Marijuana and Medical Uses

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa. A stronger form of marijuana called hashish (hash) looks like brown or black cakes or balls. The many street names for marijuana include pot, herb, weed, grass, Jane, reefer, dope, and ganja.

Marijuana is typically smoked in cigarettes (joints or spliffs), hollowed-out cigars (blunts), pipes (bowls), or water pipes (bongs). Some people mix it into food or brew it as a tea.

Several states have passed medical marijuana laws, but marijuana has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat any diseases. Even so, we know that the marijuana plant contains ingredients that could have important medical uses. Currently, two pill versions of THC, marijuana's psychoactive ingredient, have been approved to treat nausea in cancer chemotherapy patients and to stimulate appetite in some patients with AIDS. Also, a new product called Sativex is available in the United Kingdom and Canada as a mouth spray. It is a chemically pure mixture of plant-derived THC and cannabidiol (another chemical found in the marijuana plant) approved to relieve cancer-associated pain and spasticity and nerve pain in multiple sclerosis. However, it's important to remember that because marijuana is usually smoked and has ingredients that can vary from plant to plant, the associated health risks may outweigh its value as a treatment.

Scientists continue to investigate the medicinal properties of THC and other manmade or plant-derived cannabinoids to better evaluate and harness their potential to alleviate suffering, while avoiding the harmful effects of smoking marijuana, including addiction.

Reasons Medical Marijuana Laws Should Be Opposed

• Our medical system relies on proven scientific research, not anecdotal information. Current research has not demonstrated that smoked marijuana is effective as medicine.[i]
• Medicine needs to be regulated through the FDA to ensure safety and efficacy. With smoked marijuana, there is a lack of quality control and standardization.  Other medicines derived from plants have been approved by the FDA subject to appropriate regulations and requirements.ⁱ
• A component in marijuana – THC – has been approved in pill form by the FDA.  It is called Marinol, and the U.S. supports the right of doctors to prescribe this drug if they feel it would best serve their patients’ needs.  The U.S. continues to support research into the medical efficacy of certain isolated properties of marijuana.ⁱ 
• Marijuana smoke contains more than 400 chemicals and increases the risk of cancer, lung damage and poor pregnancy outcomes.  It also delivers 3 to 5 times the amount of tars and carbon monoxide as compared to cigarettes.ⁱ
• Marijuana use can worsen depression and lead to more serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, anxiety and even suicide.  In fact, teens who smoke marijuana at least once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-users (ONDCP, 2008).
• Marijuana is increasingly more potent, and its mind-altering effects more powerful. Average THC levels rose from less than 1 percent in the 1970s to over 10 percent in 2009 (ONDCP, 2011).
• Studies show that marijuana use by drivers is associated with a significantly increased crash risk.  In fact, California saw a 100% increase in marijuana-related traffic fatalities after the establishment of their medical marijuana program (Li et al., 2011. & Crancer and Crancer, 2008).
• Marijuana use adversely affects workers and employers.  Research shows a connection between a worker’s marijuana use and increased absences, tardiness, accidents, injuries, workers’ compensation claims and job turnover (NIDA Research Report Series: Marijuana Abuse).
• Medical marijuana proponents will say that pot should be allowed for “compassionate” use by people who are sick and suffering.  However, in states where marijuana has been legalized, the majority of people obtaining marijuana cards are not suffering from Cancer or AIDS.  For instance, in Colorado, only 2181 (3%) of the over 80,000 registered medical marijuana patients report Cancer as their condition, 1146 (1%) report Cachexia, and 473 (<1%) report having AIDS (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2011). 
• Marijuana use by adolescents is higher in states with medical marijuana laws compared to states without such laws (Wall, et al., 2011).
• More than five times as many Kansas youth under the age of 18 sought treatment for marijuana as their primary problem (1,553) compared to 299 for alcohol (Kansas Department of SRS, 2011). 
• The year after hundreds of marijuana dispensaries opened in Colorado, schools saw increases in disciplinary reports for drug offenses of 33.5%, expulsions for drug offenses of 40%, and out of school suspensions of 32.5% (Colorado Dept of Education, 2011).