Medical cannabis under spotlight!
Across the globe, cannabis (ganja) is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs. It comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. It can be smoked or eaten, and comes in a variety of forms, such as dried plant leaves and flowers (heads), a crumbly, light-brown or dark-brown resinous material called hash, or a very potent oil called hash oil. In 2013, only in the US, there were 21 million users of cannabis but only a million used for medical purpose and rest of recreation. Projection indicates that by 2020, in the US, it will be a legal 22 billion dollar market due to high demand among recreational users.
On the other side of the coin, cannabis was one of the major healers in medical science in ancient China, India and Greece. However, It never came to broader daylight for further research to explore medical potentials due to its illicit uses over time. Till now, only two synthetic medicines have been approved and one natural derivative is under review by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA. It is also legal to use recreational use of cannabis in many states across the US.
Uruguay voted to legalise it. Portugal has decriminalised it. Israel, Canada and Netherlands have medical marijuana programmes. Many countries have liberalised possession laws. In Australia, debate is going on if it could be treated as controlled pharmaceuticals items.
Researchers are developing a drug that mimics the marijuana's ability to reduce pressure in the eye without the plant's side effects. One of the FDA approved synthetic version of a substance found in marijuana help in increase appetite in AIDS patients. One synthetic version of cannabis is used to treat nausea associated with chemotherapy.
Potential medical users often, for example, in the later stage of a battle with painful cancer, find problems with morphine and other analgesics. Others seek relief from painful conditions such as muscle spasm in multiple sclerosis. Cannabis is believed to reduce seizures in Dravet syndrome, a rare genetic problem.
A recent US study found that the states with medical cannabis use over 10 years had a lower death rate from opioid overdose than those without. Extensive research is underway to investigate its anti painful effects on cancer patients.
We need to be across the facts and options. Cannabis can never be a pharmaceutical agent in the usual sense for medical prescription, as it contains a variety of components of variable potency and actions, depending on its origin, preparation and route of administration.
It will not be possible to determine universally safe dosage of cannabis for individuals based on a clinical trial. However, its limited medical use in controlled pharmaceuticals form could be beneficial.
A recent readership survey conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine sought comment on a published case report of a cancer patient where a senior psychiatrist and a pain management specialist had both recommended against use of cannabis. Seventy-six per cent of respondents from several countries responded that they would recommend use of cannabis in such a case. Medical marijuana is now widely used. In June 2015, National Geographic published their cover story on pros and cons of cannabis.
The World Health Organisation mental health surveys in 17 countries found that countries with stringent user-level illegal drug policies did not have lower levels of use than countries with liberal ones. So it is still a cloudy area for policy makers to approve its use as medical substances considering the dark side of the leaves.
The article is compiled by Al Mamun.
Email: al.m.mamun@gmail.com