My Conclusion...

I started this blog wanting to know whether Marijuana or Vicodin was the better choice for pain. When I began my research I thought that I would end this blog with a clear winner but as you can see that is not the case. Though Marijuana and Vicodin are classified as two different levels of substances, they are both just as dangerous and as helpful. Both of them have the ability to relieve pain and both have side effects. The two major side effects I was concerned with was long term organ failure and addiction issue. The reason for this is because of how often my sister and I have to take pain relievers. If you look back at my blog Side Effects and More Questions… you can see that there is a dramatic difference in the side effects.

               Vicodin has the potential to effect the Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal System, Genitourinary System, Respiratory System, Special Senses, and the Dermatological System. The only sources for Marijuana side effects I could find were for smoking joints; though that does not mean taking the eatable version does not come with side effects. The side effects I did find for Marjuana were respiratory infections and potential for an increase of mental health diseases.

               Then I looked back at my research in Definitions, Classifications, and Addictions. My sources showed that only nine percent of the people that use Marrijuana become addicted. The source for Vicodin addictions stated that there was an estimated two million people in the United States alone that are currently addicted to Vicodin.

               In conclusion, after reading over all my sources again and comparing them it is my belief that the better choice for a log term pain relievers is Marijuana. It does not harm the body as much as Vicodin and because it is a Natural drug it can be grown by its user making it easier for people to access. Though the access to it may be bad for pharmaceutical companies that produce Opioids, pain relievers, it is better for people who cannot afford to buy a prescription every two to three weeks. Though I have finally picked a side I am still curious about of few things. Why is Marijuana still listed as a schedule one substance when thousands of people can contest to how well it works without being addicted? Why is Vicodin listed as a substance that has a low potential for abuse or addiction when research shows that there is approximately two million addicts in the United States? Why is most of the current research regarding Marijuana focused on the bad side of the drug?

Think of the Environment!!!!

       So far I have focused on the pros and cons of the two drugs based on the person who takes them. In this post I want to look into the environmental effects of the drugs. The environmental effects I am interested in is the disposal process of both drugs.
       When looking into environmental effects I wanted to make sure I was getting a credit source and not a pharmaceutical company or a environmental extremist. For the Vicodin source I found the Hazardous Substances Data Bank which is run by the government. Hazardous Substances Data Bank focuses on the U.S. National Library of Medicine's reports of substances toxicology, environmental health, etc. Like several of my other sources they are run by the government; however, in this case I think it is beneficial to my research as they are pro Vicodin. According to the H.S.D.B. when Hydrocodone, the opioid found in Vicodin, is heated up it can actually release toxic fumes of nitrogen oxide. This is pretty scary especially considering that most people keep pills in warm places, i.e. the kitchen, closets near heaters, cars, etc.  Their research also states that if the Hydrocodone is released into the environment by any means of waste it has the potential to pollute the soil and water it comes into contact with. It can also contaminate any humans or animals that come into contact with the polluted soil or water.
         Once I had my source for environmental effects of Vicodin I knew that finding one for Marijuana would not be easy. The source I found was a paper written by the Botec Analysis Corporation; a company that specializes in crime and drug policies. In this source they were contracted by the state of Washington in order to analyze and advise the government on the best way to maintain drug control with Marijuana. This is another good source for me because they were contracted to help Washington state maintain drug policy in order to keep Marijuana legal. There analysis of the drug could potantielly help other states when they try and make the drug legal. Botec explains that the major impact on the environment that growing Marijuana has is energy. The plant requires a lot of energy to properly grow so depending on how it is grown, i.e. indoors, greenhouse, or out doors,  there is a potential for fossil fuel waste. They also mention that because it is a plant and can be grown outside it has the same environmental contamination potential as all field grown products. This includes:

- Nitrous Oxide Release
- Water Contamination
- Soil Carbon Sequetration
- Release of toxic chemicals (herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides)

Having to more sources really helps me when considering which drug is better but at the same time it raises more questions. Both products have the potential to release Nitrous oxide and both can avoid this. If we already deal with the environmental contamination's listed for marijuana for other farm grown products, why is it so bad? If my research has shown me that the Cannabis Sativa plant is beneficial for medical reason as well as to make products why is it illegal? Why is this subject so controversial? Does Vicodin have a warning label for how to properly discard it? Should both drugs have warning labels for discarding? Marijuana seems to only have potential for contamination when being grow; why has no one study the release of marijuana into the air (smoke)?


