Research and Pharmacology Capella Essays

Research and Pharmacology Capella Essays

Research and Pharmacology Capella Essays

The Use of Medical Marijuana

Across the globe, nurses encounter patients and colleagues with diverse beliefs and cultural views with regard to medications. The individual perceptions concerning certain medicinal substances may not only differ from what is generally acknowledged but may also be in contrary to the nursing protocols and practice. Carrying out a study on various pharmacological issues assists one in understanding the nursing discipline and to come up with informed professional decisions regarding diagnosis, treatment plan, and client’s follow-up. The varying pharmacological viewpoints regarding use of marijuana, including the merits and demerits of the drug, forms the basis of this discussion.

According to Hill (2015), medical marijuana entails the utilization of marijuana extracts to treat severity of ailment symptoms or other health conditions. Research on marijuana plant reveals that cannabinoids – one of the cannabis extracts – helps in reducing chronic pain and muscle spasm, and this aids in improving the quality of care as well as patient outcome. For this reason, scientific research has called for the approval of the use of this plant extract in order to enhance conventional medicine (Choo et al., 2014). Since this plant has a number of compounds that can cure several ailments, advanced research studies have been pushing for the legalization of marijuana. However, the majority of the stakeholders who are opposed to this move claim that legalizing the use of cannabis would lead to an increased abuse of the drug.

Medical Marijuana Pharmacology

According to Hill (2015), medical cannabis is perceived to have more than 400 medical compounds, and this includes more than 60 cannabinoids that are aryl-substituted meroterpenes extracted from the marijuana plant. Apparently, the pharmacology of a number of cannabinoids is unknown, though tetrahydrocannabinol – the most dominant psychoactive agent – has been processed and analyzed in order to establish the effect that it has to its users. Other cannabinoid compounds such as cannabinol and cannabidiol have also been researched in terms of their medical use. Hill (2015) revealed that cannabinoids affects a number of body parts – including liver and brain – upon injection. Cannabinoids have addictive, antagonistic and synergistic effects with THC, and they are deemed to alter their actions depending on the frequency of smoking. Hill (2015) also revealed that in most jurisdictions, synthetic cannabinoids such as naphthoylindoles, nabilone and cyclohexylphenols are legal for therapeutic and research purposes.

The idea of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes came with President Richard Nixon.  In 1970, Nixon passed into law the Federal Controlled Substance Act which placed marijuana under what is famously known as Schedule 1. The act stipulated a number of products that needed tight control by the CSA. Following the enactment of this controversial bill, a number of states legalized the use of this plant for medical purposes (Koppel et al., 2014). As of late 2016, a number of states such as Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Alaska, Colorado and Massachusetts had legalized the utilization of recreational and medicinal cannabis (Choo et al., 2014). The core purpose for the legalization of marijuana was to enhance public health as well as promote public safety. However, most of the individuals who disagree with President Nixon’s idea claim that legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes promotes drug abuse within the region. This makes the users and the subsequent addicts susceptible to the adverse side effects, particularly when the regulators are inefficient in terms of controlling the use of the drug.

Additionally, a number of medical scholars have carried out numerous clinical exams which show that cannabis contain crucial curative components for different health conditions. Studies indicate that though the use of the drug create stigma, marijuana is not a harmful plant but rather a substance of great value. Numerous health care specialists assert that the drug is helpful to many and therefore it should be legalized.

Quality Patient Outcomes, Patient Safety, and Use of the Pharmacology Related to Use of Medical Marijuana

Embracing the usage of pharmacology related to approval of medicinal marijuana assist health care providers to manage chronic pain, especially due to the fact that cannabinoids are effective ingredients in pain relief. According to a study by Hill (2015), bipolar patients who embrace Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) tend to improve their neurocognitive performance more effectively than those whose treatment plan does not involve CUD.  Medical marijuana helps in enhancing patients` outcomes as well as the quality of care. Apparently, in order to achieve this, the healthcare professionals must use the drug in moderation as this would reduce side effects that are associated with the abuse of this substance. Moreover, Hill (2015) also revealed that patients with maniac depression and a history of CUD have effective neurocognitive presentation, especially on speed processing, attentiveness and working memory. This implies that the use of medical marijuana helps to treat patients with mental problems by improving the cognitive functioning of their body. As such, it is in order to argue that the proper use of medical marijuana improves patient health and safety.

Effects of Marijuana in Promoting Health and Wellness

Ineffective regulation and control of marijuana use is likely to promote the rate of production, supply and consumption of the substance. This is mostly due to the fact that the plant can easily grow in any part of the world as it responds positively to different environmental conditions. Majority of the health challenges that arise out of marijuana use occur due to lack of control. Excessive smoking of marijuana puts an individual at a risk of developing reduced lipido, paranoia, memory loss, pulmonary diseases, nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumor, lung cancer among others. Depending on the frequency of smoking, the effects of uncontrolled marijuana smoking may be short term or long term.

Moreover, according to Hill (2015), uncontrolled smoking of marijuana may lead to the absorption of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds that interact directly with two different receptor cells (CB2 and CB1) in the body and brain. The CB2 is responsible for controlling the immune system of an individual, especially due to the fact that marijuana affects both the lymph nodes and the spleen. On the other hand, the CB1 is responsible in controlling body movements, coordination, balance and short term memory. The uncontrolled marijuana intake is likely to undermine the activities of the two receptors thus suppressing the immune system and the overall functioning of the body.

Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Despite the various adverse effects associated with Marijuana use, there are several advantages related to this controversial substance. First, when medical marijuana is taken as a pill rather than through smoking, the patient tends to benefit more especially due to the fact that the user does not consume the unwanted smoke and tar. Based on a study by Hasin et al. (2015), medical marijuana relieves numerous forms of chronic pain, nausea, vomiting and other related health conditions. AIDs, Glaucoma, Alzheimer’s Sclerosis and cancer patients greatly benefit from the use of medical marijuana (Hasin et al., 2015). For example, cannabidiol stops cancer cells by destroying a gene known as Id-1 gene. On the same note, medical marijuana reverses the carcinogenic impacts of tobacco, lowers the severity of Dravet`s Syndrome and averts epileptic seizures.

Moreover, the use of medical marijuana promotes health outcomes by enhancing immune systems among the users, as well as promoting weight gain. For example, patient suffering from cancer feels better after ingesting delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol during the chemotherapy treatment, and enhances their appetite for food especially due to the fact that THC balances the immune system of patients. Similarly, patients suffering from ADHD, ADD or social anxiety tend to feel better after ingesting marijuana pills.

Inequities Regarding Access to Pharmacology Related to Medical Marijuana

Though there are a myriad of stakeholders who have been pushing for the legalization of medical marijuana, the accessibility of medical marijuana may be limited and this is due to increased inequalities that are based on age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion and social class. Moreover, since most gender and racial discriminations are some of the prevailing social challenges in most parts of the world, it means that some populations may not manage to access medical marijuana. In the U.S, for example, most of the victims of discrimination are the minority groups such as the Native Hawaiians, African Americans, Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans (Hasin et al., 2015). Consecutively, the access of medical marijuana can be a critical issue with regard to the children, especially due to the concerns of their brain development, as this may lead to negative performance in their academics, decision making, attention and memory. Additionally, the unregulated use of marijuana affects expectant women adversely. In the long-run, the citizens are likely to feel unsafe and consequently pressure the government to reverse measures or policies that support the legalization of marijuana.

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