Argument Essay: The Legalization Of Medical Marijuana

Cannabis has provided millions worldwide with relief from chronic pain caused by a myriad of pain-producing illnesses. Cannabis has significantly improved the quality of life of people with cancer, AIDS, arthritis, and the list goes on. The medical marijuana movement is not concerned with decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis for recreational use. It is concerned with helping people with serious illnesses and disabilities to get on with their lives. (Bearman, 2011)

Medical marijuana has been proven to an effective drug in the treatment of a number of encumbering medical conditions. A large number of legitimate medical organizations recognize the benefits of marijuana. It is far less harmful and poses fewer negative side effects than many prescription drugs, including painkillers - and patients often find it to be a more effective treatment for a variety of illnesses. However, it is perhaps the most commonly misunderstood substance in America. The usage of the drug has been widely researched and proven to be a “most viable and safe source of medicine to many Americans suffering from Aids, Glaucoma, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, and Chronic Pains” (Medical Marijuana). According to the Institute of Medicines, (1999) “marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known” (Legalization of Marijuana). More and more resources and case studies will be further discussed and practices to back up the claim, and determine marijuana’s medical value.

Marijuana has been used in religious ceremonies or for medical purposes for thousands of years. I have always been against the use of Marijuana up until four years ago when my husband at the age of twenty seven underwent invasive surgery on his knee and has never been the same since. Colorado took a huge step several years ago legalizing marijuana for medical use and in recent years took the plunge to legalize it for recreational use. Marijuana is not always a bad thing nor is it always a good thing. A lot of people will compare it to any other mind altering substance and have very valid points. I would rather have a loved one or myself smoke marijuana or ingest it, instead of popping pain pills or other harmful substances put on the market by the pharmaceutical industry; Recreational use can be safe and accepting if it is regulated correctly and used responsibly.

Until very recently the only research that has been conducted on the medical use of Cannabis has been for the relief of cancer patients. The primary use at this point has been for the relief of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy (Nantional Cancer Institute, 2014). Some of the other uses have been for anorexia and cachexia in HIV/AIDS, chronic, especially neuropathic pain, spasticity in multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury (Nantional Cancer Institute, 2014). The scientific data collected over the years is precisely clear that the use of medical Cannabis is needed and should be allowed everywhere in the United States.

Too often Americans today turn to prescription pills as a cure for the occasional headache to chronic pain, looking for immediate results while overlooking the long list of side effects. What if there was a safer, non-toxic alternative to the standard pharmaceuticals? We should be offered other types of treatment, the option of using medical cannabis. As a result, it can improve a patient's quality of life, and indirectly help to promote positive responses to treatment. While many say the drug has a “high potential for abuse” and should remain illegal, advocate’s present a stronger argument for legalization through the use of evidence and research. Medical marijuana must be legalized for its medicinal properties, its implications to our legal

“The term medical marijuana refers to using the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions” (NIDA). Currently, one of the most discussed topics in the United States is rather or not to legalize marijuana for medical use. Many facts point to the significant value the drug would provide to the medical community. There is indeed opposition to the legalization of it, due to the idea that marijuana alone can become addicting and would cause more harm than good. However, the medical use of marijuana can have a major impact on reducing certain side effects a patient may face while enduring treatments such as chemotherapy, it can aid the U.S in curbing the American Opioid Epidemic, and it can help exterminate certain diseases. Medical marijuana has already been legalized in 29 states and Washington D.C. Other states that are behind on legalizing it can learn valuable lessons from the success of legalization in the 29 states and D.C.

Knowing the full list of diseases and medical issues marijuana can help treat is unknown. It is very hard to have scientific evidence showing the causes marijuana has on a person due to the fact it is just starting to be legal in states. In states where it is illegal there can be no study’s done. With the new up rise of states becoming more accepting of marijuana on a medical stand point, it is only a matter of time before more research will be released. As of right now there are 29 states and the District of Columbia who have legalized it. As Mantel stated, “medical marijuana advocates want all states to legalize it (marijuana), while opponents say only the Food and Drug Administration should approve drugs for medical use” (605). What stinks with our system is that medical professionals, like doctors, can land themselves in legal trouble if they recommend or discuss marijuana with their patients (Mantel 605). Which our patients rely on the word of their medical professionals. Therefore, they are going to prescribe you the norm when it comes to prescribing most things. Sadly, those prescriptions are mostly opioid based drugs.

