Download Moral and legal struggles of Medical Marijuana

Moral and Legal
struggles of
Medical Marijuana
Melisha Hamm Duncan
Ruchisha Patel
Sthefany Torres
Jessica Miles
Minal Gandhi
Karolina Lira
Vidya Patil
Mounia Derkouch

What is the Ethical
Dilemma?
Should Physicians be allowed to
prescribe Medical Marijuana?

Yes and No

For or against?

Journal of Family Practice
Must be medical use only
 Patient must be given recommendation


Treats more than just cancer;





Aids/HIV
Anxiety
Pain Management
Glaucoma
Eating Disorders
Should patients have a right to
request Medical Marijuana?
 Public
view has always favored the use of
medical marijuana
 Pros
and Cons
 Risks
 Patient


vs. Physician
Right to receive medical information
Qualification process
Political Views
 Federal


Government
For or against ?
Approval of certain states
 Republicans

63% in favor
 Democrats

77% in favor
Medical
Marijuana:
The Facts
Marijuana: The Facts
 What

Cannabis subspecies:


is Marijuana?
C. sativa, C. indica, C. ruderalis
Cannabinoids:


Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): psychoactive
Cannabidiol (CBD): non-psychoactive
Marijuana: The Facts
How does Cannabis work on the human Body?
Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
CB1 (brain) and CB2 receptors (immune
system cells)
http://www.21stcentech.com/biomedicine-part-11-curing-technologies-in-the-21st-century-overcoming-addiction/
Marijuana: The Facts

Cannabinoid Bioavailability

Methods of administration


Inhalation ( vaporizer, “e-cigs”)
Smoke (“joints”, “blunts”, cigarettes)



Smoking topography
Ingested (edible treats, raw juicing)
FDA-Approved Drugs with synthetic cannabinoid
 Marinol (dronabinol)
Marijuana: The Facts

Risks Associated with Marijuana


Increased heart rate
Changes in blood pressure
Psychosis
Smoking is detrimental to respiratory system

Outdoor vs. Indoor Grows

Contaminants


Define
the
Stakeholders
Highest level Stakeholder
“Government”
Federal vs. State vs. Local


Marijuana is classified as
a Schedule I substance
under the Controlled
Substance Act
Marijuana is being
shipped to other states
(Oklahoma and
Nebraska) from
Colorado making it
harder for officials
adding more work.
Mid-level Stakeholder “Physician”
 First
Amendment allows Physician Patient
Communication
 Physician has to recommend and
prescribe the use of Medical Marijuana
for its patients
Effective Stakeholder
“Patients”


Patients must have a qualifying medical
condition to obtain state or county issue ID
card.
Each state has its own list of specific medical
conditions or symptoms in the Medical
Marijuana Law


Cancer, AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis,
Sever/Debilitating Pain, Sever Nausea
Certain states allows patients to enroll in staterun medical marijuana programs to gain help
from caregivers to grow the plant
Options
and
Alternatives
Alternative Treatments for
Pain Management






Acupuncture
Exercise
Chiropractic Manipulation
Supplements and Vitamins
Therapy
Stress-reduction techniques







Yoga
Relaxation therapy
Hypnosis
Guided imagery
Music therapy
Biofeedback
Massage
Alternative Treatments for
HIV/AIDS







More than 25 antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV
infections that lower viral load and help fight
infections.
Massage
Dietary Supplements
Meditation
Acupuncture
Anxiety
Eating Disorders
Alternative Treatments for
Epilepsy
o
o
o
o
Herbal Medicine
Relaxation and biofeedback
Acupuncture
Chiropractic therapy
 Charlotte’s
Web
Alternative Treatments for
Cancer
 Alternative
treatments may not play a
direct role in curing cancer, however they
do help cope through the signs and
symptoms caused by cancer and cancer
treatments.
Make
a
Choice/Decision
Lets have a vote in the class?
How many of you are for it?
How many are against it?
Making a Choice
Facts of what we gathered