While researching I found a few videos that though they may not be 100% creditable they do make you think twice. Though I attempted to find videos for Vicodin it seems that there has been no research into the drug.

Side effects, and more questions...

In my last blog I wrote about both the pros and cons of Marijuana and Vicodin. The farther I got into my research the more I realized how biased the government has become about Marijuana. Once they decided that Marijuana was a schedule 1 substances they ignored all new research that has attempted to show otherwise. Vicodin, on the other hand, is one of the leading choices for drug abuse but is listed as a schedule 3 substance. How can one of the leading drug abuse substances be a lower threat than a drug that has less than 6% drug abuse. This said I am still not on either side of the argument more.

In my research this week I decided to look into the side effects of Vicodin because most people don't actually read the warning label. The source I found for side effects is listed as The Internet Drug Index and it provides a list of possible side effects, overdose information, and warning about Opioids. The information on their sight comes from the Federal Drug Association better known as the FDA. Though the FDA is biased to the government it is better to get most of this information from them as I want to know this information for voting purposes as well. Per the Drug Index Vicodin can effect your Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal System, Genitourinary System, Respiratory Depression, Special Senses, and Dermatological System. You can find the details of these side effects at The Internet Drug Index. 

Once I knew the side effects of Vicodin I wanted to know the side effects of Marijuana. The source I found for Marijuana side effects is the University of Harvard. They University used multiple sources and combined the research into a list of side effects. The side effects that are listed for marijuana use (joints only) are respiratory illness and mental health. If you choose to smoke the Marijuana then you run the risk of getting the same lung disease as you would if you smoke tobacco. There are many side effects that marijuana can have on your brain from memory loss and impaired judgement to possible Cannabis disorders. There has been possible links to other illness but nothing that has concrete evidence. 

Both these sources can be said to be biased but so can all sources. In my opinion, if a sources is written my one or more people all with the same values and ideas your source will be biased. It is hard to find anyone who is neither pro- marijuana or anti-marijuana that has done research on this subject. How will marijuana become legal if people in the government are so against new research? Why is Vicodin the first narcotic/ pain reliever doctors try and prescribe to patients? Who is backing both pro-use or anti-use of these drugs financially? If the government is so against the use of marijuana why is the use of hemp, which comes from the same plant, legal? Do either of these drugs have an age limit and if not should they? 

Definitions, Classifications and Addictions

Cannabis Sativa, also known as Marijuana, is a green, brown, or grey mixture of dried leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers which come from the hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). It is used for recreational, medical, and spiritual reasons.

Some of the potential benefits of Cannabis are:

-Convulsion
- Appetite stimulation
- Pain relief
- Improved sleep
- Inflammation
- Anxiety
- Symptoms Caused by Turrets
- Symptoms from Schizophrenia
- ETC.

So with all these benefits why is this drug still illegal and classified as dangerous?

       In 1970, the assistant secretary of health, Dr. Roger O. Egeberg, wrote a letter to recommend that the plant Cannabis be classified as a schedule 1 substance and it has remained this way since. A schedule 1 substance means that it has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse. This classification is far from true. First, look at all the medical benefits I listed above and there is plenty more. Second, research has shown that only about 9% of users become addicted to marijuana. (Addiction being defined as it causing compulsive, uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.) Cannabis got this label as a dangerous drug over thirty years ago and by looking into the letter Egeberg wrote you can see a huge flaw in this classification.

