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Medical marijuana an on going debate

Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary compound responsible for the psychoactive effects of marijuana. The compound is an analgesic, and cellular research has shown that the compound has antioxidant activity. THC is believed to interact with parts of the brain normally controlled by the endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter, anandamide.Anandamide plays a role in pain sensation, memory, and sleep. The cannabis plant from which the marijuana drug is derived has a long history of medicinal use, with evidence dating back to 2737 B.C. (Medical Marijuana). Synthetic cannabinoids, such as Marinol and Cesamet, are available as prescription drugs in some countries. A number of studies claim that medical cannabis relieves symptoms and ishelpful in the treatment of many diseases. Among these are: the alleviation of nausea and vomiting, stimulation of hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, lowered eye pressure, and also relieves gastrointestinal illness. Medicinal values of cannabis have been controversial for many years now. Many national governments do not support the medical use of plant parts from the plant cannabis sativa assomething that doctors can recommend to their patients. Supporters of medical cannabis argue that it does have several beneficial effects.
There are several methods for consuming medical marijuana, including vaporizing or smoking dried buds, drinking, eating extracts, and taking capsules.
While consuming marijuana for recreational purposes is illegal in most parts of the world, many countriesare starting to change levels of decriminalization for medical usage, including Canada, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Italy, Finland, and Portugal (Decriminalized Marijuana). In the United States, federal law outlaws all use of herb parts from cannabis, while some states have approved its as medical cannabis in conflict with federal law (Marijuana Possession). The United StatesSupreme Court has ruled in United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Coop and in Gonzales v. Raich that the federal government has a right to regulate and criminalize cannabis, even for medical purposes. A person can therefore be prosecuted for a cannabis related crime, even if it is medical cannabis that is legal according to the laws of the state (Gonzales).
A 2002 review of medical literatureby Franjo Grotenhermen states that medical marijuana have established treatment for nausea, vomiting, premenstrual syndrome, unintentional weight loss, insomnia, and lack of appetite (Grotenhermen). Other confirmed effects were in the treatment of critical, painful conditions, especially neurogenic pain, movement disorders, asthma, and glaucoma. Researchers indicate that cannabis could proveuseful in treating inflammatory bowel disease, migraines, fibromyalgia, and related conditions. Medical cannabis has also been found to relieve certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries by exhibiting antispasmodic and muscle relaxant properties as well as stimulating appetite (Spinal Injuries; Grotenhermen; Medical Marijuana).
Other studies by Ronald J Elies and Bruce Mirkenstate that cannabis or cannabinoids are useful in treating alcohol abuse, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, collagen induced arthritis, atherosclerosis, bipolar disorder, colorectal cancer, HIV-Associated Sensory Neuropathy depression, dystonia, epilepsy, digestive diseases, gliomas, hepatitis C, Huntington's disease, leukemia, skin tumors, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),Parkinson's disease, pruritus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psoriasis, sickle-cell disease, sleep apnea, and anorexia nervosa. Marijuana also helped reduce tics, but validation of these results requires longer controlled studies on larger samples (Elies; Grotenhermen; Mirken).
According to an approved statement from the US Department of Justice in 1988, "Nearly all medicines have toxic,...