1. Jaelle De La Fuente Nancy Cruz Ariana Gines Julie Hiers Cheryl Hawkins Aliesea Smith Kimmesha Palmer 3/22/16 HIM 4676

2. What is Medicinal Marijuana?

3. Whole unprocessed marijuana plant Used to treat diseases/ or symptoms Contains chemicals that treat a range of illnesses FDA approved medications

4. What Medications Contain Cannabinoids?

5. Who’s Using Cannabis?

6. What Are Health Care Professionals Saying? “Proves to be less addictive than alcohol and cocaine, respectively.” “Low potential for abuse and has legitimate medical applications.” “Medicinal Marijuana works.”

7. Medicinal Marijuana: Pros of it’s Usage

8. Pros of Using Medicinal Marijuana Medicinal marijuana can relieve specific types of pain It is a much safer drug than any other medical prescription prescribed to patients and treats symptoms the same way any other medical drug would. Cheaper than other traditional drugs Helps treat diseases such as cancer, AIDS, neurogenic pain, and multiple sclerosis Medicinal marijuana also helps relieve nausea/vomiting, spasticity of muscles, and does not increase risks of lung disease

9. Interesting Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana: It Can Help Eliminate Nightmares! Some individuals suffer from a series of serious nightmares, this is especially true for those who are suffering from PTSD Nightmares mainly occur in the later stages of the REM sleep, so medicinal marijuana is used to interrupt those dreams to prevent them from occurring According to a research finding, a synthetic cannabinoid has been proven to drastically decrease the amount of nightmares occurring in patients with PTSD During these severe situations, medicinal marijuana is also known for being a better sleep aid.

10. Although medicinal marijuana does impair the individual’s short term memory, the drug has it’s positive mental effects as well. When high on medicinal marijuana, individuals have a better chance at performing well on tests enabling them to think of new ideas A study was done on participants testing their ability to come up with different vocabulary related to a specific idea or concept. As quoted in my research this study has shown that medicinal marijuana is able “to make the brain better at detecting those remote associations that lead to radically new ideas”. Increased verbal fluency and ability to come up with various concepts may be due to dopamine released in the brain, allowing individuals to feel tranquil. That tranquility is what enables the individuals brain to become vulnerable to creativity. Interesting Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana : Spurs Creativity in the Brain!

11. Interesting Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana: Helps Treat Alzheimer’s Disease Medicinal Marijuana helps slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease A research study in 2006 was done by a woman named Kim Janda of the Scripps Research institute The study proved that THC is the main chemical in marijuana that assists in the decrease of symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease It slows the genesis of amyloid plaques, blocking the enzyme that creates them in the brain

12. What to Keep in Mind About Medicinal Marijuana Cheaper than other prescription drugs Helps treat diseases It is safer than traditional drugs

13. Stakeholders

14. Patients Have a right to safe and effective treatments Parents with Minor Children Health Care Organization Caregivers (Doctors, Medical Personnel Advocate for the patient’s treatment choices Insurance companies Will therapeutic use of Medicinal Marijuana be covered? Medicare/Medicaid Law Enforcement Does not want the legalization of Medicinal Marijuana to send the wrong message Government FDA Has the right and obligation to regulate the sale of drugs, and to ensure the safety of drugs State Governments Some state are in conflict with federal laws

15. Stakeholders (cont.) HIM Professional Protect patient confidentiality to prevent a stigma connected to Medicinal Marijuana use Advocate for the patient

16. What Are My Options ?

17. Legalize Regulation rather than criminalization Decriminalization- the process of removing criminal penalties for possession, use, and non-profit transfers of marijuana. National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)- A not-for-profit organization that has lobbied for the rescheduling and decriminalizing of marijuana since the 1970’s. Necessitates legalization- would allow the government to tax and would put a big boom in the economy.

18. Legalize (cont.) Largest crop in the United States by quite a significant margin. Necessitates legalization- would allow the government to tax and would put a big boom in the economy.

19. Legalize (cont.) Ballot initiatives Petition for signatures to legalize marijuana use for medicinal purposes for your state. Twenty-three states with laws legalizing medicinal or recreational forms of marijuana.

20. Legalize (cont.) 2013 memo from Deputy Attorney General Marijuana enforcement guidelines Will tolerate state-legal marijuana activities “Strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems” Avoid infringing on 8 federal enforcement priorities 2015 Federal Budget Appropriation Rider Bans the DOJ from spending money to block the implementation of state medical marijuana laws Federal Marijuana Law Reform is both necessary and inevitable

21. Do Not Legalize Controlled Substance Act (CSA)- most highly restrictive categorization of a drug according to the federal government. Does not matter whether the particular set of state laws are for recreational or medicinal purposes. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic Can only be legalized on a state level

22. Decision

23. Choices Legalize Marijuana in every state for medicinal purposes Do not legalize marijuana but decriminalize it in every state Do not legalize marijuana in every state for medicinal purposes Legalize marijuana for recreational use in every state

24. Legalize Marijuana in Every State For Medicinal Purposes Marijuana is less toxic than many of the harsh drugs physicians prescribe today. Marijuana causes less overdose rates and dependence compared to prescribed controlled substances such as Xanax.

