... the practice of sales, distribution, and trafficking of the substance provided to them by treatment clinics. Methadone treatment creates a high level of both tolerance and toxicity within its users. The American Medical Association (2010) and the American Society of Addiction Medication (2000) concluded that methadone treatment as a harm-reduction protocol and as a means of controlling heroin, morphine, and ... the community because of its long-lasting effects (approximately 24-36 hours) after administration (Department of Justice, 2007). As a treatment protocol that has been given the a...

• Word Count: 1964
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of depressive symptoms including feeling depressed, lack of energy or motivation, isolation along with a very low self-esteem. She was diagnosed with severe depression and was treated while in treatment with the antidepressant Zoloft. The patient did well until she felt she was better, and stopped taking it. This patient denies any other addictive behaviors besides her substance abuse ... apartment with her siblings and continued to provide care for them. Concerned Entities Medical Board of California and University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Referral Source Employer: UC...

• Word Count: 1497
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of the Controlled Substances Act, which divided drugs into five schedules and placed marijuana in Schedule I, the category for drugs with high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use."(Lykestos, 2) In 1972, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Legislation (NORML), an organization that supports decriminalization of marijuana, unsuccessfully petitioned the Bureau of ... Schedule II. NORML argued that marijuana is therapeutic in numerous serious ailments, less toxic, and in many cases more effective than conventional medicines. Thus, for 25 years the medical mariju...

• Word Count: 2154
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... over time. Many propositions and court cases have contributed to marijuana use. A popular one is Proposition 215. This is a medical marijuana initiative. The biggest argument is that there is no real evidence that smoked marijuana is more effective than any other available treatment (McCaffery). It has been said that marijuana is a temporary relief medicine for diseases such as AIDS, Cancer, Strokes, and ... drug ABUSE. Proposition 215 is a small step that gives immediate relief to patients. Until there is federal action, we can protect the rights of patients who use marijuana in legiti...

• Word Count: 1626
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of appetite caused by the disease itself and by treatment with AZT and other drugs. Each of these uses has been recognized as legitimate a least once by various courts, legislatures, government, or scientific agencies throughout the United States. Currently such well respected Rivera 7 organizations as the National Academy of Science (1982), the California Medical Association (1993), the Federation of American Scientists (1994 ... estimated 40,000 to 1" (Postrel 1).11 The legislature of Washington State approved over 100,000 in 1996. to conduct clinical studies on patients to determine ...

• Word Count: 2295
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... patient to achieve lasting abstinence, but the immediate goals are to reduce drug use, improve the patient's ability to function, and minimize the medical and social complications of drug abuse. There are several types of drug abuse treatment programs. Short-term methods last less than 6 months and include residential therapy, medication therapy, and drug-free outpatient therapy. Longer term ... is able to disengage from drug-seeking and related criminal behavior and, with appropriate counseling and social services, become a productive member of his or her community. Outpatient drug-free ...

• Word Count: 2436
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... not widely used" (Nadelmann, 1996). Methadone is the most tightly restricted drug in America. It is confined to specialized treatment programs, which tend to be under-funded, punitive, and in short supply. Doctors in general medical practice can't prescribe methadone, and regular pharmacies don't distribute it. Given the upswing in heroin use in many U.S. cities, coupled with a raging HIV/ ... users. It is time to give serious consideration to foreign methods of providing methadone, which utilize not only standard methadone clinics but family medical doctors, pharmacies, methadone buses...

• Word Count: 1899
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• Grade Level: High School

... would have much easier access to it. Countless researches have been done over marijuana's medical uses and the conclusion is that marijuana is not the best available treatment for a patient. Years ago, the American Medical Association considered the therapeutic potentials and hazards of marijuana. As the American Medical Association examined marijuana's emerging therapeutic possibilities, they found more and more evidence that marijuana ... have proven to be safe and effective for both adults and children and generally have only mild side effects. Another group of drugs proven safe and ef...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... myths that surround marijuana, many of which are responsible for its being prohibited. After thorough research it was found that marijuana, although currently illegal, has many positive effects in the treatment of certain illnesses, such as: cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and arthritis. Many newspapers that were misinformed about marijuana began running stories accusing marijuana as being an "Assassin of Youth." Marijuana ... said to him. Today the most practical reason for the legalization of marijuana is for its medicinal benefits. Many prestigious scientific journals have acknowledged the use ...

