An article in "Science News"
I had originally started writing my blog this week about my Belbin team role - oh my goodness I am totally a completer/finisher, and an implementer to a lesser extent. But then I thought, what would be more interesting to my audience? So I decided to share something I read in Science News which I found interesting, and also pertinent to our current "ethics" focus. (And I like to be somewhat controversial 😉).
The article "Promise and perils of marijuana deserve more scientific scrutiny" talks about a report released this Thursday in Washington DC discussing research on the medical effects of cannabis and it's products on various aspects of human health. Following the study the researchers call for further research, however the predicament raised in this report is very topical given our recent discussions on ethics in science.
The fact that cannabis has a federal classification as a Schedule 1 drug in America (crazy really when you look at the other drugs in schedule 1 which I would certainly think are a lot more dangerous, for example heroin, MDMA and GHB) means it is difficult for researchers to legally obtain the drug to continue studies.
I’ve always been a supporter of the legalisation of medical marijuana in New Zealand, so to me this seems strange given that over half of the states of America allow the medical use of the drug, and recreational use if even legal in some of those states.
There are clearly some benefits to the use of medical cannabis which have already been proven and documented. So ethically I would think one would be able to argue that the potential benefits for the proverbial "many" would certainly outweigh the legalities of researchers being granted access to the drug. Testing the drug on people who are already using it, in my mind, would alos abate the ethical question over the testing on human subjects.
If you are interested in reading the article, here is the link (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/promise-and-perils-marijuana-deserve-more-scientific-scrutiny).
Remember, scientific writing is only worthwhile if it is read!
Enjoy!
Athena
3 comments:
Hello Athena!
As always I am befuddled that something like this is considered controversial.The vast majority of people I have spoken to about the legality of marijuana and the articles I have seen have all supported it. However that could just be a product of cognitive bias....
I definitely agree that the classification of cannabis is bizarre. I understand that there are many arguments that claim that cannabis is a gateway drug, but I don't know how reliable they are. Being a gateway drug also wouldn't explain the classification. Perhaps all the governments in the world are hiding something about it from us!
An interesting insight into your mind Athena. Keep it up!
Sam
Interesting post, and article. Thanks for sharing. I found a show that blows away myths etc and they did an episode on marijuana. It is an American show so it's facts are given from American history and situation. Here is a snippet fon YouTube but the whole episode goes for about 30 mins. Well worth a watch. It uses humour to get the point across but it is well researched and even brings in experts and lists reference points. The reason it was made illegal in the US is nuts!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlqsdezhhk
Hey Athena,
Interesting post!. Legalization of marijuana has always been the controversial topic for many years. I agree that supporting the use of cannabis is considered beneficial. I mean in medical terms, marijuana is really used for palliative care. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for a patient by preventing or relieving symptoms of a disease or the side effects of treatments. So, how is medical marijuana considered bad?
Medical marijuana is a violative topic in the USA, but classifying it as a schedule 1 drug is ridiculous. marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, which is the ranking reserved for drugs with the greatest potential for abuse and with no medicinal value.
I read in an article that Heroin, ecstasy, and LSD are listed in that category, too, while cocaine and methamphetamine rank one level lower than marijuana, as Schedule II. I feel this isn't justified on scientific grounds. I agree with you that it's all politically based as the governments invent all of the laws and we get stuck in just saying ‘Just Say No’
This is something that should be taken seriously. Well done on providing an thoughtful and interesting overview of a problematic issue.
Divyanshu
Post a Comment