A New Horizon On Cannabis For Texans

With drugs being more common each and every day, and the fact that they are easily accessible, it is causing a dilemma in Texas and in our nation as whole. Texas is the most impacted with being exposed to drugs due to the fact that Texas is right on the Mexican border and with all the drug traffickers being located in that area their only option is to smuggle them through Texas. Due to the high amount of the smuggling of drugs in Texas it is causing the idea of legalizing marijuana. Marijuana is a cannabis that is most often smoked in order to relax the body. Marijuana is not only smoked but it is now being used for medical purposes to treat anxiety, stress, and sometimes even pain. But the real question is whether marijuana should be legalized in Texas. People strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized due to the fact that it would create revenue for Texas, it will also be legal to utilize it for medical purposes, and it has also become a norm for Texans to see and use since it is so easily accessible.

Legalizing marijuana has been a topic of debate for centuries. In fact, the sale of marijuana has been regulated since the 16th century. Although the U.S. changed their policy on marijuana since that time, legalization is still a topic amongst lawmakers within America. Many want to legalize medicinal marijuana because it is an effective treatment for illnesses, while others oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana because it is a drug that causes the user to become stoned which can lead to impaired judgement and other consequences. Because the consequences of smoking marijuana outweigh the benefits, the state of Texas should only legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Texas has always stood apart in terms of reputation; known for its sprawling landscape, unique geography, proud heritage, and conservative views. Due to these characteristics, it is no surprise that, in the case of Marijuana, Texas has tended to lean towards a strict and firm set of guidelines. The initial piece of Texas state legislation passed concerning Marijuana was in 1919, when Texas decided to prohibit the drug within the state. Texas was the third state to do so inside the United States, and the law’s implementation set the foundation for proceeding policies.

The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is a long-standing controversy. For centuries marijuana was prescribed to alleviate symptoms associated with a variety of illnesses. Anti-medical marijuana sentiments began with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act banned the use of marijuana completely, categorizing it as a drug with no medicinal value, high abuse rates, and detrimental health effects (http://www.farmacy.org/prop215/apha.html). Since 1996, numerous states including California, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have passed medical marijuana initiatives supporting the right to prescribe marijuana for seriously or terminally ill patients (http://www.marihemp.com/marimed.html). The American Public Health Association and the Institute of Medicine represent two organizations that have recently researched and endorsed advancements in the study of medical marijuana. Both groups support the use of marijuana for specific treatments, such as reducing nausea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, stimulating the appetites of AIDS victims, and limiting spasticity in MS patients.

The Bipartisan Bill TX SB339 also known as “Texas Compassionate Use Act” is an Amendment proposed to the Texas Legislature on January 23, 2015. It relates to the medical use of low THC cannabis for patients who have tried every other form of treatment. The Bill amends Texas constitution SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 6, of the Health and Safety Code, by adding Chapter 487. This amendment allows “Dispensing Organizations” cultivate, process, and dispense low THC cannabis to patients who low-THC cannabis is prescribed under Chapter 169 of the Occupations Code. The bill focuses on helping individuals, especially those who are children, with chronic medical issues and constant seizures caused by epilepsy by using cannabis oil. Cannabis oils do not

Over the past few years, a portion Texans have joined in with other citizens across the United States to push for the legalization of Marijuana. Since Texas is considered a neighbor of Mexico, legalization of cannabis has its pros and cons. One beneficial outcome would be the use of marijuana medically. However, the drug has been used to make money from being transported illegally across the Mexican border. So far, "twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form" (State Marijuana Laws Map).

Legalization of medical marijuana is a disputed issue in the United States. In 1996, California was the first state to pass the Compassionate Use Act allowing for the legal use of medicinal marijuana (Freisthler, Kepple, Sims, & Martin, 2013). Subsequently, this lead to the enactment of similar laws from 25 states allowing those with medical illnesses and chronic pain to use medicinal marijuana. The efficacy of the Compassionate Use Act can be determined via data analysis of pain management and other nontraditional benefits before and after 1996. Each state can be categorized as either fully functional, meaning medical marijuana laws are enacted, non-functional, not yet operational or in process, and cannabidiol specific.

Picture this, a woman mid 50’s, stage three terminal cancer. The doctors’ have concluded that the cancer is incurable. To make matters worse, she is going through common symptoms of the chemotherapy like pain, depression, nausea, and loss of appetite. It’s not enough that she is dying, but her final moments will be in extreme discomfort. Medical marijuana has proven to succor these symptoms, so the patients last moments in this world are pleasant. The plant, marijuana, derived from the Indian hemp plant, it contains an active ingredient THC. Its classification described as a psychogenic, narcotic, and a hallucinogen. Under federal law, marijuana is a schedule 1 controlled substance with no established medical uses. The extensive benefits pertaining to medical marijuana have shown to relieve chronic pain, severe nausea, and aid in the increase of appetite for anorexic patients. Pharmacists and doctors are aware of the potential benefits in prescribing medical marijuana, but lack the extensive knowledge necessary to accurately prescribe it. The federal legalization has rarely confronted until this presidential campaign, a few candidates have kindled the flame for medicinal advocates, which is leading to the awareness of the cause. Their has also been constant controversy over the past decades about the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing for medical gain. The arguments continuously sway back and forth between the positive and negative sides...The

