Examining Medical Uses Of Marijuana Biology Essay
The intent of this paper is to analyze medical utilizations of marihuana as an alternate therapy for terrible disease provinces and unwellnesss.
Harmonizing to Grinspoon the pharmacological compound of marihuana and its chemical makeup, are analyzed in order to find the powerful constituents that are said to do this drug work for clinical utilizations. Reports are made about the broad scopes of medical and curative utilizations of the drug with terrible provinces of diseases and unwellnesss such as Aids, Glaucoma, Cancer, and Neurological upsets. Assorted theories and facts approximately marijuana as a curative assistance are sought in order to find its part to assorted disease procedures.Keywords: Medical Marijuana, Aids, Glaucoma, Cancer, Neurological upsets, disease, curativeMedical MarijuanaThousands of badly sick people in the United States seek extra or alternate therapies in order to do peculiar symptoms subside or vanish.
Many people seek these steps when traditional therapies do non work, and or when they need more than the popular prescription medical specialties to do them experience better. An illustration of an alternate therapy that some people use is Medical Marijuana. Harmonizing to Kumar, Chambers, and Pertwee this illegal substance has peculiar curative effects that are said to work better than other drugs. The intent of the paper is to depict the pharmacological medicine, inauspicious effects, and assorted curative utilizations of marihuana, every bit good as legal issues that cover the contention.Cannabis is a popular word that originates from Cannabis sativa, which is the name of the marihuana works. Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs used in the United States.
More than 50 per centum of Americans have tried of will seek marihuana at some point in their life ( Hubbard, Franco, & A ; Onaivi, 1999 ) . Cannabis was foremost introduced to Western medical specialty in 1839 by W.B. O’Shaughnessy at the Medical College of Calcutta, were he observed the drug ‘s usage for effectivity as an analgetic, anticonvulsant agent, and musculus relaxant ( Grinspoon, 2001 ) . Other research workers hypothesize that medical marihuana usage informations back farther to 400 AD for intervention of alleviating labour hurting, and increasing uterine contractions in pregnant adult females ( Ed-derfoufi, Merzouki, & A ; Mesa, 2000 ) . Marijuana is made from dried foliages and flowers of the marihuana works. The authority of the drug depends on the method the drug ( Hubbard et al.
, 1999 ) . This is why the same measure of marihuana can sometimes bring forth different effects. Ganja, said to be three times more powerful than marihuana and hasheesh, is reported to be five to eight more potent than all other signifiers ( Hubbard, et al. , 1999 ) .The Cannabis sativa works contains more than 426 chemical merchandises in its familial makeup that consist of alkaloid derived functions of spermidine, steroid alcohols, terpenes, and flavanoid glucosides ( Cabral & A ; Pettit, 1998 ) . Most of the cannabinoids is found on the flower-like tops of the marihuana works. There are more than 60 cannabinoid compounds, which include cannabidiol, cannabinol, and the primary psychotropic constituent delt-9-tetrahydrocannabinol besides known as THC. Majority of the other hemp are either inactive, or have decreased possible for action because they are excessively weak ( Solowij, 1998 ) .
THC is the chief cannabinoid that is found to be active in marihuana ( Hubbard et al. , 1999 ) . It has a higher molecular weight that does n’t incorporate any N in its chemical construction and acts as a “ false endocrine ” that has the ability to interfere with the action of natural endocrines in the organic structure ( Joy et al. , 1999 ) .
Harmonizing to Hubbard et Al. ( 1999 ) the pharmacokinetics of marihuana consists of it exciting the Dopastat tract from the ventral tegmental country to the karyon accumbens, which is believed to be a reward system of the encephalon. There are two different endogenous hemp receptors in the encephalon that are identified as CB1 and CB2 ( Hubbard et al. , 1999 ) .
