Annotated Bibliography for a Controversial Issue/ Should marijuana be used as a medical treatment today - Essay Example

Should Marijuana be used as a Medical Treatment Today? of the Controversial Issue Name of the Concerned Professor August 21, 2008 Should Marijuana be used as a Medical Treatment Today? Till a decade ago, marijuana was staunchly categorized as a potent narcotic that was considered to have many debilitating and lethal psychosomatic effects on the human body. However, the new found evidence and facts exhort the medico-legal community in particular and the public in general to ask that, “Should marijuana be used as a medical treatment today?

” No doubt, this is a controversial issue and calls for a simple, well informed and nonpartisan treatment (ProCon.org, 2008). The controversy generated by the issue under consideration owes its origins to the fact that the popular perception pertaining to the medicinal use of marijuana is often adulterated by the general abhorrence and infamy associated with narcotics. Still the usage of marijuana as a potential drug should not be denied to the thousands of ailing patients just because of the rampant ethical, moral and medical biases and prejudices.

Marijuana or any other substance that has a positive medicinal utility do deserves a chance despite the conventional negative attributes and connotations associated with it. The given proposition is a politically charged issue. A study initiated by President Clinton’s anti-drug policy adviser came to the conclusion that marijuana could help patients suffering from serious diseases like AIDS and cancer (Kong, 1999, p.1). Still the attempts made by some states to favor the medical use of marijuana pathetically failed because of the supremacy of the federal law that classifies marijuana as a Schedule One substance that is sans any medical use (ProCon.org, 2008).

It is a high time that the federal officials should revise their notions pertaining to the medical utility and efficacy of marijuana, in the light of the recent and up to date studies and research (Colburn, 1995, p.1). The relevance of a substance as a medicine, aught to be judged to a great extent by the possible detrimental prognosis of the disease being treated, to the potential ill effects of that substance. In this context, the medical use of marijuana stands justified in the sense that the possible repercussions of the wasting diseases like AIDS and cancer far exceed in lethality as compared to the ill effects or the side effects of marijuana or the marijuana derived drugs.

Marijuana contains certain biochemical ingredients that are chemically classified as cannabinoids (Okie, 1999, p.1). A plethora of recent research papers and scientifically conducted clinical trials have verified beyond doubt that cannabinoids may prove to be really effective in treating symptoms of nausea and weight loss caused by chemotherapy and AIDS (Cohen, 1999, p.1). According to a report published by the Institute of Medicine, the issue of medical use of marijuana has been really mishandled by the federal law enforcement agencies by misinterpreting its legal and ethical implications beyond the limits of pragmatism and rationality (The Washington Post, 1999, p.1). Infact some of the marijuana derived cannabinoids like THC are already commercially available in the market and are freely prescribed by the doctors to treat many symptoms associate with AIDS, cancer and a number of other diseases.

Thus the existing classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug by the federal agencies is logically, legally and ethically wrong and misguided. The federal laws pertaining to marijuana and its medical use need to be urgently revised in the light of the latest scientific findings and conclusions. Annotated BibliographyCohen, G (1999). Marijuana found to effectively treat pain. University Wire. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.highbeam.com/DocPrint.aspx? DocId=1P2:6715493The given article highlights the positive and favorable findings of the Institute of Medicine pertaining to the medical use of the ingredients found in marijuana and logically questions the social, ethical and legal misunderstandings associated with this issue.

Hence it unambiguously supports the medical use of marijuana. Colburn, D (1995). Making a Case for Marijuana; Doctors Urged to Reconsider Drug’s Medicinal Value. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2008, From http://www.highbeam.com/DocPrint.aspx?DocId=1P2:841144 This work discusses the historical evidence pertaining to the medical use of marijuana and stresses upon the non-addictive and non-toxic attributes of marijuana as a medicine.Kong, D (1999). Medicinal marijuana uses seen.

The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.highbeam.com/DocPrint.aspx?DocId= 1P2:8525869This report discusses the findings from a study commissioned by President Clinton’s anti-drug policy adviser that revealed the beneficial effects of marijuana on the patients of AIDS and cancer. This study backed by many medical authorities, recommended the medical use of marijuana.Medical Marijuana (1999), The Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 008, from http://www.highbeam.

com/DocPrint.aspx?DocId=1P2:586278This article calls upon the findings of the report by the Institute of Medicine, to advocate the medical use of marijuana. The given work assertively stresses the legalization of marijuana as a medicine, based on the findings of many rigorous clinical trials.Okie, S (1999). Report sees medical applications for marijuana’s active Ingredients Although unsafe to smoke, chemicals offer pain relief. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.

highbeam.com/DocPrint.aspx?DocId=1P2:6715493This paper elaborates on the biochemical substances called cannabinoids found in marijuana that could be developed into useful drugs. It supports the commercial exploitation of marijuana as a medicine.Should marijuana be a medical option? (2008). ProCon.org. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/ This website is a nonpartisan, non-profit, reliable source that provides ample legal, social and medical data that supports the medical use of marijuana.