The article “Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, and Implications for the Acute Care Setting” by Mary Bridgeman and Daniel Abazia elucidates how medicinal cannabis has garnered increased national attention in the modern times. The bone of contention herein lies in its associated societal, ethical and legal implications as far as its use, administration, packaging and dispensing are concerned. The article notes that cannabis is the most trafficked drug not only in the United States but also in the entire world.

Who are the stakeholders both in support of and in opposition to medicinal cannabis use?

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are some of the agencies that recognize the medicinal rigor of cannabis. They support its clinical use. On the other hand, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has categorized marijuana under Schedule I meaning that it has categorized it as a controlled substance because of the increased potential for abuse.  Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the drug to have the highest prevalence rates in the world. These are some of the bodies that oppose the use of medicinal cannabis.

What does current medical/nursing research say regarding the increasing use of medicinal cannabis?

According to Ventura (2016), the regulation, cultivation as well as the distribution of medicinal cannabis is unique and complex. Despite the fact that there are some states that have authorized its use in medicinal treatments, the federal government has not accorded its priority. Research recognizes the clinical significance of cannabis, but the increased risk of abuse has remained to be the key impediment to its adoption and utilization of medical treatments.

What are the policy and future practice implications based on the current prescribed rate of cannabis?

Despite the complexity associated with the logistics of medicinal cannabis use, policies that prohibit its medicine use hurts palliative care and disrupts treatment of debilitating and chronic medical conditions. Permission to use it may be left in the hands of the states. However, its use in the future may wreak other issues linked to the increased probability of abuse, use, and trafficking.

References:

Bridgeman, M. & Abazia, D. (2017). Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology and Implications for the Acute Care Setting, PMCID.  42(3): 180–188. Retrieved from < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312634/>

Ventura, J. (2016). Jesse Ventura’s Marijuana Manifesto. New York: Springer.

The topic of cannabis use has long since been a controversial matter. For decades many have been under the impression that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive cannabinoid primarily present in the flower of the plant, threatens both the physiological and psychological health of cannabis users. However, due to misinformation that has been publicly released the medicinal properties of the plant have been overlooked until quite recently. According to Bridgeman and Abazia (2017), the medicinal utilization of the cannabis plant in ancient Romania can be traced as far back to over 5,000 years in the past, to approximately 400AD (p. 180). During the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States cannabis was a significant patent used to treat a variety of medical issues and pain, however, in 1942, the federal government made the decision to make its usage illegal therefore enforcing legal penalties regarding possession by the middle of the century (Bridgeman & Abazia, 2017, p. 180). Since its prohibition, people that have continued to use cannabis have been labeled as criminals, which is unfortunate considering many have been imprisoned.

With the increasing number of research studies that claim to verify the medicinal benefits of cannabis many patients that have been unsuccessful in treating physical and mental diseases and disorders with pharmaceuticals have become motivated to smoke, vape, and/or ingest cannabis or extracts of the plant; as Bridgeman and Abazia point out, “this represents the revival of a plant with historical significance reemerging in present day health care” (2017, p. 187). Although the legalization of medicinal cannabis has improved the health and well-being of many patients and will continue to do so in the future, it is important to ensure that its administration is safe and that clinicians also consider any possible adverse effects.

Stakeholders that support medicinal cannabis are those affiliated with cannabis farms, dispensaries, and organizations that produce information and products regarding its use. Stakeholders that oppose the plant are those affiliated with the manufacturing of conventional pharmaceuticals as well as those that politically and financially benefit from prohibition, such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA); Miron (2005) reports that on an annual basis, “government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition” costs approximately $7.7 billion (p. 1).

 Bridgeman, M.B. & Abazia, D.T. (2017). Medicinal cannabis: History, pharmacology, and implications for the acute care setting. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 42(3). 180-188.

Miron, J.A. (2005). The budgetary implications of marijuana prohibition (pp. 1-28). Harvard University.