“ CB1 receptors are distributed widely throughout the cardinal nervous system ( CNS ) and the peripheral nervous system ( PNS ) . They are present in the greatest concentration around the hippocampus, cerebral mantle, olfactive countries, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and spinal cord ” ( Kumar, Chambers, & A ; Pertwee, 2001, P.1059 ) . Kumar et Al.
( 2001 ) reports that this form accounts for the effects of cannabinoids on memory, emotion, knowledge, and motion. CB2 receptors are found in peripheral countries and are closely associated with cells in the immune system, such as the lien and macrophages ( Kumar et al. , 2001 ) . The encephalon root does non hold that many cannabinoid receptors, which gives ground to why marihuana does non stamp down respiration in high doses and why it has a high curative index ( Hubbard et al.
, 1999 ) . “ THC is non a of course happening substance within the encephalon, the being of a encephalon cannabinoid receptor implied the being of an endogenous cannabinoid like substance ” ( Solowij, 1998, p.17 ) .
A fat-soluable molecule in the encephalon identified as Anandamide, is a substance similar to THC that “ mimics ” the action of cannabinoids ( Solowij, 1998 ) . This molecule acts as a neurotransmitter for cannabinoid receptors, but has less authority and a shorter continuance of pharmacological activity than THC ( Solowij, 1998 ) .The most popular path of disposal for cannabinoids is through fume, but they can besides be eaten, rummy as tea, or through endovenous injection, which is non a common pattern ( Hubbard et al.
, 1999 ) . When smoked, marihuanas can be “ manus rolled as a joint, ” or smoked out of a pipe ( Solowij, 1998 ) . Tobacco can besides be added to do the drug burn slower and last thirster. Oral consumption, normally involves marihuanas that is baked in nutrients and eaten, or taken in the signifier of a gelatin capsule that has been prepared for medical usage, such as Marinol A® ( Benson, Watson, & A ; Joy, 1999 ; Solowij, 1998 ) . Marionol A® , besides known as dronabinol, is the lone cannabinoid based drug on the market that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sickness and emesis associated with chemotherapy ( Benson et al. , 1999 ) . “ In India a popular method of consumption is in the signifier of teaaˆ¦known as “ bhang. ” The high is of lesser strength but the continuance of poisoning is longer by several hours ” ( Solowij.
, 1998, p.19 ) . Intravenous disposal of marihuana is rare, but done on juncture to analyze the pharmacokinetics ( Solowij, 1998 ) .Harmonizing to Solowij ( 1998 ) , the dose of a typical articulation contains between 0.3 and 1.
0 gms of hemp works, capsule signifiers range from 10 to 25 mgs, and the bioavailability of THC from marijuana scopes from 5 % to 24 % . Marmor ( 1998 ) identified:Psychopharmacologic effects peak at 30 to 60 proceedingss. After the unwritten consumption of THC or marijuana the plasma concentrations of THC rise slower over 1 to 3 hours ; the oncoming is slower, and subjective effects lasts 5 to 12 hours without a clear extremum ( p.
541 ) .An advantage of smoking marihuana instead than unwritten ingestion is that the oncoming is rapid and the effects are short, leting patients to self-titrate doses ( Marmor, 1998 ) . Oral ingestion of THC is absorbed slow and enters the blood stream one to three hours after disposal ( Solowij, 1998 ) . Kumar et Al. ( 2001 ) studies that some of the THC is degraded in the liver by first-pass metamorphosis and that cannabinoids are able to traverse the placenta and enter chest milk. “ THC ‘s half life is seven yearss, but because the variety meats with high lipid concentrations excrete the THC slowly it takes about one month to extinguish all hints of THC from the organic structure ” ( American Family Physician [ AFP ] , 1982, p.268 ) .
Some acute effects associated with marihuana usage include euphories and relaxation, perceptual change, clip deformation and the intensification of normal centripetal experiences such as feeding, sexual rousing, heightened esthesiss and socialisations with other users ( Hubbard et al. , 1999 ; Kumar et al. , 2001 ) .
