Marijuana Should Be Legalized for Medicinal Purposes
How would most Americans react if the law allowed the use of heroin, LSD, or amphetamines for medical purposes? Many of us would react in disbelief mainly because of the effects of these powerful and addictive drugs. However, in Arizona the law permits the use of heroin, LSD, and amphetamines for medicinal purposes, yet the medicinal use of marijuana remains illegal in the United States ("Facts"). Because marijuana is categorized as a Schedule 1 drug under the federal Controlled Substance Act ("Issues"), physicians cannot legally prescribe it. The national debate on the effectiveness of marijuana as medicine is divided between those who advocate marijuana's medicinal value and
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Cannabinoids are only found in marijuana.
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?
Not only has marijuana proven its therapeutic value for cancer and HIV/AIDS patients, but it has also proven to be more effective for most patients than current prescription drugs used. One of these current prescription drugs is dronabinol, known by its trade name as Merinol, which is a pill form of the primary active ingredient in marijuana, THC
Smoked marijuana can give rapid relief from such suffering to some patients, quickly improving such patients' comfort and quality of life, a trial course of smoked marijuana should be a medical option. Instead the government will squander a golden opportunity to gain the knowledge that keeps us from legalizing a drug that can be greatly beneficial to the American people. The U.S. Government also claims that marijuana is bad for the immune system.
Marijuana is a misunderstood drug. Many assume that the usage of marijuana, or cannabis, is dangerous, but it can be the exact opposite. So why is the legalization of marijuana in the United States such a problem for many people today? Considered to be a gateway drug and the reason for the downfall of our youth nowadays, marijuana has developed a negative reputation. Lester Grinspoon, a professor at Harvard University, states, “Few drugs in the United States have produced as much affective heat as marijuana, particularly during the last decade. The controversy essentially revolves around the question of how dangerous or safe the drug is." However, many people are persistent users and believe that this drug is no more harmful than
The two main cannabinoids in Cannabis are THC and CBD and both have been scientifically proven as well as FDA approved to provide several medical benefits that assist in the argument in legalizing medical marijuana. According to an article on drugabuse.gov, “THC increases appetite and reduces nausea and may also decrease pain, inflammation, and muscle control problems. CBD is a cannabinoid that may be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating mental illness and addictions.” These two main cannabinoids have been proven to provide patients with several medical benefits that other drugs cannot provide and that may not be safe or have safe side-effects. Since medical marijuana has so many medical benefits that it can provide as a benefit to so many patients, including cancer patients, by killing certain cancer cells and slowing its growth down then it would only be fair to legalize it throughout the United States for the sake of every patient’s health (drugabuse.gov). As stated before, medical marijuana is also a safer alternative to a variety of other drugs which is another reason as to why it should be
In addition, anecdotal evidence exists that marijuana is effective in the treatment of arthritis, migraine headaches, pruritis, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other mood disorders. Marijuana could benefit as many as five million patients in the United States. However, except for the eight individuals given special permission by the federal government, marijuana remains illegal-even as medicine! Individuals currently suffering from any of the aforementioned ailments, for whom the standard legal medical alternatives have not been safe or effective, are left with two choices: Continue to suffer from the effects of the disease; or Obtain marijuana illegally and risk the potential consequences, which may include: an insufficient supply because of the prohibition-inflated price or unavailability; impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana; arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.
Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General, once spoke about the legalization of marijuana for medical use in a press conference. "It's criminal to keep this medicine from patients," she said (Silverman, 1995, pg. 2). She received criticism not only from many citizens of the United States, but also strong criticism from the President who appointed her. The legalization of marijuana for medical use has always been a sharply debated subject, and many of the debaters are uneducated about the effects of using this illegal drug for therapeutic use. Many studies have been done and the results are clear. As a medical drug, marijuana should be available to patients who do not adequately respond to currently available
Medicinal marijuana is proven beneficial for cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and more patients. These are some of the most worst diseases on the planet and we have a plant that can help patients in multiple ways but until recently we didn’t legalize this. There's a chemical found in marijuana that stops
Marijuana is a schedule one drug, and has no medicinal purpose. Cocaine and morphine on the other hand are schedule two and do have medicinal value. Gen. McCafferey says "a physician who tries to prescribe a schedule one drug with or without the referendums in California or Arizona, is subject to prosecution under federal law." (Simmons112) This quote has come under great duress since the DEA is the only group which can arrest someone who uses pot and slap someone with a petty misdemeanor. People will not care if they run the risk of a misdemeanor and likely use the drug anyway. Dennis Peron, one of the leading activists of marijuana legalization, has devoted twenty years to the legalization of marijuana. He says that when friend Jonathan West, developed AIDS, Dennis saw the potential uses for medical marijuana when he saw Jonathan feel better after smoking weed. (Rist and Harrison 75-76) Peron fought wildly to pass a bill to legalize medicinal marijuana. "Any other drug that eased nausea, increased appetite, and reduced pain, would be prescribed everywhere." says Peron. (Rist and Harrison 75-76) A Harvard Medical psychiatrist calls the drug a "wonder drug" for pain, nausea, and appetite. However, there are many cons to the pros in prescribing marijuana for nausea and pain. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active drug in marijuana used to help relieve nausea in cancer
Additionally, medical marijuana could also cure cancer, a vigorous disease that kills many people daily. Research shows that THC is the main cannabinoid associated with marijuana and has been recognized to contain a strong anti-cancer effect. Wai Liu, a researcher discovered that there are numerous less known cannabinoids that may decrease the growth of cancer cells in Leukemia. Liu also found out that because the cannabinoids are not psychoactive, a patient could have the anti-cancer benefits without having the high feeling associated with THC (Bekiempis 1). Thus, marijuana does not target all rapidly dividing cells like the way chemotherapy or radiation does – which leads to weight and hair loss. Rather, the marijuana attacks the cancer (Bekiempis 1). Additionally, medical marijuana has many therapeutic uses. For example, research proves that
Marijuana is the familiar name for a raw drug made from the plant cannabis sativa. One of the active chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinal (THC); a stimulant it give users the pleasure effect of relaxation, known as a “high” or hallucinating when consumed too much either through oral or smoking. It is the mainstream drug and a blistering topic to our nation in this day and age. Legalizing marijuana is an ever-growing political and social battle making its way to the top of American controversial issues list. Marijuana is one of the prime adversaries on the outlook of America’s war on drugs. Numerous people crave this drug to be permissible and readily available similar to tobacco and alcohol. While it is mind-boggling that
Medical Marijuana is a very controversial topic amongst the human population. Some say Marijuana is a drug and people who use Marijuana are criminals. On the other side of the argument there is: Marijuana is a plant, and it is grown to be used for medicinal purposes. Whichever side of the argument you are on, there is no denying that Medical Marijuana has been a hot topic for discussion in the last five years. Personally I believe the reasons for Medical Marijuana can help with Cancer,Anxiety it is way better then over the counter drug also helps with seizures, It is Helping with Depression and it Stimulate appetite (we know because of the munchies) the stats have increased with years and the strands have gotten better. The tread rather than some pre-teens who want to get high is only the charts for the medical use only not the street trends of it. Since Medical Marijuana has been around for
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.
Marijuana is a green or brown mix of preserved, crushed leaves from the marijuana plant. A psychoactive drug, marijuana contains fifty-percent more tar than tobacco. Smoking the harmful plant can damage the brain, lungs, and the male reproductive system and may escalate the effects of epilepsy and psychosis (Kahler, 1988). Within campus colleges and universities, there are a lot of students who are using marijuana recreationally. Long-term marijuana use can induce negative effects on short-term memory, concentration, attention span, motivation, and problem solving, which clearly interfere with learning. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, can reinforce dependence on the drug and on other addictive drugs (Joffe &
Is it possible for an illegal drug to be deemed legal for medical purposes? Well for an illegal drug like marijuana, that is the question. There are currently many people who use marijuana legally to suppress their illness. Marijuana should be allowed for medicinal purposes.
We have all heard it over and over again, listening to everyone go on about how its wrong and its not healthy, but honestly people would not act they way they do if they cared what everyone else thought. This pertains especially to those of you who smoke marijuana. If marijuana users actually cared what everyone else thought, they would not be using it, even though it is illegal marijuana is one of the most attainable illegal substances out there. If marijuana is so attainable, and so many people like to indulge in using it then why has it been so hard to get it legalized? Marijuana can be extremely beneficial in several ways. Medical marijuana has many uses, its helped in easing pain, side effects of chemotherapy, and it can also
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.