Several states are taking advantage of new beliefs in medical marijuana. The State of Illinois has also adapted an Act that outlines the use and guidelines for medical marijuana titled, “Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act - Illinois Act 410 ILCS 130”. Some of the information on this Act is not clearly stated, one instance is regarding the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Fund (410 ILCS 130/20). This section has limited information regarding these funds and how they may be used, collected, and invested. Because there are limited explanations to how the funds are to be distributed, invested, and held in the State treasury, Illinois Act 410 ILCS 130 should not be passed.

In November 2000, voters in Colorado passed Amendment 20, which enabled patients and their caregivers to obtain a restricted amount of marijuana from medical dispensaries (Sensible Colorado, n.d). The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment faced legal charges for creating an informal rule prohibiting caregivers from providing medical marijuana to more than 5 patients at a time (Sensible Colorado, n,d). In 2007, Sensible Colorado, Colorado’s medical marijuana distribution system, won the lengthy hearing, and its victory made way for store-front dispensaries throughout Colorado. Fast forward November 2012, 55% of Colorado’s voters were pro-Amendment 64 (Sensible Colorado, n.d). Amendment 64 made recreational marijuana use legal to anyone age 21 or older. This law was effective January 2014, and almost two years later the changes in the state are astounding.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is an interest group created on January 1995. It’s the biggest organization in the United States with the objective to eliminate the prohibition of marijuana. Their main goal is to gain public support for these non threatening policies as well as gaining influence in Congress. For states to decide on their own marijuana policies without federal interference, so marijuana would be regulated as if it was beer. Thus properly informing the people about its medical and taxation benefits. But in order to overtake their task the MPP is separated into three branches: the MPP, MPP Foundation, and MPP PAC. The MPP and MPP Foundation are the influential branches. While the MPP deals with lobbying and election initiatives;

Mr. Ted Cruz, I would love to see the decriminalization of marijuana in Texas, as well as the the medical usage of such. I know of the Compassionate use program, it is in need of serous changes to function properly. The war on drugs just does not work, the cost of which is atrocious regularly diverting funds from we social welfare programs to do so. Texas should be taking note on the amount of success states like Colorado have had putting significant amounts of money back into the school systems by way of the taxation of marijuana. In a 2013 pole, 58% of Texans support the overall legalization of marijuana. One of the most dangerous things about marijuana is that it is illegal, which can actually make it easier to access by minor, the dealer

Marijuana has been known as a addictive drug for years, and countless lessons have been given about how bad it is for you and your body. We have been told this since we were in middle school, how it is not to be used and how it will only bring you bad results. But things have changed, and just like in the 1930s when Jonas Stalk invented the flu vaccination, discoveries have been made to help improve to human race such as using marijuana in the medical field. As of right now, ¨...twenty nine of the fifty states in the US have decreed marijuana legal.¨ ( Should Marijuana be a Medical Option, 2017). That is over half, and the facts that cannot be argued can help us all agree marijuana should be legal in the other 21 states. We could change life as we know it, if laws were passed to make medical marijuana legal.

For many very seriously sick people medical marijuana is the only medicine that relieved them of their pain and can treat the symptoms, without any serious or harming side effects. Although a shocking result of marijuana being illegal means that these people cannot have the access to the medicine the truly helps them get through everyday life that little bit easier. There is a quote from Morgan Freeman who said “ i have fibromyalgia pain in (my left) arm and the only thing that offers any relief is marijuana”. the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) are very committed to legalising marijuana to help improve medical marijuana programs for patients who are in

The use of the marijuana plant is an issue all over the world that continues to be controversial. It goes by many names: pot, cannabis, marijuana, weed; but they all are the same plant. Marijuana is most commonly smoked, but there are other ways of administering THC and CBD. Tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana is what gives the users a “high”. Cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD, is the non-psychoactive component of the plant used for its medicinal properties. Some other common methods of ingestion are through edible products, oils, and oral solutions. Though its growing popularity has been demonstrated through many forms of media, marijuana use is extremely stigmatized in almost all countries. This is due to it being illegal to sell, grow or use in the majority of the world. Here in the US, marijuana use has been prohibited since the Marijuana Tax Act was enforced in 1937. For this reason and many others, there are many negative misconceptions about the cannabis plant that are spread throughout society. In reality, marijuana actually has a wide variety of positive effects that would appeal for it to be legalized in the entire US. The legalization of marijuana for medical use in all 50 states would be extremely beneficial for people, the economy and the health of those with serious diseases.