical anesthetics. If the patient goes too deep, just stop the infusion and the patient pops right back out.
We the people can do research on the internet , thus these lies no longer work. When will the government realize, concerning actual facts, you can no longer flat out lie. Any person with a basic knowledge of how to use a web browser ie., google.com, can search these terms and see that in fact, just the opposite of what these people against legalization are saying. Our government needs to heed it's people and take the money that is now enriching the mexican cartels and use it to help people. And it needs to stop jailing millions of non-violent americans. Is this how it should be? Marijuana is the cheapest medicine to produce, also is the only medicine that helps such a wide range of illnesses. Not to mention is impossible to overdose. Unlike the everyday cup of coffee or asprin. And unlike alcohol , or tabacco(both of witch kill thousands every year) It has never once been the cause of any deaths. Doctor Voth, are you so afraid of Marijuana's awesome powers that you must deny any and all benefits? I feel sorry for people like you who cannot and will not accept anything as truth unless it is fed to you from the tit of the government, I weep for you. May you one day see the light, my narrow minded friend.
Poor Excuse for a Doctor! He needs to learn compassion and how to listen to the sick and dying. Compassion!
For the past 10 years of my life, my knees have ached and throbbed every time it's rainy or cold. No doctor has done anything productive for me since I've seen one and not one has offered me any advice that is even remotely reasonable for me. Last year I started smoking cannabis every time my knee started to hurt; the pain just melts away. With out it, I would have gone to the doctor, said my knee hurts too much and that I would like pain medication . Pain medication only covers the symptom but doesn't cure the ailment. Guess what would have happened? I would have become addicted to medications that not only are very expensive, but also destroy the liver and are prone to overdose.
I, as a personal opinion, think pills are repulsive. Not having to take opiate based pain medication is a relief..
And as a final note. Pain medication is so popular among party goers and clubbers. I wonder where they are getting them?
If a patient thinks he is being helped by any natural medicine without the use of prescription drugs ,
then who are you to say he is not. What tests will you improvise to prove he is lying. If Marijuana
helps a patient escape his pain or mental imprisonment from his diseases,what right do you have
to deny him that. And using medical studies for an argument still doesn't prove that he/she is not
being helped.
If you would like good vitamins for your body what would you eat? A serving of Fruits and Vegetables, or a serving of vitamin pills?
So what if it doesn't cure cancer or aids. So what if it does. It can be a medicine, it cant be a medicine, but it is just a plant in the end. Just because it cant do what people say it does, does not mean it should be illegal.
Is this how you do research for your patients? The research you cite is absolute fluff - nothing of consequence at all.
#1. Are Cannabinoids an Effective and Safe Treatment Option?
A systematic review of the available literature? What kind of study is that?
#2. Treatment of End-Stage Open-Angle Glaucoma
Used oral or inhaled marijuana. Only 9 patients. 4 patients got better(did they use the oral or inhaled?? doesn't say)
#3. Combination Therapy for Cancer-Associated Anorexia
Used Dronabinol (THC). This is not marijuana. It's only one component of marijuana. They didn't study the use of the whole plant.
#4. Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Orally Administered Cannabinoids
Used plant extract or marinol. Once again, not the whole plant.
#5. Cannabinoids for Control of Chemotherapy Induced Nausea
Evaluated the state of the research on cannabinoids ? What the heck does that mean???
#6. Effects of Smoked Cannabis on Capsaicin-Induced Pain and Hyperalgesia
45 minutes-decrease in pain at medium dose. It worked. And guess what, people will figure out what dose works and what dose doesn't work.
#7. Cultivating Science, Weeding Out the Fiction
only 43% of the patients with epilepsy were using the marijuana, 2/3 MS claimed relief? Does this mean that an extra 23% felt some relief along with 100% of the actual users? Sounds like a flaw in the study.
These are all very silly studies to cite when the question relates to Marijuana - the whole plant.
I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the only thing that works when my prescribed medications fail is MARIJUANA. Why isn't marijuana being research to see how it can help treat certain mental disorders?
All people have to make it safer is to use a "vaporizer" DUH!!! It takes out the bad chemicals and leaves the THC. People do research and clinical trials to see how marijuana may treat PHYSICAL disorders so why not "MENTAL" disorders?
Why should I have to suffer from extreme mania and depression just because my present "sub par" medications DON'T WORK and people refuse to do the research? I thought medical doctors psychologist were smarter than that. I deserve the BEST treatment possible but obviously medical doctors, psychologist and especially our government don't give a damn about people like me!!
I keep seeing that there are no reputable studies for this or that, but seeing that the feds will not allow any research to be done unless you are seeking to find derogatory effect of Cannabis, of course you can use this argument.
The least these experts could do is DEMAND independent studies so that large studies can be done to find out one way or the other.
In conclusion, you can keep saying "There have been no studies to prove...." but it really shows a lack of know edge on the issue.