Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Marijuana has always been a very controversial topic because of its recreational use. Cannabis, Pot or Weed are other names used when referring to Marijuana. There are a lot of things made out of Weed like clothing, food, drinks, ropes, construction supplies, paper, jewelry, plastic, fuel, soil, medicine and cosmetic goods among many other things. Cannabis has been used for decades by many ancient cultures. It is believed that the plant came from Asia and arrived in America thru the colonist. In the beginning, this plant was mainly used for its healing components, but later on, it was used for recreational purposes. This plant brings a lot of benefits to people suffering from terminal diseases. Cancer

Should we or should we not legalize Medical Marijuana? Yes, I think we should make medical marijuana legal in all 50 states. Why is it so difficult for our government and our american society to vote for marijuana to be used for medical purposes. There are many reasons why medical marijuana should be legal, why is medical marijuana helpful, and cannabis are my three reasons why Medical marijuana should be legalized.

Medical marijuana should be legalized in every state. Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis or medicinal cannabis, is a plant that is used as a form of herbal therapy for the relief or treatment of a medical symptom. The marijuana plant contains chemicals that can treat a wide range of illnesses. From Alzheimer’s to Crohn’s disease, from anorexia to multiple sclerosis, and from epilepsy to Tourette’s syndrome, this is but a few of the diseases that medical marijuana can help relieve or treat. It can also help stimulate a person’s appetite and can relieve nausea in AIDS and cancer patients. Before it was prohibited in the 1930’s, it was used in many types of medicines. A few of these medicines include

Studies in the past few years have shown that medical marijuana would be incredibly beneficial to those battling several different kinds of medical conditions. The term medical marijuana refers to utilizing the “whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts” to treat or suppress the symptoms of certain medical conditions (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). Two FDA-approved medications have emerged out of the scientific study of cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana. These medications “contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form,” and with more research, more medications will be formulated (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). From the marijuana plant, THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoid medical interests. The benefits from THC are that it reduces nausea caused from certain illnesses and increases appetite, and decreases pain, inflammation, and muscle control problems. CBD, unlike THC, “is a cannabinoid that [does not] make people high.” Research on CBD suggests that CBD may be beneficial to those battling with pain and inflammation, epileptic seizures, and mental illnesses and addictions (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). Multiple medical conditions such as anxiety, epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, glaucoma, arthritis, Crohn's Disease, and chronic pain can all be treated by cannabis.

Medical marijuana brings many benefits to the medical community and should be legalized. Medical marijuana also known as medical cannabis, brings relief too many people with multiple different types of diseases. One major benefit of marijuana being such a good relief medicine is that it is not addictive. Medical marijuana would also be very easy to regulate and bring many economic benefits to our country.

There is no cure for the disorder and in some cases, it is deemed fatal. One in three epilepsy patients do not respond to traditional medicines and treatments. Introducing marijuana to epilepsy patients has shown to be a positive solution. They don’t actually have to smoke the plant. They are given CBD, which is one of the main compounds in marijuana. They are not exposed to THC, which causes the feeling of euphoria. Therefore, they do not get “high”. It has also been shown to be anticonvulsant and have antipsychotic effects. Establishing CBD as a safe and effective drug treatment has become the goal of many doctors that have epileptic patients. There are not many studies that have been conducted on it, but it doesn’t show any severe or life-threatening side effects.

Marijuana is commonly used by high school teenagers to reach a high, but marijuana is now being used to help people with chronic illnesses. Medical marijuana can dramatically increase the ease of life for children with autism, epilepsy, and cancer.

I believe that Medical Marijuana should be an accepted form of medical treatment. There is research that shows the many benefits of its use; there are growing studies that go against the contrary positions made by many studies which were old or based on incomplete research. Studies on Medical Marijuana studies have shown that it has a wide variety of positive effects in the treatment of cancer, glaucoma, nausea, AIDS/HIV and pain/analgesia. The increasing research supporting the need for further studies, the use of Medical Marijuana can potentially be the future of medicine. Studies show that it is far less habit-forming than many alternatives for pain relief such as oxycodone or morphine.

