Marijuana Should Be A Medical Option Essay

The cannabis plant (marijuana) has been used medicinally by a variety of cultures around the world. It was used as medicine in the United States until when a new tax fee led to its discontinued use. Congress has voted on several bills to legalize the medical use of marijuana; however none of those bills were passed. In June 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal laws against marijuana, including its medical use, are valid. The government has authorized few research studies into the health effects of medical marijuana.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved

One argument is that marijuana could never be a suitable medicine because of the damage that can occur from smoking the plant. The Institute of Medicine addressed this argument in the report, “Marijuana and Medicine,” "Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harm associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications. Thus, the safety issues associated with marijuana do not preclude some medical uses."(126). Although the Institute of Medicine have shown through studies that the benefits from marijuana out-weigh the negative aspect of smoking the plant as a delivery system, there are many other types of delivery systems available to eliminate the need to smoke the plant. Some of which include digesting the plant. Also extracting the THC and inhaling the vapors released when heated to boiling temperature. Marijuana has also been used to make many medications, including: Marinal, Cannibinor, Naboline, and Sativex. These medications were made from extracted THC or synthetic THC.(MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org)

Medical Marijuana Marijuana is medicine. It has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of ailments. Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) was legal in the United States for all purposes - industrial and recreational, as well as medicinal until 1937. Today, only eight Americans are legally allowed to use marijuana as medicine. NORML is working to restore marijuana's availability as medicine.

Arguably, medicinal marijuana has proven to be most effective for the relief of nausea and anorexia associated with cancer and AIDS/HIV treatments. For cancer patients who not only go through the unimaginable pains and discomforts of the disease itself but also the process of treatment through chemotherapy, the option of using marijuana may prove to be helpful in relief of the symptoms. In an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Kate Scannell, M.D. wrote "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss" ("Do"). Dr. Scannell concluded by claiming "...almost every sick and dying patient I've ever known who's tried medical marijuana experienced a kinder death" ("Do"). This example alone is worth allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana. If marijuana brings relief by easing the pain and suffering of just one patient, isn't that enough reason to legalize its use for medicinal purposes?

The use of medical marijuana is a controversial topic because many find it beneficial as others find the usage to be recreational. Many people may find that the usage of medical marijuana may eventually be over prescribed. The use of medical marijuana has increased over the years for treatments to multiple diseases and conditions, but it was not always this way. Although it has been dated to early years, there were periods of times where medical marijuana was illegal. In my opinion, I think treating patients whom are

There is one big problem about the testing of marijuana; the government still classifies it as illegal. They refuse to put it down to a schedule two drug along with cocaine and morphine which they classify as having medical value. Maia Szalavitz of Time magazine compared the addiction rate of marijuana users against tobacco and other hard drugs. She stated, “Marijuana is much less addictive, coming in at 9% to 10%. In contrast, 23% to 25% of heroin users get addicted, along with 15% of alcohol users and 15% to 20% of those who use cocaine.” Nicotine in cigarettes addicts about up to 30% of those who smoke, along with being more harmful to the body according to Robert Melamede. Marijuana seems like it would be a legitimate candidate for medicinal use country wide when compared to alcohol which is legal, cocaine, and morphine which have accepted medical use but also can be more harmful to the user.

Marijuana should be a medicinal option because it relieves major chronic pain to many symptoms. According to the Herald Editorial board, Marijuana shows a great impact on pain, “from a widespread number of causes, including cancer, spinal cord injury and disease, severe spasms, post-traumatic stress disorder, nausea, glaucoma, Parkinson’s and other debilitating ailments.” This drug is useful, as patients at times cannot use certain drug due to allergies or other complications. Marijuana helps elevated those who suffer severe pain that other drugs cannot, but doctors still prescribe stronger and more addictive opiates that are legal. If marijuana was a legal drug for the purpose of medication, marijuana can potentially save lives. Marijuana should be prescribed as there are fewer side effects compared to the drugs prescribed by doctors. Why would the government not allow doctors to prescribe patients with extreme health issues that can potentially help elevate their pain. There are individuals who suffer from epilepsy, epilepsy is a condition that causes nerve cell activity to disturb the brain. At times individuals can have up to 10 seizures a day, at any given moment. Having 10 seizures a day at random times makes it difficult for them to go on with their day, but marijuana can decrease the amount seizures into one day. It’s remarkable on how marijuana can reduce the amount of seizures an epileptic person has. Marijuana needs to be an option for medical purposes for the amount of benefits it provides.

