Home / Information about... / De Hoop's view on... / ...medical marihuana?

...medical marihuana?

Over the last years, it has been argued that the use of cannabis as a medicine should be permitted. Especially for people who suffer from cancer and have to undergo chemotherapy, marijuana would be beneficial. It would also have salutary effects for people with aids, the eye condition glaucoma as well as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, itch, depression, menstrual cramps, asthma and many other conditions.

Supporters of cannabis for medical purposes feel that it should be registered as a medicine. Some people even want the use of cannabis to be completely legalised because cannabis would be a harmless substance. It is striking that supporters of cannabis for medical purposes are almost always also supporters of its recreational use.

No scientific proof has yet been obtained of the medical effects of marijuana. However, there is proof of the negative effects of marijuana.

The user's concentration and coordination decrease and his short-term memory deteriorates.
There is danger for the user's health: carbon monoxide poisoning causes cardiovascular and bronchial diseases. A joint is twelve times as carcinogenic as a cigarette.
There is a harmful influence on the unborn child and the user's fertility could decrease.

We should not support smoking a raw substance such as marijuana. Also, we would never encourage people to smoke tobacco in order to diminish fear or to control body weight. In principle, De Hoop does not support marijuana for medical purposes on the basis of the following arguments:

Signal effect: if marijuana can be supplied for medicinal purposes, supporters can say that soft drugs are not harmful.
There are sufficient legal medicines with the same effects as marijuana.
Marijuana has several side effects (hallucinations, becoming stoned) of which you can wonder whether they are beneficial to the patient.

However, De Hoop does deem it possible that parts of cannabis will become available in non-smokable form for medicinal purposes.

print react forward previous

add to:

Meer informatie

...addiction?
De Hoop's view on the addict results from its Christian view on mankind.
...compulsory detoxification?
De Hoop feels that compulsory detoxification could be a good solution for part of its target group (criminal addicts).
...detoxification under the anaesthetic?
In principle, De Hoop supports detoxification under anaesthetic because it can provide hope to the so-called hopeless cases.
...heroin prescription?
De Hoop has a sceptical attitude towards heroin prescription and is fundamentally against consciously maintaining addiction.
...methadone prescription?
De Hoop is fundamentally against the prescription of methadone on the basis of maintenance.
...the Dutch soft drug policy?
De Hoop considers tolerating soft drugs to be a wrong signal because soft drugs are harmful.
...the legalisation of drugs?
De Hoop considers legalisation to have undesirable consequences.
De Hoop's view on care
Here, you can find De Hoop's view on care (available in Word-format and PDF-format).