• Word Count: 1547
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... problems are being homeless, having the ability to cope with her disorders, depression issues and current family functioning. The client has been seeking treatment both voluntarily and involuntarily. She wants to get help but doesn't want to take the steps in order to change her current situation. ... failed to abide by the programs rules, eventually being let go from the program. Michelle was only at the Odyssey facility for 5 months. Michelle considered her treatment to be useless. She states that "the rules were ridiculous, I am an adult and I don't have to be treated as if I have ......

• Word Count: 2495
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... demand for marijuana as medicine decreased. Owning marijuana was made a crime in 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. Marijuana usage has many medical benefits. It became popular as a medicine in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. After that, marijuana was used to treat general ... headaches, depression, muscular tension, insomnia, and menstrual cramps. Today, marijuana has proven to be beneficial in the treatment of many more medical conditions including glaucoma and cancer. In 1976, Robert C. Randall became the very first American to ever gain legal acces...

• Word Count: 1545
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• Has Bibliography

... the mid-nineteenth century. Then, marijuana was used to treat general headaches, migraine headaches, depression, muscular tension, insomnia, and menstrual cramps. Today, marijuana has proven to be beneficial in the treatment of many more medical conditions including glaucoma, cancer, and asthma. In 1976, Robert C. Randall became the very first American to ever gain legal access to marijuana for ... 65) In Marijuana, The Patients? Fight for Medical Pot, he describes how marijuana helped him through his battle with glaucoma,Marijuana has helped control it. Marijuana is helping me to save ...

• Word Count: 1796
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• Grade Level: High School

... reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate youth, regulation to keep drugs away from kids, and treatment programs for people with drug problems. But the current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead, we are stuck with ... "D.A.R.E." police officers spreading lies about drugs in schools, and policies that result in jail time rather than treatment for people with drug problems. Prohibition was tried with alcohol, and that failed miserably. We should be able to learn our lesson and stop ... Thailand, it ...

• Word Count: 2395
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• Grade Level: High School

... to practice, she/he is monitored for a specific period of time. Remember addiction is a powerful brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior, a medical condition that demands formal treatment. Recovery is an ongoing process requiring abstinence from mood-altering substances and changing one's thinking patterns, attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyle. As in any building process ... , recovery must begin with a strong foundation-a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan. Important components of treatment include: *detoxification: The first phase for those with physical with...

• Word Count: 1949
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... on abrupt discontinuation of opioid dependence includes signs and symptoms that reflect compulsive, prolonged self administration of opioid substances that are used for no legitimate medical purpose, or, if a general medical condition is present that requires opioid treatment, that are used is doses that are greatly in excess of the amount needed for pain relief. Persons with opioid dependence tend to develop such ... .gov). LAAM blocks the effects of the drug for 72 hours and has minimal side effects. This is only needed three times a week unlike the methadone. Other drugs used for treat...

• Word Count: 2333
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , once they are prescribed and dispensed, prescription drugs are frequently diverted to people using them without a prescription" " (Policy Impact: Prescription Pain Killer Overdoses, 2013). Prescription drugs are defined by Black's Medical Dictionary as "the written direction for drugs for medicinal use, given by the doctor, dentist, and nurse to the patient, for dispensing by a pharmacist."" The BMC goes on to say ... that "drugs should only be prescribed when essential for treatment, and when any possible risks involved to the patient are outweighed by the potential benefits of giving...

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... Civil War, morphine (a derivative of opium) was implemented for it's anesthetic qualities and was used as a main ingredient in many medicines. Marijuana was also implemented by the medical community in the treatment of migraine headaches, insomnia and rheumatism and cocaine to treat sinusitis, hay fever, and chronic fatigue. These drugs were not only medicinal, however, and they became popular ... Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, the American Public Health Association, the British Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine have produced ...

