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RyanMarchewka
Aughenbaugh
English12
15April2016
FederalLegalizationOfMedicalMarijuana
Youliveyearbyyear,monthbymonth,weekbyweek(Ross).Chemotherapyisa
concoctionofdrugsandradiationthatkillsallcellsthatareintheprocessofsplittingintotwo.
Chemostopsalmostallcellsfrommultiplying,patientsloosehair,andnaturalbonemarrow
productionisstopped.Chemotherapyisdesignedtoshrinkthecancer,relievesymptoms,and
extendlifebyreducingcancergrowthrateorputtingthecancerintoremission.Whenaroundof
chemotherapyisfinishedpatientssufferfromwithdrawalsimilartoheroinwithdrawalthatlasts
for25weeks.Youbasicallyhavetodietostayalive,oratleastthatswhatitfeelslike(Ross).
Duringchemowithdrawalpatientsarehospitalizeddototheseverityofsymptoms.Medical
marijuanaisbeingusedalongsidechemotherapyandchemowithdrawaltoreducethesymptoms,
butTheCancerResearchJournalbelievesandisintheprocessofprovingthathighly
concentratedTHCoilalongsidechemotherapywillimprovethequalityoflifeandsuccessrateof
chemotherapypatients.Dotomarijuanaandmarijuanaextracts(THC)beingmarkedasa
controlledsubstancebytheFDA,onlythenegativeeffectsofcannabisarebeingstudiedbythe
government.Thisleavesdoctorsandfamiliestorununfunded,unregulated,unofficialclinical
trialsonthemselvestoprovethebenefitsofmedicalmarijuanatothefederalgovernment.Inthe
23statesthathavelegalizedmedicalmarijuanathereisnofederalstandardorregulation,this
allowsdifferentdispensariestohavevaryinglevelsofTHCandCBDinmedicalcannabis

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products,whichcausesinconsistenciesinthepotencyofthemedication.Whenapatientpicksup
amarijuanamedicationthereisonlyanestimationoftheamountofTHCandCBDinthe
product,theonlywaytogetanexactvalueistohaveittestedinalab.Theseinconsistenciescan
alteracancerpatient'soutcome.Thefederalgovernmentneedstolegalizemedicalmarijuana,
runofficialgovernmentfundedclinicaltrials,andlabelcannabisasamedicinenotacontrolled
substance.
Likeeverymedicationmarijuanahasbenefitsandrisks.Themainbenefitofmedical
marijuanaisreducingthesideeffectsofchemotherapy,andeasethepainanddiscomfortof
chemowithdrawal.ManydoctorsarerecommendingsmokelessTHC/CBDoilinsteadof
smokingmedicalcannabis.Inthelast3yearswehaveonlyseenonenegativeeffecttoTHCoil,
thetaste(Cancerresearchjournal).Medicalmarijuanadoesn'tonlyhelpcancerpatients,itis
alsoknowntotreatNeurologicalandmovementdisorders,Glaucoma,Dravetssyndrome,
preventepilepticseizures,slowprogressionofalzheimer's,easethepainofmultiplesclerosis,
relievearthritisdiscomfort,
treattheautoimmunediseaseSystemicLupusErythematosus,
Crohnsdisease,significantlyreducespainandtremorsinpeoplewithparkinson'sdisease,and
helpsveteranssufferingfromPTSD.Medicinalmarijuanaisalsobeingresearchforbenefitsin
protectingthebrainafterastroke,concussion,ortrauma.Manyanticannabisgroupsthinkthat
medicinalmarijuanaissnakeoiloraglorifiedsugarpill.Whenaspirinwasfirstintroducedtothe
medicalcommunityitwentthroughtheplaceboeffecttest.Atestwhereagroupofpeople
sufferingfromasymptomthatthemedicineissaidtotreataregiventhemedicationforaperiod
oftime,thenthemedicationwithouttheactiveingredient,actingasasugarpill,thenattheend
ofthetimespanthepatientisaskediftheirsymptomsreturnedtowardstheendofthetest.If

