Impact Of Legalizing Medical Marijuana In Australia

What Is Marijuana?

Discuss about the Impact of Legalizing Medical Marijuana in Australia.

The international agreement under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs presently merged into the 1988 International Drug Control Conventions prohibits the cultivation and distribution of marijuana (UNODC 2013). Many other countries including Australia are parties to these agreements. Currently, marijuana is a schedule nine drug in Australia placing it in a similar category with drugs like heroin (Smith, 2013).  The states in Australia carry out their drug scheduling but about the federal government and the Standard Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (Smith, 2013).

Marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried flowers of Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana is ascribed to different slang terms depending on the region for instance weed, ganja, bud are some common terms among others. Its consumption also varies based on whether it’s consumed for leisure or medical purposes. Others use hand-rolled cigarettes to smoke it, water pipes or in blunts (Soller and Lee, 2010). If the objective of consuming marijuana is medical, then it is commonly mixed with foods such as cookies or to brew tea otherwise if it is for recreational purposes, its consumption will vary. The use of Vaporizers to take marijuana is also on the rise (Gartner, 2015). The concentration of strength of marijuana varies depending on the part of the plant. For instance, sinsemilla is a stronger form of marijuana (derived from the tended female plant) that comprises of concentrated resins which have high concentrations of the active ingredients of marijuana.

The marijuana plant contains over 100 chemicals termed as cannabinoids with each affecting the body differently. The differences between Recreational and medicinal marijuana are based on the content of the chemicals. Medicinal marijuana is differentiated by the concentration of two main chemicals namely Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). THC is produced for the high feeling and is associated with recreational weed whereas CBD is therapeutic. Therefore, the content of medical marijuana is in CBD whereas recreational marijuana has a higher content of the THC. Additionally, higher CBD content reduces the strength of being “high” as commonly known of marijuana (Schubar et al., 2011)

Many research on the probable medical benefits of marijuana have been conducted; however, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not asserted its use for medical purposes. A poll survey conducted by Adler and Colbert (2013) found out that 76% of all the votes cast supported the use of marijuana for medical purposes. However, its prolonged use has adverse effects on the mind as well. Marijuana is used to treat glaucoma which is an eye disease which causes high pressure in the eyeball thus causing harm to the optic nerve and vision loss in the long run. According to the research by Sun et al. (2015), marijuana lowers the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye of people with normal pressure and those suffering from glaucoma. The effect of marijuana hampers the development of the disease thus preventing blindness.

Medicinal and Recreational Marijuana

Abrams and Guzman (2015) in their study Found out that marijuana can reverse cancer and stop its further spread. Contrary to the common belief that it damages the lungs like tobacco, the researchers discovered that it does not only stop cancer cells but increase the lung capacity. In their lab experiment study found out that Cannabidiol can avert cancer inhibiting the Id-1 gene. The researchers tested using breast cancer cells with Id-1 gene which they treated using cannabidiol. The results showed a decrease in the expression of the Id-1 gene. Marijuana also prevents and controls epileptic seizures according to a survey conducted by Lubman et al. (2015). The researchers took epileptic rats and a administered extracts of synthetic marijuana. The mice became seizure free for approximately ten hours. The THC in marijuana controls seizures by binding the brains cells that regulate excitement and relaxation (Goffin et al., 2011)

Marijuana also lowers the symptoms of Dravet’s syndrome which is a form of severe seizure. The survey study conducted by Porter and Jacobson (2013) showed that marijuana decreases the effects of seizures. The cannabidiol in cannabis can interact with the brain cells and contain the extreme activity in the brain which initiates the seizures. A study conducted by Reinarman et al. (2011) on 1746 clinics in California revealed that medical marijuana reduces anxiety by alleviating pain and reducing nausea, the reason it’s also used in lowering the side effects of chemotherapy. However, the research found out higher doses can cause much anxiety. Medical marijuana also slows the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease according to Aso and Ferrer  (2014). Based on the research, the natural marijuana compound THC was found to decrease the rate of the growth of amyloid plaques by hindering the enzyme responsible for their formation in the brain. The amyloid plaques are the ones that damage brain cells thus causing Alzheimer’s

The debate on the adverse health effects of the use of marijuana is not as to whether it alleviates some symptoms but rather the extent of its harm that is associated with its use. The common side effects of the use of medical marijuana are a sense of feeling high expressed by a lot of talkativeness and laughter with too much wistful dreaminess then weariness and drowsiness (Sinclair et al. 2012; Karila et al., 2014; Macdonald et al., 2014). The side effect of feeling high is also characterized by short term memory and learning. The use of medical marijuana also leads to elevated levels of physical and emotional sensitivity. Some other behavioral abnormalities that may result from the use of medical marijuana are the inability to converse intelligently due to rapid forgetfulness (Volkow et al., 2014). A prolonged use of medical marijuana can damage the cells in the bronchial channels which safeguard the body from any inhaled microorganisms and thus also weaken the power of the immune cells in the lungs to counter fungi and cancerous cells. Furthermore, research has also found out that marijuana causes a lot of mental disorders such as toxic psychosis, paranoia, and hallucinations (Van Gerpen, Vik, and Soundy, 2015). The use of medical marijuana can also develop to a cannabis disorder which can lead to addiction. According to the research by Van Gerpen et al. THC in marijuana raises dopamine levels, a brain chemical that controls pleasure. This creates the dependency of continuous use. A survey carried out by Cerdá et al. (2012) shows that approximately one out of every eleven users of marijuana will become addicted to it. If it’s a daily use than one out of 6 people who started to use it at teenage will develop an addiction. Furthermore, the risk of addiction is 25% to 50% of daily users of marijuana. The THC in marijuana causes impairment which limits one from driving safely or operates equipment increasing the chances of accidents or falls. This is because THC affects one’s coordination, response to time, concentration, decision making and ability to judge distances accurately.

