Cons of Medical Marijuana

The use of marijuana to treat medical conditions has been debated by health care experts, both having significant clinical claims for and against its use. Medical marijuana can help to stimulate appetite in cancer and AIDS patients. It also helps to alleviate some of the symptoms of glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. Although medical marijuana is generally favored by its patients, there are several arguments against its medical use and effectiveness. The arguments against the use of medical marijuana include the increased risk of psychosis, inferior effectiveness in treating glaucoma and increased risk in developing certain types of cancer.

Medical marijuana is weighed before sale. (Image: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images News/Getty Images)

Increased Risk of Psychosis

One of the arguments against the use of medical marijuana centers around its increased risk of both acute psychosis and chronic mental illness, including schizophrenia. Marijuana is a powerful psychoactive drug and can have serious effects on the mind and body outside of its intended medical use. Some of the psychoactive side effects of using marijuana include hallucination, anxiety, memory loss and confusion. In the August 2007 issue of "The Lancet," Dr. Stanley Zammit and associates found a strong significant relationship between marijuana use and increased risk of psychosis, including severe anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies. Dr. Sonija Luzi and associates, at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, state that two primary chemical agents found in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol and endocannabinoids, proved largely responsible for inducing the psychotic symptoms in marijuana users.

Inferior Treatment of Glaucoma

Marijuana has been associated with treating glaucoma, an eye disease, since the 1970's. The National Eye Institute states that early studies showed that marijuana smoke lowered the internal pressure inside the eye caused by glaucoma. In its early interventions in the 1970's, marijuana proved beneficial in treating the disease, but new medications and treatments have rendered marijuana as an inferior choice for this particular disease. Current treatments employ medications approved by the Food and Drug Association as well as laser surgery. The side effects of medical marijuana such as increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure have raised concerns that it may not be the most effective current choice for treating glaucoma.

Increased Risk of Certain Cancers

Another argument against the use of medical marijuana asserts that marijuana increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer such as lung and testicular cancer. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that marijuana smoke can cause cancer of the respiratory tract because of the irritants and carcinogens it contains. They stated that marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. In addition, they stated that one of the active ingredients in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, was significantly associated with respiratory infection and tumor growth. In addition, a study by Dr. Stephen Schwatz and associates at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that smoking marijuana increased the chances of developing testicular cancer by about 70 percent. One of the reasons why marijuana may cause cancer is because it is significantly linked to DNA damage, which may initiate tumor growth, according to Dr. Rajinder Singh and associates at the Cancer Biomarkers and Prevention Group in Sweden.