Views on Recreational and medical marijuana
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About
Small intro talking about different stigmas/bias on marijuana use etc etc .nothing too wordy.
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Recreational marijuana has been a mainstay in underground drug culture for decades in America. However, with legalization in many states being passed, views are starting to shift regarding marijuana.
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Marijuana and Mental Health
Mental health is something that should not be taken lightly, especially as we age. Around the age of 30, our brain begins to shrink, and by the time we hit 60, the rate of shrinkage increases. This, of course, affects our capabilities and drastically ruins our mental health, bringing about mental disorders such as Parkinson’s and dementia (Peters, 2006). Recent studies, however, show the promise of cannabinoids being an effective treatment method for older patients affected with such mental disorders.
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Through numerous studies, researchers have found evidence that cannabidiol (CBD) could help ease the frequency of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) from happening to patients that have Parkinson’s disease. A study was conducted where four patients with Parkinson’s and had symptoms of RBD were given different CBD dosages, and most had a significant drop in the frequency of their symptoms (Chagas et al., 2014). Another study focused more on what effects cannabinoids may have on patients who have dementia. In most cases, patients given a dosage of cannabis had improved behavioral symptoms (Hillen et al., 2019). Overall, although cannabis may not be the cure for mental illnesses, it still shows much promise of helping ease the symptoms that may come with mental illnesses.
Usage of Cannabis with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD
With medical cannabis or just cannabis becomes legal in more and more states. Veterans still run into a huge hurdle when it comes to their VA primary care physicians being able to prescribe this as a form of treatment for either physical or mental illnesses. With cannabis considered a schedule I controlled drug by the federal government we are unable to effectively study the effects of cannabis for veterans that have been diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Loflin et al., 2019).
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As the restrictions for cannabis are being lifted the federal government needs to fund better research on the effects of cannabis in PTSD patients. The research that has been done thus far is due to researchers being limited to how they conduct their studies (Steenkamp et al., 2017). Because of the limited control of the studies it has resulted in many varying results that make it difficult to determine the exact effect that cannabis has on patients diagnosed with PTSD.
CBD
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In the society of today, opioid addiction has become another epidemic within our country. Especially in the community of athletes. When athletes sustain injuries, many times those athletes are given opioids for pain management and become addicted. Sports Illustrated conducted many studies on athletes that have shown a connection with sports, pain killers and addiction. In 2014, the CDC issued a report claiming doctors were engaging in "dangerous" and "inappropriate" prescription practices by over prescribing opioids.
Another large issue in not just the athletic community, but in society as a whole, is individuals getting adequate amounts of sleep. According to the CDC, in 2016, 1 in 3 adults in the United States DO NOT get adequate sleep regularly. Sleep is the key way the body recharges, refreshes and heals itself. Thus, the quality of your following day can be determined based on the quality of your sleep.
Although discovered in 1940, in recent years CBD has made a large impact in helping people with these issues as well as many more. CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is completely stripped of its THC content and gained interest because of its increasing evidence of therapeutic effects, especially in athletes. CBD is no longer banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to the increasing scientific evidence that it is safe and well tolerated, even at high doses. Some uses of CBD include; Pain, Anxiety, Sleep, Muscle Recovery, long term effects of concussions, decreases heart rate and blood pressure and seizures. CBD and marijuana use are much better alternatives, and are seemingly more preferred than prescription opioid medications by athletes due to CBD and marijuana being less addictive.
Medical Marijuana
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With recreational marijuana being one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, medical marijuana is more or less forgotten by the public eye. Under physician permission, citizens in the U.S. are allowed to use medical marijuana as a form of pain relief or anti-depressant. Due to federal laws, not many in-depth studies have been conducting on medical marijuana. (Rubens, 2014) However, societal views on medical marijuana remain an oxymoron due to the two spectrums it lies on.
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For one, recreational marijuana is largely divided in opinion by the U.S. population. Whereas medical drug use is largely supported by the U.S. population. With that being the case, the effects of medical marijuana are largely unprincipled to the public with it being a newly emerging medical drug. (Rubens, 2014) However, unbiased views on medical marijuana shows it to be one of the most effective prescriptions in U.S. healthcare to date. (Earlywine, 2014) Although community views are split when it comes to medical marijuana, only time will aid it's case in becoming a mainstay in the common home.
Marijuana use amongst Athletes
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According to the World Anti-Doping Agency all natural and synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited while in competition, Cannabidiol being the only exception (WADA, 2021). Due to the illegal and prohibited status of cannabis throughout the nation, relevant data on the predominance of cannabis use amongst athletes is limited. Most information is collected through surveys or is self reported from athletes after conducting their required drug tests for the season.
There remains a high level of controversy on the subject of cannabis use amongst adolescent and elite athletes. Cannabis is popularly known to be inhaled or ingested by athletes to effectively manage pain and anxiety both for medical and non-medical reasons (Ware et al., 2018). According to a data collection conducted by affiliates of the Canna Research group, athletes who use a combination of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) reported higher levels of well being and calm with minimal adverse effects. Cannabis may have beneficial effects on the body despite evidence that recreational cannabis hinders motor and cognitive functions (Zeiger et al., 2019).
There is no current evidence that suggests athletes actively use cannabis to enhance performance, further research is required to identify accurate potential benefits amongst all athletic populations.
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