In April of 1998, the Green Party released an official statement supporting medicinal marijuana stating, "We support the legal reclassification of marijuana to allow its availability in the medical treatment of serious illnesses. We oppose the harassment and prosecution of patients, providers, and physicians who respectively use, provide, or recommend marijuana for the medical treatment of serious illnesses." In 1972 the US Congress placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have "no accepted medical use."(5) Proponents of medical marijuana argue that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions. Opposers of medicinal marijuana argue of harmful side effects, learning disabilities and potential drug abuse.

In his article, “Medical’ Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits That Legitimize Legalization”, Dave Smith list some common conditions and disease that marijuana has been effective in treating. He first mentioned in his article a study conducted by researchers at University Commonwealth who discovered that the ingredients in marijuana helps control seizures in epilepsy.

Today, marijuana is greatly used in the world for not only getting high and intoxicated but for medical used as well. In the last few years, Marijuana has been legalized in nine states. Medical marijuana has been legalized in 26 states. I honestly feel like marijuana should be legalized because it can help one in need of medical use and people can use it as a drug today; which we cannot prevent because that it one’s choice.

Marijuana has been successfully used to treat pain, nausea, anorexia, and seizures. No serious side effects have been noted in these patients (Britannica 2). Along with these pain-killing effects, marijuana has been linked to helping fight certain cancers and diseases. Studies show that marijuana can help kill breast and liver cancer cells. The potential to prevent Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease is also present (Szalavitz 2). Most medicinal organizations are against the use of medical marijuana due to the popular “gateway theory” myth. The “gateway theory” states that marijuana users are more likely to try harder drugs, but it is simply not true. Marijuana sales are in an underground market, which gives drug dealers an opportunity to push harder drugs to potential buyers. The illegal status of marijuana is what makes it a “gateway” drug (Ferner 3). Consumption of deadly drugs, such as heroin and crack, would reduce significantly if marijuana was sold in a store and not on a street corner (Nathan 1). , Despite the controversy, researchers are continuing to develop and investigate herbal medicine solutions using marijuana to treat patients (Britannica

According to the website, Realm of Caring, a leading aggregator for medical marijuana studies, medical marijuana could help with Alzheimer’s, Sickle Cell Disease, Glaucoma, Psoriasis, Cancer, Inflammation, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Huntington’s disease, ADHD, Parkinson’s, Migraines, PTSD, Pain Management, and Epilepsy. In this presentation we will seek to investigate the effects of cannabis on 3 common diseases: Epilepsy, Cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Epilepsy and Cancer are found at all ages and with both genders. Therefore, we will not exclude anyone from the search criteria of these two diseases. The research for Alzheimer’s rarely includes anyone under the age of 60 but does include males as well as females. The studies will also include both subjects within the United States as well as studies of patients

Imagine having a son or daughter who one second can be walking next to you at your local grocery store and the next second they’re on the floor blinking repeatedly, crippled and shaking. Dravet Syndrome, also known as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI), causes children to have monthly, weekly or hourly seizures without warning. This illness prevents children from experiencing a true childhood full of discovery and enjoyment. You try multiple treatments, doctors, and medications, but nothing seems to work. Finally, you decide to resort to the medical marijuana and notice the results are astounding. Your child’s behavior changes from quiet and unmotivated to talkative and energetic! Dravet Syndrome is just one of many conditions that medicinal cannabis has proven to help. Many medical conditions qualify for medical marijuana use making it a more reliable and affordable alternative from over-the-counter drugs. However, since the early 1900’s marijuana has been pushed to the side when it comes to being an option for helping people. Anti-marijuana activists believe that marijuana has only negative effects on the heart, brain, and lungs. Although, marijuana is labeled a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin and LSD, legalizing medical use in Florida can benefit the state’s economy in tax revenue as well as the health of its inhabitants who have deadly or torturous medical conditions.

Marijuana, also known as weed, hemp, cannabis, pot, herb, grass, etc., is the most common illegal drug in the United States. Marijuana is also known to be a gateway drug because it can lead people to do more serious drugs. Marijuana is a dried plant often smoked like a cigarette or in a bong or pipe.