Introduction
The debate on legalization of marijuana remains a controversial issue in most states in the U.S. with some already having legalized both medical and recreational use of the drug. Imperatively, many people are seeking information on issues related to marijuana, its use as a medical and recreational drug and effects on health in the long term. More information about medical marijuana is needed, especially at a time when various scientific studies indicate that medical marijuana is an effective drug in the treatment of seizures as shown in the documentary Weed 2: Marijuana Madness by Dr. Sanjay Gupta in 2014. In this research paper, the article compares and contrasts two websites that offer information on marijuana and analyzes the information critically based on its validity and objectivity.
Medical News Today
The affiliation of the organization or the website, Medical News Today, appears to be credible since it offers address of their location in the website and their contacts. The MNT is owned and operate by a UK firm Healthline Media UK Ltd with offices in different locations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Taiwan. The organization is one of the leading healthcare publishing companies in both the U.S and the U.K and generates over 15 million monthly visits, with about 13 million unique visitors.
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The website offers information on marijuana in its title; everything you need to know about marijuana (cannabis) written by Kathleen Davis in 2017 (Davis, 2017). According to the website, the author is a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and the article was updated recently on Thursday 7 September 2017. The article is reviewed as indicated by Alan Carter who is a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). It follows that the purpose and affiliation of the author of the website are closely related to the medical and pharmacy fields. However, the author is a nurse by profession while the reviewer is a pharmacist who deals with the manufacture and distribution of medicines since he practices pharmacy. The credential of the author may not closely relate to the information that she creates but it is the healthcare sector and the organization’s affiliation and purpose are focused on providing healthcare information the countries where it has operations.
The information on the website is current and offers a comprehensive account of marijuana from a global perspective by stating that it is the most commonly used illegal drug. The author also posits that marijuana is classified as Schedule 1 of controlled substance by the federal’s DEA. Again, the author offers information based on research findings that demonstrate how marijuana’s use has spread among different age groups and demographics in the United States (Davis, 2017). Marijuana changes mood because it is psychoactive drug that affects nearly all body organs. According to the website, the information offered was updated last in September 2017.
Further analysis if the website shows that it does not contain any bias and some of the facts offered by the author are backed up by evidence. For instance, the author supports the claims that she makes that a 2013 national study showed that about 20 million adult Americans used marijuana a month before the survey was conducted. In addition, the article asserts that about 81 percent of present illicit drug users reported using marijuana at different moments. The author says that evidence suggests that marijuana can be used to relieve severe pain, nausea and other conditions but it also brings serious health concerns about the medical value that it offers. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC). However, the drug contains over 113 cannabinoids and more than 400 chemicals. Probable effects of marijuana consists of mood changes, suicidal thoughts and even suicide, and disruption of one’s normal abilities to learning. Marijuana may lead to addiction, and dependency besides psychosis (Davis, 2017). Therefore, the article offers essential information on marijuana based on the effects, risks, addiction and withdrawal syndrome.
The article also offers a perspective on the medical use of the drug. However, it does nor explore the information in-depth about the specific benefits of the medical use of marijuana. The article shows that the Food and Drug Administration has approved specific THC-based medications that can be used to increase appetite and reduce nausea (Davis, 2017). A critical analysis of this website reveals that it is biased towards the negative effects of marijuana without a comprehensive consideration of the health benefits that are derived from marijuana and the current efforts by different state governments to legalize medical and recreational marijuana.
Washington State Medical Association
The second website on marijuana is by the Washington State Medical Association that discusses the drug under the topic: Medical and Recreational Marijuana. The website is affiliated to the Washington State Medical Association with vision and mission aimed at bettering healthcare in Washington and allowing residents to make informed medical decisions. The information on the association’s website about medical and recreational marijuana is written by Denny Maher who is a medical doctor and a member of the organization (Maher, 2014). In the article, the association offers an overview of marijuana laws in Washington State, patient safety concerns and potential adverse effects of using marijuana and emerging research and the potential medical benefits of the drug.
The information on the website does not indicate when the article was last updated but it is clear that the information is current since it must have been written in the last five years. Imperatively, the author offers links to research articles and surveys carried out in 2013 to demonstrate that the information is current but not up to date since a lot has happened within the last five years when these studies were executed.
