Marijuana: A Weed for a Cure

What is marijuana? Or in generic term, it is referred to as ‘Cannabis’. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug. Half of all drug seizures worldwide are cannabis seizures. The geographical spread of those seizures is also global, covering practically every country of the world. Simply, this only state that marijuana or cannabis is illegal and used for unethical works not only in certain areas around the world but it has been widespread since then. People might see it in a negative perspective as it has been illegal through years and banned in some countries like the Philippines where Christianity is the dominant religion of the people and because of that, marijuana is seen as a sinful object. Despite the negative feedbacks and information from news and articles, there are some people, mostly experts such as doctors, who give importance and value to it. In some fields, these plants are not just for illicit activities and unlawful actions, but also cultivated in the field of medicine especially in curing deadly diseases such as cancer. So, it is a must that Marijuana or Cannabis should be legalized in the Philippines because of its benefits and improvement of health care in the country. There are reasons why these “drugs” should be legalized and used as an alternative medicine: 1) It helps treat cancer patients; 2) It helps people prevent obesity; 3) It can help people to regulate and prevent diabetes and; 4) It improves eye vision and health.

Medical Cannabis can help treat cancer patients. Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the body which is the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018 and more that 60% of world’s total new annual cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America (WHO, 2018). To cure cancer, patients must undergo chemotherapy which is the uses radiation. Radiation targets to shrink or kills cancerous cells from the body but it also kills off good useful cells. This causes the cancer patients to suffer from fatigue, sickness, nausea, and loss of appetite. Other side effects that may occur in patients include mood disturbance, sleep disturbance, and various types of pain (Cheng, 2013). According to the National Cancer Institute, medical marijuana can help people living with cancer include antiemetic effects, appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. In other countries, there are Food and Drug Administration approved drugs that are man-made cannabinoids such as dronabinol (Marinol, Syndros) and nabilone (Cesamet). Cannabinoid is any of various naturally-occurring, biologically active, chemical constituents (such as cannabidiol or cannabinol) of hemp or cannabis including some (such as THC) that possess psychoactive properties (“Cannabinoid”, 2020).Dronabinol and nabilone are used to treat severe nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy. There are many examples of cannabinoids but those are the most known cannabinoids that are approved by the FDA in some countries. But the government of the Philippines reasons out that if we legalized medical cannabis it may be abuse even though it is a cancer antagonist.

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Obesity is a serious issue which is linked to different disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions. It is a medical term used to describe an individual whose body fat exceeds what’s considered healthy. It is caused by certain factors such as genetics, medications, and psychological factors. There are ways to treat obesity but these require time, effort and money to achieve. Marijuana is an alternative treatment option for those who suffer from obesity. People who smoke weed are less likely to be obese compared to those who don’t according to the paper published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. According to research, smoking marijuana affects the mechanisms that trigger hunger in our brain; the receptors in our brain trigger the release of hormones that makes us feel furnished or loss of appetite. On the other hand, 2011 study from the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that people using cannabis are less likely to be obese than people who do not use cannabis.

Medical Cannabis can also help in regulating and preventing diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (WHO, 2018). There is no known cure for diabetes right now but other people manage it with medication and they figure out the best foods to eat. They choose food that can keep their blood sugar levels well-controlled. According to the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC), cannabis can help stabilize blood sugar and lower blood pressure. An article posted by Diabetes.co.uk states that, cannabis could be used to treat diabetes by increasing the amount of energy the body burns. It also states that last 2014, cannabis reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in an Inuit population. The correlation between marijuana and the treatment of the symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as pre-diabetes, may lie in anti-inflammatory capabilities of cannabinoids (Bourque, 2018).

However, according to The Diabetes Council, the correlation between marijuana and the treatment of the symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as pre-diabetes, may lie in anti-inflammatory capabilities of cannabinoids. According to cannabisMD.com, research that has been conducted has implied that the use of cannabis may help with stabilizing blood sugars, preventing nerve inflammation, lowering blood pressure over time, keeping blood vessels opened and improving circulation. Research has also found that cannabinoids may be more effective than other existing diabetes medication.

Our eye is one of the most important organs of our body. It helps us to see things from the outside world. When we see images, our eye processes it and sends it to our brain. Nowadays, people are having trouble with their vision because of some eye diseases that are affecting the function of the eye. These diseases may cause low vision and may lead to blindness. Some of the eye diseases can be dangerous and will need an immediate medical care. One of the know eye disease is the glaucoma. Glaucoma is a common eye condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eye rises to a level higher than healthy for that eye and if left untreated, it may damage the optic nerve causing the loss of vision or even blindness (Shiel, 2019). Glaucoma may be treated with medication, surgery, or laser surgery. The effect of laser surgery may get wear off overtime. Eye drops alone, although it can’t cure, it can usually control glaucoma. Cannabis is also a treatment for glaucoma. According to Glaucoma Research Foundation, one of the commonly discussed alternatives for the treatment of glaucoma is the smoking of marijuana because smoking marijuana does lower the eye pressure. The National Eye Institute, also found out that tetrahydrocannnabinol (THC), an active ingredient in marijuana, injection or pill, could lower the intraocular pressure. Glaucoma truly poses a significant risk of loss of vision and medication can help prevent that.

Therefore, cannabis gives us many benefits for our body. In fact, marijuana has less harmful effects than alcohol, cigarettes, and guns. Marijuana is often described as one of the safest drugs out there, in part because it has never been definitively linked to an overdose death and it is broadly safer than other drugs like alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and heroin. Furthermore, study found that cannabis actually helps increase the capacity of the lungs rather than cause any harm to it. If Marijuana becomes legalize, the cops will have less petty things to worry about and may concentrate more on crimes as well as drugs that are actually harmful. Marijuana is not only a natural herb; it is ten times safer than any other Illegal substance known to man. According to However, there have been numerous studies in other countries PROVING that Marijuana does not harm you showing that it can be good for pain and muscle stiffness. In fact, there are several benefits of medical marijuana. It is a solid treatment for multiple symptoms associated to chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and multiple sclerosis. Cannabis contains CBD which is a chemical that impacts the brain, making it function better without giving it a high along with THC which has pain relieving properties. So that if we legalize marijuana scientist could make it easier for them to develop cannabis-based medical treatments. It can also improve the health of the population and treat many diseases. We will benefit more from it. It can help us to lessen the disease that people might experience. It can also be easier for us to solve the problem about health issues because cannabis can help us to cure diseases by not using radiation that can harm our body. So that marijuana can be legalized by not harming us but by using it as medicine.

References

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