Miracle Medicine?

In this final blog I’ll be letting you all know about Medicinal Marijuana, and I’ll be expanding a bit on what I’ve already discussed in the Pros of my last blog.

It was difficult to discuss the Pros of Marijuana in my last blog as they all relate back to Medicinal Marijuana, and I wanted to expand on that in this blog.

So let’s get stuck into this…

Medicinal Marijuana samples given to test subjects and patients are actually combinations of purified chemicals extracted from the Cannabis plant. The results from these clinical trials prove to be more promising than when the actual plant is used therapeutically.

There are several trial medications which are made up of a combination of extracted THC and CBD (cannabidiol) from the Cannabis plant. The CBD in the medication doesn’t interact with neurons in the same way that THC does, in that it doesn’t actually stimulate the dopamine reward system.

Figure 1: Chemical Structure of THC

In America there are currently two FDA-approved THC medications that have been developed and tested for cancer and AIDS patients. They are used to relieve nausea and stimulate appetite.

In April 2016 a bill was passed allowing for the use of Medicinal Marijuana in Victoria, we’re fortunate enough to be the first state in Australia that will have access to new clinical trials. So from 2017 Medicinal Marijuana will be legal in Victoria.

This means that Marijuana will be readily available for researchers to continue to develop new treatments for patients who suffer from the diseases that I’ve mentioned and more.

Medicinal Marijuana will be used to reduce the occurrence of seizures in children who suffer from severe epilepsy, this was the main reason why the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Act 2015 was passed. These trials will hopefully expand to include other patients who are in extreme circumstances.

Cannabis is one of the oldest drugs in human history, and has been used as a crude medicine for most of that time, and now we are concentrating our efforts in order to maximise it’s Medicinal potential. And I think that’s awesome.

This was my last blog post and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to share my opinion and attempt to support it. I look forward to seeing where research into Medicinal Marijuana will take the medical industry and what impact it will have on it, hopefully you will all keep an eye on it too!

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References:

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources 2016, ‘Medicinal Cannabis’, DEDJTR, retrieved 8 May 2016, <http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/grains-and-other-crops/cannabis-in-victoria/medicinal-cannabis&gt;

Department of Health & Human Services 2016, ‘Medicinal Cannabis’, DHHS, retrieved 8 May 2016, <https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/drugs-and-poisons/medicinal-cannabis&gt;.

Health Tech 2014, Chemical Structure of Tetrahydrocannabinol, Leaf Science, retrieved 10 May 2016, <http://www.leafscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/tetrahydrocannabinol-thc-720×340.jpg&gt;.

Hill, KP 2015, Marijuana : the unbiased truth about the world’s most popular weed, Center City, Minnesota Hazelden, 2015.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2016, What Are Marijuana’s Long-Term Effects on the Brain?, retrieved 8 May 2016, <https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body&gt;.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2016, What Are Marijuana’s Effects on General Physical Health?, retrieved 8 May 2016, <https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-general-physical-health&gt;.

The Greens 2016, ‘Relieving Suffering’, Greens, retrieved 8 May 2016, <http://greens.org.au/initiatives/vic/relieving-suffering&gt;.

Volkow, N.D. 2016, Letter From the Director, retrieved 8 May 2016, <https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/letter-director>