25. Do Not Legalize Marijuana in Every State For Medicinal Purposes Causes short term memory loss Lack of available scientific data to prove marijuana's medical benefits

26. Final Decision Legalize marijuana in every state for medicinal purposes!

27. Justification

28. What Justifies My Choice? Justified Beneficence “promoting good” Helps to promote appetite Reduce intraocular pressure Reduce nausea and vomiting in cancer patients Provides relief from the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and other traumas such as spinal cord injuries. Autonomy “self-determination”

29. What Justifies My Choice? Not justified Nonmaleficence “not harming” Many risks and side affects with prolonged use Paternalism

30. Ethical Dilemma: Prevention & Solutions

31. What’s So Unethical?

32. Classic Conundrum State Law vs. Federal Law

33. Federal Law Stance Marijuana has been illegal at the federal level since 1937. Support The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 ruled that state laws allowing medicinal marijuana were subservient to federal laws (the Supremacy Clause).

34. Can You Tell the Difference? Marijuana Medicinal Marijuana

35. Caught in the Crossfire Patients Medicinal Marijuana Facilities Distributors Farmers “Growers”

36. Prevention of Ethical Dilemma VOTE! VOTE!! VOTE!!!

37. One-by-One Make legal In all states Shared history with alcohol, similar faith. Undeniable billion dollar industry. Federal/State tax income Economic benefit will outweigh stringent laws.

38. Take Action Florida! Revised 2016 Amendment 2: Florida Right to Medicinal Marijuana Initiative Approved for the 2016 Election The measure would legalize medicinal marijuana for individuals with debilitating medical conditions as determined by a licensed state physician

39. Social Stigma

42. Solution of Social Stigma Recreational vs. Therapeutic Re-educate the public on it’s history and uses. Through healthcare professionals, community leaders and colleges. Show cannabis in a positive light Educate on how to use responsibly

43. Conclusion 1. Cannabis Most used drug in the entire world. No recorded incidence of overdose/death in the last 5000 years Proven medicinal benefits 2. Alcohol consumption 88,000 deaths in the United States annually 139 million disorders globally. 3. State and Federal government work together to: Decriminalize Marijuana Educate it’s citizens, Provide economical relief through its sales and Allow patients the choice of using Medicinal Marijuana as treatments.

44. References http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4 http://dying.about.com/od/symptommanagement/f/med_mj_procon.htm http://pharmacy.about.com/od/Products/a/What-Is-Medical-Marijuana.htm Barnes, R. E. (2000). Reefer madness: Legal & moral issues surrounding the medical prescription of marijuana. Bioethics, 14(1), 16-41. Sznitman, S. R., & Zolotov, Y. (2015). Cannabis for therapeutic purposes and public health and safety: A systematic and critical review. The International Journal on Drug Policy, 26(1), 20-29. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.09.005 http://www.bestalliedhealthprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/health-information-management-300x199.png http://pot-tube.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/updated-sign-petition-to-legaliz-640x360.jpg Stingl, R., & Alexander, A. K. (2016). Legalization of Marijuana. In Salem Press Encyclopedia (January ed.). Wagemaker, I. (2015). Professional Ethics-The Risk of Going Green: Problems Facing Transactional Attorneys and The Growth of the State- Level Legal Marijuana Industries. Western New England Law Review, 37(3), 371-403. http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/8/xw/rj/ekXWRJUeRAgOCLN-1600x900-noPad.jpg?1427145661 Alcohol Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol- consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics Here's How Fast The Marijuana Industry Is Growing, In 5 Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/marijuana-industry-growth-charts_n_6565604.html Where Is Marijuana Legal in the United States? List of Recreational and Medicinal States. (2015). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://m.mic.com/articles/126303/where-is-marijuana-legal-in-the-united-states-list-of-recreational-and-medicinal- states#.BajDf6VxI Why Marijuana is Illegal. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://brucealanblock.com/why-marijuana-became-legal/ https://marylandassociationofcounties.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/cannabis-states.png https://d2zfkpu1r6ym98.cloudfront.net/sites/guideposts.org/files/styles/article_full/public/doctorgupta_marquee.jpg http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/ http://www.trueactivist.com/congress-quietly-ends-federal-prohibition-on-medical-marijuana/ http://healthcurecenter.com/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-all-50-states-thanks-to-congress/ https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine

45. References (cont.)

46. Questions?