THC and CBD, marijuana’s primary
cannabinoids, are both cancer killers.
Suicide rates are lower in areas where
medical marijuana is available.
So far there is ZERO evidence that marijuana
causes significant damage.
Regulating and taxing will generate revenue
and boost economy.
Our Decision
Based on the facts, as a group we are pro Marijuana
WHY




Legalizing it will give us the opportunity to do more
extensive research to create more effective dosages
and isolate the ingredients to create more medicine
It will reduce crime, suicide, and DUI’s.
Giving cancer patients an alternative medication
besides just using chemo.
Medications like volume and oxytocin are addictive
with many side effects , marijuana would not harm
patients with such side effects.
Since we are talking about Marijuana here
are a few pictures form our recent San
Diego trip!
Justify your Choices
Medical/General Justification
 Natural
Herb
 Has a long history of use
 FDA has tested and approved certain
components
Case - Zaki Jackson
 Rare
form of
epilepsy
 100s of seizures a
day
 Tried various
medications
 Finally marijuana
relieved the kid
Legal Justification Marijuana
 Regulating
and taxing will generate
revenue
 Reduced crime, violence, and corruption
due to involvement of international drug
markets
 Venture capitalists ready to invest will boost
economy
 Shipped from legalized states to other
Political Justification
 Increased
support for Marijuana
 Many states have legalized considering
the benefits of the marijuana
 Political parties asking for lesser
punishments vs. opposing
 Various restrictions on the dispensing of
marijuana
How
can this
Ethical Dilemma
be prevented?
Legal Struggle

Conflicts between local, state, federal to be
available to the public:

It is challenging the essential fundamentals of the
acknowledged practice in the medical, legal, and
ethical societies

The primary antagonist to legalization;

The federal government

Outdo state law rights by frightening patients and
physicians with criminal prosecution

Local, state, and federal strongly argue that Schedule I
drugs has a high potential for abuse
Legal Struggle Cont.


However, is it truly gaining the public support to
outlaw it?
 Huge public support in some states to ban it
 Ex, Montana and California
 Is the public fully aware of the advantages and
disadvantages of medical marijuana?
The central opposition: the federal government
 A national policy of “zero-tolerance” toward
illegal drugs
Moral Struggle

The ethical dilemma:




If banned, will it be violating the physicianpatient relationship?
Is it true that, it can be enclosed by the ethical
moralities of autonomy and beneficence?
Are not patients having the right to expect full
disclosure and discussion of all available
treatment options from their physicians?
Is it considered violating the basic duty of a
physician, if denying a patient that has a
terminal disease?
Practical Consideration

The use of cannabis as a medicine can bring up lots of
questions:

Issue with reimbursement – Health Insurance
Recap

The Purpose of marijuana

Limited medical researches

The stigma
Citations

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/ondcp-fact-sheets/marijuanalegalization

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/27/63-of-republicanmillennials-favor-marijuana-legalization/

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=1325

http://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/medical-law/outline-is-thelegalization-of-medical-marijuana-morally-sound-law-medical-essay.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10754797: The ethics of medical
marijuana: government restrictions vs. medical necessity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628147/: Medical
marijuana: Medical necessity and political agenda.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/MMP/Pages/MMPFAQ.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/29/us/pot-pie-redefined-chefs-start-toexperiment-with-cannabis.html?_r=1
Citations Cont.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19296351: Medical
marijuana: the conflict between scientific evidence and
political ideology. Part one of two.

http://www.csatc.org/cellularbiology.html

http://www.mpp.org/search/search.jsp
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10754797. The ethics of
medical marijuana: government restrictions vs. medical
necessity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628147/:
Medical marijuana: Medical necessity and political agenda.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19296351: Medical
marijuana: the conflict between scientific evidence and
political ideology. Part one of two.
http://www.insurancequotes.org/health-insurance/healthresources/medical-marijuana-coverage/:Medical Marijuana
and Your Health Coverage.




Questions