Proponents argue that those who use pot medically get considerable benefit from it. Yet clinical evidence has not shown the therapeutic benefits outweigh the health risks (“Health Effects of Marijuana Use” 9). In fact, prescription drugs do the same thing and are just as effective, if not more so, than medical marijuana. There are many health organizations which oppose smoking marijuana for medical purposes. Among them are The American Society of Addiction Medicine, which states:

Many people have overdosed on medicine prescribed by a doctor, these man made medicine may even kill you, just one pill can end your life. Scientifically said, medical marijuana has cured many more illnesses and some infections than most prescribed medicine. Society should be more informed of Cannabis and not just negatively judge it because it is drug. Ads nowadays show Cannabis as a product that will hurt you and cause side effects in your body, but this my friend is incorrect, medical marijuana can benefit you in different ways; don’t judge a book by its cover. Society just label things to make them seems bad, evil, and harmful, but Medical Marijuana should be legalized for the health being of the people in the whole world, Cannabis is good for many reasons, and the following paper will blow your mind away.

You may have heard of the illegal. Addictive substance so called weed. Yes it is used in a very abusive, unpleasant way. However, it has many appropriate uses that saves lives everyday. Medical marijuana should be an option because it increases appetite in patients with eating disorders, prevent chronic pain, and provides treatment for patients with cancer, epilepsy, and alzheimer's.

Some medical reasons that marijuana shouldn’t be decriminalized are that it has long and short terms effects. Examples of the short term outcomes include memory loss, difficulty with thinking, loss of motor skills and increased heart rate. According to the National Institutes of Health show that someone smoking about five joints per week is taking in as many cancer causing chemicals as someone smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. There is no science proof that smoked marijuana can be used for medication. Since cannabis plants are polluted with a range of fungal spores, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of infectious organisms. Taradiff, J. "Marijuana and the War on Drugs. “Marijuana. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomas Gale, 2008. 157. Print.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is one of America's top debated drug subjects. Since alcohol and tobacco, two life threatening substances, are legal it makes one wonder why marijuana is illegal. Even though it has over twenty health benefits, helps with the creative process, and has fewer long term risk than alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana not only helps people with depression, reduce symptoms of Dravet's Syndrome, helps with the pain and nausea from chemo, but so many other positive things. There is no reason why Marijuana should be illegal when it could help so many people.

Why keep those pricey bottles and boxes of drugs in our medicine cabinets which are worthless? New research suggests that marijuana is a medicine. This is a concern which should be addressed for the citizens of United States who have to fight for their medicine to feel better and ease their illness. This is why marijuana should be a medical option! Marijuana is a natural herbal plant which is often called pot, weed, MMJ, cannabis, bubble gum, green goddess and there are several other names that follows. It can be smoked, eaten and drank. There are few reasons why it should be a medical option such as it costs less, its chemical free, and last it helps with the side effects from other medicines and illnesses.

Many diseases cannot be cured but most doctors can prescribe pain killers that can cause serious internal damage. Marijuana is also used to help ease chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms, and loss of appetite (Anderson 334). With this knowledge further medical research and testing should be done to help those in need. Marijuana has been used medicinally since the 1800s. Marijuana was recognized as a medicinal drug and was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 to 1942.

Even though medicinal marijuana has harmful effects, marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes because medicinal marijuana is less toxic than other prescribed drugs and marijuana has many positive effects on disease and health