Marijuana has not always been illegal in the United States. Before the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, cannabis containing products were able to be legally imported, consumed and sold as medication in pharmacies and drug stores. In the mid 1930’s cannabis prohibition started to gain popularity giving the name, “marijuana” a negative connotation. “Reefer Madness”, an anti-cannabis film that was spreading fear and hysteria about cannabis. This film was only one of several films in this time period that depicted american youth being corrupted by the consumption of cannabis. Just one year later The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed. This act set in motion increasingly restrictive restrictions on marijuana. In 1970, marijuana was placed in the same category of drugs as heroin and is classified as more addictive than cocaine and Oxycotin, as a schedule I drug. The definition of a schedule I drug from the DEA website states, “Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Part of this statement can be contradicted by current medical research in multiple areas of medicine that have shown health benefits for patients suffering from emotional pain, physical pain, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and neurological disorders just to name a few. It is high time we air out the negative haze over marijuana and start objectively observing just how much this natural occurring plant can do for us.
The Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the the University of Southern California researched the effects of cannabinoid-related agents in the treatment of anxiety disorders and the results are quite promising. In the past, anxiety disorders have been treated with various types of pharmaceuticals such as: Benzodiazepines,selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, anti-psychotic agents, and tricycle antidepressants just to name a few. Each of these medications act on the brain and body with a different mechanism of action altering the amount and pathways of neurotransmitters in the brain. For example, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, stops the uptake of serotonin in the synaptic space increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain at an attempt to elevate the person’s mood. Pharmaceutical pills was the accepted medication for patients with anxiety disorders, but in 1996 that all started to change when California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Since then cannabis has been making a come back with several states voting to decriminalize marijuana while other states have legalized medical use only. There are currently around 10 states in the U.S. that have approved recreational marijuana and another 21 states have approved medical marijuana to patients in need. This switch in the public’s attitude toward cannabis has been gradual, but persistent. It is important to have regulations in place for the safety of the consumer and quality control of the products. Rescheduling Cannabis is necessary for the progression of medical marijuana because there is scientific proof of medical benefits of marijuana yet it is not classified as such. Removing the “dope” stigma from cannabis will just take time and education. There is scientific proof that cannabis, in the appropriate ratio of THC and CBD is beneficial in patients who suffer from a variety of ailments from anxiety and neurological pain and tremors to seizures,chronic pain, and depression. Research has shown that the brain has cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. The key role of CB1 receptors as mediators of neurochemical homeostasis in the brain. The CB2 receptors are expressed in most peripheral organs and immune cells,where they regulate cytokine secretion and cell trafficking. Few studies have specifically studied the role of the CB2 receptor in anxiety and stress responses, but there is a possibility that it does play an important role in modulation of anxiety disorders.
THC is the main psychoactive component of cannabis and is a partial agonist for both CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. THC produces euphoria, emotional changes, analgesia,hypothermia and appetite stimulation. CBD is the other major component of cannabis. CBD is not psychotropic, but has been shown to reduce fearful stimuli responses, this can help with social phobias and other anxiety disorders. CBD can also help reduce reactivity to stresses and modulate behavioral effects of cannabis. In other words, cannabis produces it’s own antidote. If a patient over medicates and starts having negative side effects of the high amount of THC in their system all they need to do is take pure CBD extract and the CBD will reduce the psychoactive effects and behavioral functions of THC. One of the most important factors in medicating with marijuana for anxiety is to get the THC:CBD ratio right. Several studies suggest that THC and CBD exert opposite actions so the ratio is important to achieving the desired therapeutic affect.
In the last decade, deaths due to prescription pill overdoses have increased. According to the CDC website, “Significant increases in drug overdose death rates from 2015 to 2016 were seen in the Northeast, Midwest, and South Census Regions. Twenty-six states had a significant increase in overdose deaths that year. In regards to marijuana, The CDC states, “A fatal overdose is unlikely, but that doesn’t mean marijuana is harmless. The signs of using too much marijuana are similar to the typical effects of using marijuana but more severe. There is always a risk when you put any type of foreign substance into your body, but the CDC says that a fatal overdose of marijuana is unlikely. Marijuana almost seems too good to be true, with a death rate that is virtually zero and the plant’s ability to produce its own antidote. Cannabis seems like a clear choice over pharmaceuticals, but the negative stigma surrounding the marijuana industry is enough to keep some people from associating openly with the cannabis movement at all. Federal legalization is crucial in the overall progression of marijuana not only in the medicinal aspect, but in the industrial side of hemp-containing materials. Scientists currently know a fraction of what this plant potentially has to offer. Federal legalization, appropriate funding and resources the future of the cannabis industry could be bigger than oil.
Mary jane’s future is going to be complicated. She is currently going through the growing pains of her teenage years, but once she breaks through that barrier of the terribly lengthy awkward phase she will blossom into the most beautiful flower imaginable, with an aroma of citrus notes and a euphoria and will take away all of your pains of this world and you will be thankful and she will be gone.