An analysis of the website demonstrates that to some extent, the article or information in it is a bit biased but with evidence from credible sources. The article details the history of marijuana regulations in Washington State and how they conflict with the federal laws. For example, federal regulations ban the use, sale and cultivation of marijuana but the state rules allows for the cultivation and possession of the drug but creates a distinction between medical and recreational use of marijuana (Maher, 2014). In the article, it is clear that the medical association in Washington State is biased towards the potential adversarial effects of marijuana and published the information for the benefit of its members after the enactment of these regulations by the state government. The article also shows that the passage of the laws to legalize both recreational and medical use of marijuana possesses serious challenges to the medical profession as patients require clarification on how they can use marijuana for medical purposes to relieve pain or manage other conditions like seizures.
The association’s website offers a biased opinion on the potential adverse effects and patient safety on the use of marijuana. For example, it recommends the patients, readers and the medical professionals to read an article by Dr. Charles Meredith which advances the position that despite current legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational use, marijuana poses serious dangers to those who wish to or use it. The article again backs these biases by an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that was published in 2014. The article uses the study in the journal to show that marijuana presents dangers that as an association believes that patients need to have clear information when they decide to use the drug for any medical or other purposes (Maher, 2014). For instance, the article details possible adverse effects which include risk of addiction, impact on the development of the brain, and the role that marijuana may play as a gateway drug for other illegal drugs. The association also demonstrated through the peer-reviewed article that marijuana poses health risk of developing cancer and other conditions, and affects performance of students in school. Again, it also backs up its bias by detailing the potential motor-vehicle accidents and mental illnesses that may be attributed to both immediate and long-term exposure to marijuana. Imperatively, the article offers its opposition perspective to the medical and recreational marijuana use by backing up its position using peer-reviewed articles and information.
Differences and Similarities
These two websites offer critical but biased information on marijuana use; especially the adverse effects of the drug as opposed to recent efforts through research aimed at using the drug for medicinal purposes. Over 29 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana for certain medical purposes like seizures and treatment of nausea and chronic conditions. Therefore, the two articles miss the beneficial effects of marijuana in the medical field yet all the websites and authors are affiliated to health care organizations either as publishers or medical associations. The article offer information that is similar on the use of the drug and details the negative effects that comes with its use. Again, the authors of the information in these websites are professionals in the medical and healthcare fields with a better understanding of how it works and the types of drugs required to deal with some of the health challenges facing Americans (Maher, 2014). Consequently, the two websites offer a biased perspective on the use of marijuana as an illegal drug with fewer benefits to healthcare as compared to the potential health risks that arise from its legalization and legal use for both medical and recreational reasons.
Credible Website
The website by Washington State Medical Association is more credible since it offers peer-reviewed evidence of the bias that it presents. As demonstrated by the article in the New England Medical Journal, marijuana use; both for recreational purposes and medical, presents serious challenges to the community because of its associated effects like addiction, dependence and psychosis. It is factual the scientific research on the use of marijuana has improved and many believe that legalization of marijuana may open a floodgate of the need to legalize other hard drugs and make the war on drugs even more daunting for both state and federal law enforcement agents (Volkow et al., 2014). The legalization of marijuana presents serious challenges for the country as more states enact laws that regulate recreational use besides the existing medical use of the drug. The concern raised is how these agencies will deal with widespread use among students and other young adults. Further, doctors may have to explain to their patients the effects of using marijuana while some patients may demand that they access the drug to relieve pain and other symptoms. Physicians and other stakeholders have a responsibility to offer information to their patients and that information must be credible, evidence-based, and useful to their health and overall wellbeing (Volkow et al., 2014). Therefore, the information offered in by the Washington State Medical Association contains credible bias that allows physicians to help their patients make informed choices and decisions.
References
Davis, K. (2017 September 7) Everything you need to know about marijuana; Retrieved from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246392.php
Gupta, S. (2014) Weed 2: Cannabis Madness, You Tube Video; Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m09Inj-aaK8
Maher, D (2014) Medical and Recreational Marijuana; Retrieved from
https://wsma.org/wcm/Legal_Resource_Center/Medical_and_Recreational_Marijuana/wcm/Legal_Resource_Center/Marijuana/Medical_and_Recreational_Marijuana.aspx?hkey=8aae66d3-b5c0-46a3-8668-414dee731452
Volkow, N.D., Baler, R., Compton, W.M & Weiss, S.R.B. (2014) Adverse Health Effects of
Marijuana Use, New England Journal of Medicine , Retrieved from
https://wsma.org/doc_library/LegalResourceCenter/MedicalCannabis/NEJM%20Art%20-%20Adverse%20Health%20Effects%20of%20MJ%20-%20201406011.pdf
