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| Paper details: | Please provide references WITHIN THE LAST 5 YEARS OF LESS (2012-2016. Must be scholarly journal articles. Assignment: As a health policy professional leader, communicating with lay audiences is an important skill in promoting the health of the community for master prepared registered nurses. Develop a concise position statement regarding research findings and recommendations by experts as they relate to workplace support for breast feeding mothers, medical marijuana services in the community, genetic testing or applications of stem cell research or a community service administered by Family Nurse Practitioners (if you pick this one be specific about the type of community service). Make sure your evidence supports your cause. I choose to write about “RN (registered nurse) as Healthcare Policy Leader” |
Answer
Registered Nurse as a Healthcare Policy Leader: Position on Medical Marijuana
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Institution:
Registered Nurse as a Healthcare Policy Leader: Position on Medical Marijuana
Twenty-eight states have legalized the use of medical marijuana in healthcare. As a certified and experienced nurse, I have observed its application and acknowledged the benefits it has when used under the strict regulation of a medical practitioner. I support the integration of medical marijuana and believe that patients should not be limited from the positive effects of certain drugs due to the fear of drug abuse by other people. Effective regulation and supervised prescription can be applied to control the use of medical marijuana and ensure that it serves its intended purpose to patients, while simultaneously avoiding abuse by nurses and medical regulators (Fleming, 2015).
Marijuana is made up of two primary elements with distinct functions: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) (Mossman & Marett, 2015). CBD affects the brain and cognitive functions while THC contains pain-relieving properties. Medical marijuana has effectively been used in cases of glaucoma, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, muscle deterioration disorders and the reduction of side-effects of heavy treatments in cancer and hepatitis (Mossman & Marett, 2015). Even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it as a medicine, scientific research findings have supported the push for its use as an FDA-approved medicine synthesized with cannabinoids (Fleming, 2015).
In the past, CBD has been used in cancer treatment as a means of reducing the pain and side-effects of chemotherapy and other cancer drugs (Fleming, 2015). Recently, scientists have made progress after discovering certain elements of CBD that can actually be used to reduce and completely stop the growth of cancer cells. Further research is being carried out in other treatments such as HIV/AIDS which also demonstrates potential exploitation of CBD (Caulkins, Kasunic, Kleiman & Lee, 2014).
As a registered nurse, my duty is the safety and wellbeing of the patients. The administration of drugs, including medical marijuana, in treatment procedures should be carried out with precaution and close supervision. Tests should be carried out to determine the suitability of the treatment on a case-by-case basis to avoid abuse.
References
Fleming, M. (2015). The Legal Applicabilityof State Medical Marijuana Laws on Employers and Employees. Southern Law Journal, 25(2), 11-18.
Caulkins, J., Kasunic, A., Kleiman, A. & Lee M. (2014). Understaning Drug Legalization. International Public Health Journal, 6(3), 283-294.
Mossman, C. & Marett, C. (2015). Peaceful Feeling, or Up in Smoke? Medical Marijuana in Medicolegal Context. Current Psychiatry, 14(9), 49-52.
