Marijuan The Gateway Drug

Thesis Statement: Marijuana has been regarded as a harmful plant that can endanger lives and is thought to be nothing more than an extra problem to be dealt with in today’s society. However, based on its economic value and medical benefits, the cannabis has proven to outweigh its negatives with numerous other positives.

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

Marijuana is listed under one of the ancient and prohibited drugs with high rate of use for both medical and recreational purposes (Grinspoon and Bakalar qtd. in Lucas et al. 435). It has been used for the last 5000 years around the world by both legal and illegal ways. Furthermore, Grinspoon and Bakalar in their research say that “despite the high rate of recreational use and over 5000 years of therapeutic applications, this plant has resulted in relatively few serious negative physical or social impacts beyond the consequences associated with legal prohibitions on its use” (Lucas et al. 435). Canada was the first country in the world which outlawed use of cannabis in 1923 and there are no scientific basis behind its prohibition (MacQueen

According to “ Marijuana: A Continuing Concern for Pediatricians” from the journal Pediatrics, marijuana has major effects on the human body and one’s personal life. The author feels that people need to be aware of these effects. Therefore, marijuana should not be legalized in the United States. In this article the author wants to advise people of all the effects that can take place after smoking marijuana. One of the author’s largest ideas, is that marijuana is known as a gateway drug. Therefore, the drug itself can cause addiction, and if you smoke marijuana you can likely become addicted to another type of drug. Once someone uses the drug, issues regarding school, grades, money, and a job come into play as well (Marijuana: A Continuing Concern).

The gateway theory is a hypothesis which states that the use of gateway drugs (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) lead to the use of more illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. “Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” Marijuana is thus considered by the U.S. government to be more dangerous than cocaine and opium - both Schedule II drugs, and at the same time a

Cannabis has cured some Cancer symptoms for many patients, “A number of studies of smoked marijuana found that it can be helpful in treating nausea and vomiting from cancer chemotherapy...studies have found that inhaled (smoked or vaporized) marijuana can be helpful treatment of neuropathic pain (pain caused by damaged nerves)” ("Marijuana and Cancer." Marijuana and Cancer. Web. 13 Nov. 2015) meaning that inhaling medical marijuana can actually help you with some symptoms that cancer does on your body. “More recently, scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in laboratory

“Small, green and a miracle, It’s helped me for years allowing me to to handle the pain I get with my chemo, it’s like a miracle drug “, once said my grandfather who suffered from pancreatic cancer, who thanks to cannabis , was given 10 more months than the 3 he was expected to live. Even though medical cannabis is viewed as a street drug , it is an alternative to other prescription drugs because it can help prevent complications that prescription drugs cause and can be used to treat many diseases . Cannabis has a great medicinal purpose , and is a somewhat universal drug, that may be used in both animals and humans of all ages.

Marijuana is good and bad in today's society. Some people have the opinions of why it should be legal and some have why it shouldn't be legal. Most people of the people that say it should be legal are just basing it on opinion and not facts. There are many specific reasons why the United States have not passed the bill to make “drug” legal.

There is evidence showing that cannabis has a positive effect on people fighting cancer, but most of the evidence is hardly debatable. One study suggests that cannabis is better than synthetic products that are used to treat cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and immunotherapy. Cancer patients were asked to join the study at a guidance session then given a medical marijuana license following the license; patients

It is hard to imagine the day-to-day pain that a cancer patient endures, but one can imagine that any type of relief would be invited from the victim and their families. These poor individuals suffer throughout the day, and unfortunately are in so much discomfort that attempting to live an ordinary life is virtually impossible. Providing people in these conditions with something that will help is almost a no brainer to people looking from the outside in. This is where marijuana can be an effective substitute for the treatments they are already taking. On this drug, many of those going through unbearable pain can function, and begin to appreciate life as they might have before the pain began.

Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.

Marijuana is a topic that is often brought up these days and the real question is; is marijuana good for you or bad for you? Cannabis often referred to bud, pot, Mary Jane and Kush is an herb that can be naturally grown anywhere in this world. In the article “Historical timeline” it states “English men brought marijuana into the United States after the Spanish brought it into the world in the 16th century...English men brought marijuana to Jamestown and first settled there” (19). However, Tobacco had been already a major crop and weed was added to that supply list. In the article “historical timeline” it explains “Marijuana was used as a pharmaceutical drug from 1850 to 1936” (43). Around the 1930’s the government believed that the use of marijuana caused insanity and criminal activities. In today’s society weed is used to receive the “high” feeling. Weed in the United States is used for mainly partying and many idiotic actions. The United States should legalize marijuana because if used correctly, it can be extremely beneficial and treat dreadful symptoms.

It is no secret that America is not the healthiest country in the world. According to the National Cancer Institute1, an increase of worldwide cancer cases of 50% is projected for the year 2030, and worldwide cancer deaths are projected to increase by 60% by that time as well. As a teenage girl who has lost her father to cancer quite recently, hearing those statistics broke my heart. Marijuana however, has beneficial values to those who use it for this disease. When used as a part of naturopathy to beating cancer, marijuana can actually cancer cells. When it comes to chemotherapy or another

As time goes on, peoples outlook on many different things develop and evolve. From the beginning of time, there has always been things that we did not understand; from fire and weather, to ourselves and our universe. We have conquered many obstacles in our existence to find the answers to problems that humanity faces. People have studied hard and learned more than we ever could have imagined, but there will always be more to learn. Until recently, very few facts have been known about Cannabis. Ideas of the plant have been based simply on the opinions of people in high positions of society. People have a history of being afraid of what we do not know, and forming opinions and principles based on that fear. It is time to take a realistic approach and find out what we are truly dealing with. Through exploring the history,

Drugs are heavily used throughout the entire world. However, it is important to understand and not undermine the variability in which drugs are used. It is clear some are for distinct medical treatment and others are for recreational use. In the United States, marijuana has been and continues to be a very controversial drug. Some states have allowed marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes, while others have completely outlawed the drug. Those who are against the legalization and regulation of marijuana suggest the economical and health risk associated with consumption of the drug are too high. Although there is risk involved with the legalization of the marijuana, our country has already been risking too much banning the drug.