"Since there is still a considerable void in our knowledge of the plant and effects of the active drug contained in it, our recommendation is that marijuana be retained within schedule 1 at least until the completion of certain studies now underway to resolve the issue." - Egeberg

        This small paragraph from Egebergs letter shows two major issues. The first being that the reason he recommended the classification was a lack of information. The second being that he stated that several studies were underway to resolved this "lack of information", however, most studies from that period were dropped. As of this year, there is approximately only 6% of marijuana studies dedicated to the research of the benefits of Cannabis.  This makes an unbalanced scale of research which distorts the picture for society.



If used, what is the best way to use Marijuana?

    According to most doctors the best way to get the benefits of Marijuana is not to smoke it! "Marijuana, he avers to every person who appears before him, turns out to be brimming with healing compounds. It won't get you high eaten raw, but juiced with a handful of carrots to cut the bitter taste, its leaves and buds may well have restored the health of his girlfriend, who had been given a diagnosis of lupus and a butcher's bill of other disorders that lab tests show have subsided." -Vick

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     Vicodin is a doctor prescribed medication used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It contains Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone, both of which are pain relievers. Hydrocodone is an opioid pain medication, also referred to as a narcotic and Acetaminophen is a less potent medication which is used to increase the effects on Hydrocodone. Vicodin has a warning label stating that it has a potential to become habit forming, and not to share with someone who has a history of drug abuse. Vicodin has the potential for overdose as well, if you overdose or think you may have overdosed you should call 911.

      Vicodin is listed as a schedule 3 substance, meaning it has less of a potential for abuse than schedule 1 and 2 substances and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. This classification makes no sense when you look into the most commonly abused drugs. An estimated 2 million individuals across the United States suffers from a Vicodin addictions. That is extremely high for a drug that the government has said has low potential for abuse and physical/ psychological dependence.

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     So with all the worry that people will constantly being high or will get addicted to Marijuana society has not stopped to take a look at the truth. How can we classify as drug as being addictive and useless when in fact study after study has discovered the opposite. This leads me to wonder what is so bad about the drug in the governments mind... Oh well I guess that is a good question for next time!

Marijuana vs. Chemical Medication

      I have decided to write my blog on the effects of marijuana and chemical medication. I will use the next few weeks to explore both sides in order to determine which is better for you. What is the definition of both marijuana and chemical medication? Can marijuana or chemical medications harm your brain in the long run? What are the effects of medical marijuana and chemical medication to your major organs? Most chemical medications say to avoid driving, should marijuana have the same warning? Which one of these options is better economically? What is the comparison of side effects for short term and log term? What are the cross chemical side effects of both? How is the ability to get a job effected? How well can most people functions on either prescription?



      I am interested in this subject because my sister and I both have chronice migraines. My sister also suffers from fibromyalgia and we both suffer from arthritis. The chronic pain makes it hard to go through the day without some form of help. My sister has used medical marijuana as a pain reliever since high school. I can not stand the smell of marijuana and therfore I normally just deal with the pain until it is bad enough that it requires a narcotic. I would like to learn whether or not it is worth it to get a prescription for medical marijuana and the long term effects it could have on life.
       The second reason I would like to explore this subject is because of the economical effects. I want to learn if it is better financially and enviromentally in the short run and long run. As the years go by more and more states will start to allow marijuana as a legal form of medical pain reliever so I want to be able to make a knowledgable decision when voting for this.
      To be honest, I am one of those people that currently does not have an opinion one way or another on this subject. Actually, I am hoping that this blog will take me in one direction or another. Most of my friends smoke or use the edible version of marijuana for both medical and recreational reasons.
      I believe the best place to find good sources for this subject would be doctors, government, economist, enviromentalist, and personal experiences.

Indecisive

I cannot come up with a topic for discussion. Is there any links that could help me with this?

Thanks!