Medical marijuana, a description of the illegal drug also known as “pot” that popped into general awareness around the same time that the almost everyone in the US became aware of the AIDS epidemic. Marijuana was advocated as valuable in treating severe weight loss associated with AIDS, and for relieving the nausea and vomiting which accompanied chemotherapy in most cancer patients.

In mid February of this year (2008) the American College of Physicians (ACP), the second largest doctors group in the United States, released a statement urging that the use of marijuana by patients with certain diseases be reconsidered by the U.S. Government.

Currently some states; Montana, Oregon, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington, Maine, and Vermont, have medical marijuana laws. Ann Arbor, Michigan and Columbia, Missouri have local medical marijuana measures

The federal government still lists marijuana, used in any form, as illegal. The US Supreme court ruled against the use of medical marijuana saying that federal agents can arrest anyone who plants or uses marijuana, even if their health care professionals advised use of the plant could be beneficial.

The physicians group said additional research is needed to clarify the therapeutic effects of marijuana and determine standard doses and the method of delivery. One active ingredient has been isolated from marijuana by the drug industry and has been proven as an effective pain killer. The ACP statement reads “ACP encourages the use of non-smoked forms of THC (the main psychoactive element in marijuana) that have proven therapeutic value.” Additional research will not be possible without the support of the US Government, and the government discourages research on marijuana for medical use according to the doctors group.

Marijuana is a member of the hemp family and it was not illegal in the United States until the 1937 “Marijuana Tax Act”. History records ‘reefer madness’ was prevalent in the United States during and after the great depression and the act did not make it illegal to grow the product, it simply taxed the farmer to the extent that they could not afford to grow the plant. The law was not discriminating and applied to all hemp products, not just the intoxicating variety of hemp. Citizens lost the availability of many hemp related products as a result of this law.

The marijuana variety of hemp has intoxicating properties. So does the opium poppy. Codeine and morphine, which are used extensively for pain control, are derivatives of opium. Both codeine and morphine are used after surgery, and prescribed regularly by physicians for pain control. Perhaps, as has been suggested by many people from all walks of life, the lack of a medical marijuana law is more political than health related.

Marijuana may not prove to be any more effective for medical purposes than other substances, but the research should be allowed to prove or disprove its value.

Alternative Medicine – Medical Marijuana – Myth or Reality? | Health News