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Argumentative Essay On Medical Marijuana

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In the United States, marijuana legalization is a highly debated topic. Marijuana has many benefits to the body and the community. It can be used medicinally or recreationally and serves a number of purposes. Marijuana has been proven to treat a number of diseases and conditions, causes a decline in deaths due to overdose from opioid pains, and serves a plethora of additional benefits. I strongly feel that sooner rather than later, marijuana should be federally legalized so that citizens can have access to the benefits of this plant.
Over the past few decades, the use of medical marijuana has been an extremely controversial topic. Medicinal marijuana is legal in 20 states, even though it disputes with current federal drug laws. The main …show more content…

There is limited research into the effects of cannabis on opioid use in patients who experience pain, but data implies that medical cannabis treatment may reduce the dose of opioids that one is required to take for necessary pain relief. (National Institute on Drug Abuse) In comparison to the legal and commonly used drug alcohol, marijuana has been repeatedly proven to be safer through research. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths are attributed to the health effects of alcohol use, including hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths. The CDC does not have a category for deaths caused by marijuana use, and a government-funded study conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and published in the American Journal of Public Health found no association between marijuana use and premature death in otherwise healthy people.” (Marijuana Policy Project) As opposed to alcohol use, which is associated with a vast variation of cancer diagnoses, marijuana usage hasn’t been conclusively linked with any form of cancer. According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, "There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use." This was solidified again in 2006 by the largest, most comprehensive case-controlled study on the effects

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