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morethan60%sayyesthanthedrugfailstheplacebotest.AccordingtotheNewEngland
JournalofMedicinewhenaspirinwastested56%ofpatientsdidntnoticeadifferencebetween
thethesugarpillandaspirin.WhenmedicinalmarijuanawastestedattheCaliforniaHospital
MedicalCenteronly24%ofpatientssaidtheydidntfeeladifference.Thesetestresultsprove
thatmedicinalmarijuanaisnotjustasugarpill,butalegitimatemedicine.Inyourbrainyou
haveaCB1andCB2receptor,alsoknownascannabinoidreceptors.Thesereceptorsservethe
purposeasnaturalpainkillers.AccordingtoNewsMedical,In1988,AllynHowlettandWilliam
Devaneusedradioimmunoassaytechniquestocharacterizetheexistenceofacannabinoid
receptorinaratbrain.In1990,MilesHerkenhamandhisteammappedthelocationsofa
cannabinoidreceptorsysteminseveralmammalianspecies,includingman.1994anItalianman
gotinacaraccidentandwasthrownfromthevehiclebreakingmultiplebones,whenparamedics
arrivedatthecrashtohelpthemanhesaidthathewasinnopain.WhenhewastakentotheER
hisdoctor,Franceschi,ranactscanandsawthattheCB1andCB2receptorswereoverloaded
effectivelynumbingthemantoallpain.HumansandeveryanimaldowntospongeshaveaCB1
receptor.Dr.DonaldAbrams,cancerspecialistintheUniversityofCaliforniaSanFranciscoand
chiefoncologistattheSanFranciscoMedicalHospitalisoneofthefirstdoctorstodiscoverthe
medicalbenefitsofmarijuana.Marijuanawasresearchedasatherapydrugforhiv.Insteadof
recommendingfivedifferentmedications,Icanjustrecommendone,Cannabis(Abrams).
Marijuanaiscurrentlymarkedasaschedule1controlledsubstancebytheFDA,making
medicalresearchdifficult.Whiledoctorsandfamiliesarerunningclinicaltrialsonthemselvesto
provemedicalbenefitstotheFDA.TheFDAisonlyfocusingandstudyingthenegativeeffects
ofmarijuana.ThefederalgovernmentisarrestingPTSDsufferingveteransandplacingthemin

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federalprisonfor20plusyearsforusingmedicinalmarijuana.Although23stateshavelegalized
medicalmarijuana,peoplearestillbeingarrestedandprosecutedinthosestatesinfederalcourts.
InOctober2015CancerResearchJournalpostedastudyshowingthat73%ofpeoplesurveyed
approveofmedicalmarijuana.Thestatesthatlegalizedmedicalmarijuanaaverage109,200,000
taxablesalesofmedicalmarijuanain2015.Theaveragetaxincomefromeachstatewas
$11,000,000in2015.TheAmericanMedicalAssociationistheonlygovernmentfundedagency
thatAdoptedaresolutioncallingforfurtherclinicalresearchintoCannabisbased
medication(AMA).
Sophieonly8monthsoldwasdiagnosedwithleukemiainOctoberof2015.Shehada
braintumorthatwasgrowingandeventuallyledtoherbecomingcompletelyblind.Going
throughchemotherapyat8monthsold,Sophie'scancerdidntstopgrowingitonlysloweddown.
Afterafullyearofchemo,Sophie'sparentsdecidedtotryMedicinalmarijuanaintheformof
THCoil.Afteranadditional13monthsofchemoand16monthsofCannabisoilhertumor
shranksomuchthatasmalloperationgaveSophiehersightbackbeforeherthirdbirthday.
WithoutclinicaltrialsandgovernmentregulationSophiestreatmentandoutcomewere
presentedtotheFDA.Laurenwhois3yearsoldwasgiven3monthstolivedotothecancer
growingtorapidlyforchemotherapytohaveamajoreffectonit.Laurenwasprescribed
extremelyhighconcentrateTHCoil.After10monthsofTHCoilalongsidechemothecancer
stoppedgrowing.Onemoreroundofchemotherapyandabonemarrowtransplant,Laurens
cancerwentintoremission.Sheisnowexpectedtograduatehighschool.Laurenstreatmentand
outcomewerepresentedtotheFDA.Oliviais14andwasdiagnosedwithleukemiawhenshe
was9,Oliviastaredchemotherapythatday.ForfouryearsOliviawasinchemotherapy,which

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stoppedthegrowthofthecancerbutdidnotputitintoremission.Onthefifthyearofchemo
OliviawasprescribedhighlyconcentratedTHCoilalongsidechemo.Olivia'scancerisnowin
fullremission.OliviastreatmentandoutcomewerepresentedtotheFDA.Withthesecases
beingpresentedtotheFDA,theyhavedecidedtoapproveTHCandCBDoilsformedical
studies,butstillhaveitlabeledasacontrolledsubstance.
ThefederalgovernmentneedstolegalizemedicalmarijuanasothatFIDAcanrun
officialgovernmentfundedclinictrialstomarkTHCasamedicineandnotacontrolled
substance.IliveyeartoyearnotknowinghowmanymoreIhaveleft,Idon'tcareaboutthe
longtermrisks,Ijustwannalive(Ross).MedicalmarijuanahasmanybenefitsthattheFDAis
ignoring,TheFDAneedstorunclinicaltrialsandregulatemedicalmarijuanaandTHCoilsso
thatthedosageisntestimated,butanexactamountthatdoctorscanpredicttheoutcomeof.
Cannabisisnotacureforcancer,butamedicinetobeusedalongsidechemotohelpincreasethe
survivalrateofchemotherapy.

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UniversityofCalifornia.StudiesShowMarijuanaCanBeanEffectiveMedicineforPain.
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Zhang,X.,J.F.Wang,G.Kunos,andJ.E.Groopman.CannabinoidModulationofKaposi's
SarcomaAssociatedInfectionandTransformation.Cancerresearchaacrjournals.org.
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