Benefits Associated With Medical Marijuana

Irrespective of the fact that medical cannabis has been legalized in Australia, patients who qualify for medical marijuana must first be diagnosed from any of the identified ailments in the state’s list. Then with a recommendation from a licensed physician, the patient can easily purchase the medical marijuana drugs at variously licensed dispensaries (Nussbaum et al., 2011). For instance, in Queensland, those that qualify for marijuana medication must first belong to the state, be diagnosed with ailments such as severe muscle spasms and sclerosis, seizures, mollify care (Martin, and Bonomo, 2016). The Victorian government has legalized the use of medical marijuana to particular patients diagnosed with extreme cases of epilepsy, chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. However, in Tasmania, the access to medicinal marijuana is solely determined by the qualified doctors’ assessment. Then the doctors are the ones to demonstrate that the patient indeed qualifies or doesn’t for medicinal marijuana.

Medical marijuana is the use of marijuana and its chemical compounds to alleviated pain or enhances symptoms. To permit medical marijuana, there must first be scientifically proven research on the benefits of using medicinal cannabis with any possible side effects then the government must pass legislation to legalize its use with specific terms of its use. The condition under which the use of medicinal cannabis is allowed is when the patient has been diagnosed by a qualified physician that indeed the medical condition warrants the use of marijuana. Secondly, in most cases, the patient must be over 18 years but not over 75 years and not pregnant at that time. Then the physician will provide a legitimate medical report with a description of the illness (Queensland government. 2017).

The prescriber must be a medical practitioner with experience in the management of patients suffering from the diseases the drug is likely to treat. The prescriber must be authorized by the Secretary of the health department of the respective Australian State to prescribe a particular product for specific patient or groups (Haslam and Sinclair, 2017). The medical practitioner should also be approved by the Secretary of the department of health of the Commonwealth to supply or import a particular category of drug. The health department of each state in Australia is responsible for the vetting and registration of physicians and supervise compliance. The Medical Marijuana Act contains the regulations for the medical practitioners and any risks involved in case of violation (Mark Anderson et al., 2013). 

Harms Associated With Medical Marijuana

The low supply of cannabis and corresponding high demand for it in Australia made the federal government authorise specific companies to legally import marijuana from overseas, store and sell the drug to meet the rising market demand. The authorized companies must obtain the permit from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Caulkins et al., 2016). The move to import the drug was temporal until when the country could plant its own locally. The federal government went further and loosened importation laws to make it possible for the selected companies to import. Additionally, the importer must acquire the approval given out by the Secretary of the Department of Health in Commonwealth. The importer must further specify the category of drugs as highlighted by the commonwealth; Special Access Scheme Category B which is designed for a particular patient; Authorised Prescriber scheme meant for some group of patients, and the Clinical Trial schemes. Furthermore, the pharmacy prescribed by the doctor where the product is to be supplied to the patient must acquire a license to import the drug as per the customs and regulation of Commonwealth, receive the item only from an importer authorized by the state. also must acquire the product from any licensed manufacturer with the permit from the ministry of health or any other equivalent authority licensed by the Australian government.

References

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Adler, J.N. and Colbert, J.A., 2013. Medicinal use of marijuana—polling results. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(22), pp.866-868.

Aso, E. and Ferrer, I., 2014. Cannabinoids for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: moving toward the clinic. Frontiers in pharmacology, 5.

Caulkins, J.P., Kilmer, B. and Kleiman, M.A., 2016. Marijuana legalization: What everyone needs to know?. Oxford University Press.

Cerdá, M., Wall, M., Keyes, K.M., Galea, S. and Hasin, D., 2012. Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence. Drug and alcohol dependence, 120(1), pp.22-27.

Gartner, C.E., 2015. Mull it over: cannabis vaporizers and harm reduction. Addiction, 110(11), pp.1709-1710.

Goffin, K., Van Paesschen, W. and Van Laere, K., 2011. In vivo activation of endocannabinoid system in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Brain, 134(4), pp.1033-1040.

Haslam, L. and Sinclair, J., 2017. The therapeutic benefits of marijuana. Lamp, The, 74(4), p.18.

Karila, L., Roux, P., Rolland, B., Benyamina, A., Reynaud, M., Aubin, H.J. and Lançon, C., 2014. Acute and long-term effects of cannabis use: a review. Current pharmaceutical design, 20(25), pp.4112-4118.

Lubman, D.I., Cheetham, A. and Yücel, M., 2015. Cannabis and adolescent brain development. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 148, pp.1-16.

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Mark Anderson, D., Hansen, B. and Rees, D.I., 2013. Medical marijuana laws, traffic fatalities, and alcohol consumption. The Journal of Law and Economics, 56(2), pp.333-369.

Martin, J.H. and Bonomo, Y.A., 2016. Medicinal cannabis in Australia: The missing links. The Medical journal of Australia, 204(10), pp.371-373.

Nussbaum, A.M., Boyer, J.A. and Kondrad, E.C., 2011. “But my Doctor Recommended Pot”: Medical Marijuana and the Patient–Physician Relationship. Journal of general internal medicine, 26(11), p.1364.

Porter, B.E. and Jacobson, C., 2013. Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 29(3), pp.574-577.

Queensland government. 2017. Accessed 03 September 2017. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/medicinal-cannabis/patient-guide-to-accessing-medicinal-cannabis

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Sinclair, C.F., Foushee, H.R., Pevear, J.S., Scarinci, I.C. and Carroll, W.R., 2012. Patterns of blunt use among rural young adult African-American men. American journal of preventive medicine, 42(1), pp.61-64.

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