• Word Count: 1707
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the wrong reasons and should highly be reconsidered for legalization. Many people don't understand that for centuries, marijuana has been used by different nationalities of people for religious, recreational, and medical use. So why is the legalization of marijuana in the United States such a big problem for people today? Considering many see marijuana as a gateway drug and the recreational use, marijuana ... Agency has said they don't want marijuana to be legal due to the fact that there is no real hard evidence that proves marijuana is an effective drug as a medicine. Medical uses for...

• Word Count: 1704
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... it has been shot down by U.S. courts. In recent years, however, a second debate in the heated topic of marijuana legalization has popped up; medical use. The idea that the use of marijuana may help those with terminal illnesses cope with pain and suffering is a relatively new one. It has ... They suggest that with the freeing of marijuana, the billions used to combat drugs could instead be redirected into drug education and drug treatment. The existence of drug treatment in place of prison sentences could not only keep down drug addiction but it could also lower costs for the government...

• Word Count: 1914
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... market with minimal negative effects on the body. Other legal drugs are not as safe, but still are sold over the counter. The use of Marijuana should be allowed for medical purposes, and the Federal Government should change its laws towards this natural substance. Cannabis sativa is a hemp plant that grows in warm weather, or inside under strictly controlled conditions. There ... are beginning to permit certified patients to use marijuana. Currently ten states have laws that allow licensed pharmacist to distribute marijuana type drugs to a person receiving radiation or cancer chemothera...

• Word Count: 1279
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Valium, which is frequently abused, or illegal substances, such as angel dust, which are taken for the purpose of getting high, but no medical use. Other substances, such as alcohol and nicotine, may be purchased legally without prescription and are commonly abused. But in this paper, I ... nervousness, alcoholism, menstrual cramps (Weil, p.83). As a result of the ready availability of these addicting drugs and as a result of heavy use for medical problems, many people became addicted to these drugs. In fact, in 1900, there were more narcotic addicts, proportionate to the population than...

• Word Count: 1527
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... state was known about, it was not heavily discussed. Marijuana was also used in the 1840's in the United States to assist in medical health. It was used once again to alleviate symptoms and cure common ailments of the time period. Today, however, marijuana has two ... intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. In an attempt to determine whether marijuana, or drugs derived from marijuana, might be successful as a glaucoma treatment, the National Eye Institute supported research studies from 1978 to 1984. These studies established that some derivatives of marijuana lowered intraocular...

• Word Count: 2290
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... was classified as Schedule One, not having any medicinal value and addictive (Whitebread 15). In 1996, Californians for Medical Rights introduced Proposition 215, which would permit seriously and terminally ill patients, with a prescription from their doctor, to use marijuana in their medical treatment and protect them from criminal punishment. The proposition passed and other states, such as Arizona, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts ... ruled that the state laws were unconstitutional since they violated the federal drug law (Supreme Court 1). Despite the Supreme Court ruling, patients stil...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... possess a gun. In other words, the large majority of these felons should not be viewed as individuals endangering our society. The truth is, behind these preconceived views, there are substantial medical values. Marijuana is a very versatile drug, and is capable of relieving a wide range of symptoms. Marijuana does less damage to the lungs than cigarettes do over time, it is ... fractured bones caused by the constant coughing. Some doctors believe that as many as one in three patients will discontinue their chemotherapy treatment because of the unbearable nausea. For many patients, when ...

• Word Count: 1532
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , lethargy (abnormal drowsiness), dark urine, and pale stools (Burkill). Brain damage is one of the more serious effects Ecstasy can have one's body. Dr. Joseph Frascella of NIDA's Division of Treatment Research and Development has researched and studied the possible effects of Ecstasy has on human brains and says: The message from these studies is that MDMA does change the brain ... that MDMA should be placed in Schedule III. Schedule III means a drug has less potential for abuse than drugs in Schedule I or II, there was or could be a current accepted medical use in treatment, and abuse...

• Word Count: 2202
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