Chemotherapy related nausea, glaucoma, migraine headaches, and epilepsy; all of these common medical ailments can have devastating effects and cause pain and discomfort to the sufferer. What they also have in common is the potential treatment of these illnesses with the use of medical marijuana, which can alleviate symptoms, bring relief, and help manage pain. The process has been simplified with a physician simply recommending medicinal marijuana, by concluding, after considering other treatment options that marijuana may benefit the patient and has become fairly easy to satisfy. Medical marijuana is a majorly controversial topic and encompasses legal, ethical, societal, and workplace issues, creating many arguments about how it should be handled at the state, federal, and local levels, particularly in relation to how employers interpret employee use of the drug. 23 states,

Marijuana is the most popular recreational drug globally and the third in America (Stuart). It is, however, unique because unlike many others recreational drugs, it also has a range of medical uses. The separation of medical from recreational marijuana is a challenging and confusing task, which has affected its legal status significantly. Consequently, nearly half of the United States has legalized marijuana for medical uses while a few others have legalized it both for medicinal and recreational uses. Nonetheless, there are significant reasons that make the legalization of marijuana completely beneficial as a legal recreational and therapeutic drug. Not only would it benefit patients and people using it for recreational purposes but it would

marijuana is more than that it used medically to help millions of people’s illness. Medical marijuana is being legalized in many states in the US. One article states that “ in 1970, congress placed marijuana in the controlled substance act because it was considered to have no accepted medical use. Since then 29 of the 50 states and DC have legalized the medical use of marijuana” (Medical Marijuana). Many states have realized that medical marijuana can help nausea, seizures or muscle spasms, and can even help relieve symptoms of many illnesses.

In the medical field, some illnesses such as Crohn’s disease or epilepsy require medication that contains marijuana. It would not be fair to leave the patient in chronic pain just because the most effective drug includes a certain amount of marijuana. If the drug becomes legal in all states, more of the patients suffering in the hospital will gain more recovery and become the healthy individual they once were. Marijuana has been proven to be effective in treating a variety of illnesses; many states such as Massachusetts, California, and New Jersey have put initiative to the legalization of medical marijuana. The federal government should put more effort to support states with funding research about the benefits that marijuana will have for society (“Drug Policy Alliance”). Treating patients undergoing chemotherapy is one of the most notable ways that marijuana aids in pain and relief. When marijuana is legal in all states, hospitals/clinics will have a better chance to provide their patients with medical marijuana. Several of the drugs being distributed around the world today contain little amounts of marijuana, yet it still helps the health of the people.

The debate on whether marijuana should be legal has long troubled many. Currently there are 23 states that allow medical marijuana. In states where medical marijuana is legal there has been a 25% decrease in opioid deaths. Research seems to indicate that the decline is due to more and more people abandoning the harsher painkillers, and opting for the plant form of relief. “The difference is quite striking,” said co- author Collen Barry, a health policy researcher at John Hopkins Bloomberg, a school of Public Health in Baltimore. The difference showed up quite quickly and became visible the year after medical marijuana was accepted in each state (Main). Marijuana can be used for a multitude of illness some of those illnesses are multiple sclerosis, Aids, glaucoma, epilepsy just to name a few. There are those who are against medical marijuana, they argue that it is too dangerous to use, and lacks FDA approval. They also

Although many individuals find medical marijuana illegal, and unnecessary, it is a natural herb used to help symptoms caused by chronic illnesses. Over three million Americans use medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is the most widely used drug used to treat chronic illnesses in seventeen states. The use of medical marijuana has been a controversial issue here in the United States. Although, there are healthcare professionals that do believe that the use of medical marijuana can be very beneficial for patients. Just as there

Furthermore, Pew Research Center tracked the increasing support for marijuana and reached a conclusion where “today, 57% of U.S. adults say the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 37% say it should be illegal. A decade ago, opinion on legalizing marijuana was nearly the reverse….” (Geiger). People have realized the benefits of this drug in medication and today there are 28 legal medical marijuana states including Washington, DC. The plant can cure numerous diseases including AIDS/ HIV, Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis, and can help fight basic body pain too. Among the various species of marijuana, the two most commonly used for medicine are Cannabis sativa and cannabis indica. The former causes increased alertness and an energetic sense, and the latter is reported to cause a sense of relaxation or lethargy. (Ammerman et al.) Christine Vestal covers health care for Stateline and wrote an article in The Washington Post to treat chronic pain and states that “Nationwide, an estimated 1.4 million patients in 28 states and the District of Columbia use legal medical marijuana for a varying list of conditions. A much smaller number of patients in 16 states use limited extracts of the plant, primarily to treat seizure disorders.” Therefore, marijuana could be

The use of cannabis toward medicine should not be shocking to anyone, since it has been around for centuries. As a matter of fact, it has been under medicinal aid for an estimated 5,000 years. Western medicine truly grasped marijuana’s medicinal abilities in the 1850’s. Infact, doctors documented over one hundred papers about how marijuana helped numerous disorders, such as nausea, glaucoma, movement disorders, pain relief, depression, and anxiety. It also helps cancer patients and those with HIV or Aids. Currently, many American patients have access to marijuana use so that they can have effective treatments for their illnesses. Medical marijuana use is achievable because