Medical Marijuana Is A Drug Misunderstood By Many Nation Wide

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

Marijuana is a highly misunderstood substance, for which people have developed an array of diverse opinions and predilections. The drug remains to be illegal in the majority of America and has received a lot of controversy lately for its growing possibility of nationwide legality. Unlike many of the analysts for this matter, we have decided to provide an unbiased list of simple facts you should know about marijuana. No matter your current position, these facts on the issue should be acknowledged in order to form your own opinions about the misunderstood drug.

Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a controversial topic because many find it beneficial as others find the usage to be recreational. Throughout the years, medical marijuana has gone through periods of times in which it was legal and illegal. Over the years laws have been developed in order to try and regulate the usage of the drug. Studies have shown many the benefits of treating diseases and symptoms. Today it is used in treatment with many different diseases and disorders such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis. As medical marijuana has different species and uses of the product, it is important to depict where the drug can be used for treatment. The usage of this drug enables patients to have a more positive and livable outcome with treatments.

The medical marijuana debate is an interesting one because there’s such a wide diversity of opinions and views that oppose each other. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. They consider these drugs to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse and to be some of the most dangerous drugs, because they’re highly addictive and may cause severe psychological or physical dependence. Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and meth. Many who are against marijuana believe the drug is dangerous, harmful and feel it should remain illegal.

The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is a long-standing controversy. For centuries marijuana was prescribed to alleviate symptoms associated with a variety of illnesses. Anti-medical marijuana sentiments began with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act banned the use of marijuana completely, categorizing it as a drug with no medicinal value, high abuse rates, and detrimental health effects (http://www.farmacy.org/prop215/apha.html). Since 1996, numerous states including California, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have passed medical marijuana initiatives supporting the right to prescribe marijuana for seriously or terminally ill patients (http://www.marihemp.com/marimed.html). The American Public Health Association and the Institute of Medicine represent two organizations that have recently researched and endorsed advancements in the study of medical marijuana. Both groups support the use of marijuana for specific treatments, such as reducing nausea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, stimulating the appetites of AIDS victims, and limiting spasticity in MS patients.

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

“In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.” Francis Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge, stated. Marijuana was thought of as a drug that was enormously harmful to the user’s health and well-being, but the truth about it is that if used correctly, marijuana has the ability to alleviate a variety of medical conditions, some that were thought to be “untreatable.” An immense amount of research and evidence has proven repeatedly that marijuana is able to treat many problems that plague much of our nation. Medical marijuana needs to legalization across the United States because of its ability to aid those with respiratory issues, to assuage one’s struggle with mental disorders, and it has a profound ability to mitigate the side effects often seen with people who are burdened with cancer.

Marijuana is a drug that divides people. Some people claim it as the wonder drug of the '90s, capable of relieving the symptoms of many serious illnesses. Others curse the day the cannabis plant was ever discovered. From pain relief to stimulating the appetites of patients on chemotherapy, marijuana seems to have plenty going for it as a medicine. The legalization of marijuana is a large controversy in many parts of the world today, but the obvious negative effects that the drug induces has kept it from being legalized. Many researchers have a strong positive attitude towards marijuana. It has been said that the drug is “worth investigating and even providing as a medicine for pain relief, severe

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under the US federal Drug Scheduling system created by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA), which indicates that the substance has a high potential for abuse and no approved medicinal use. This policy has the support of several propionate organizations such as the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) (Office of National Drug Control Policy 2014). Despite these facts, Medical Marijuana is currently legal in 23 States and the District of Columbia (23 Legal Medial Marijuana States and DC 2014). The use of medical marijuana in these states is supported by several national organizations such as the American Nurses Association, the

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years for medical, spiritual, and recreational purposes. The medicinal benefits and uses of marijuana are finally being researched by scientists, as the U.S. is starting to legalize medical and recreational marijuana. Medical marijuana clinics operate in 20 states, and its recreational use is now legal in Colorado and Washington, yet researchers haven’t been able to much research on its promising ingredients (Brody 2013). Cannabis is classified as an illegal Schedule I drug in the U.S., therefore putting up the barriers for researchers testing its safety, biological ingredients and side effects. Scientists emphasize the need to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug to permit rigorous scientific evaluation of the potential medical benefits of cannabinoids (Brody, 2013).

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.

Today medicine is becoming more and more expensive and less natural as we advance in the medical industry. Medical Technology is so advance that there is a treatment for every kind of sickness. Some more dangerous than others but one of most simple and natural of them all is Medical Cannabis or better known as “Marijuana”. It was first prohibited in 1937 under the "Marijuana Tax Act" the move was made to protect the patents and fortunes of a few ultra-wealthy capitalists. But since then the drug has been proven to help with medical treatments. Marijuana is becoming more mainstream: more than 20 states have legalized it in some way or another, and several other states are thinking of changing their Medical Cannabis

What is Marijuana? Some may argue it is a medicinal plant and others may argue it is a harmful drug. The U.S government currently lists marijuana as a schedule 1 controlled substance. This would be equally ranked as heroin, LSD, and ecstasy to name a few. Marijuana would be ranked higher than the three highest ranking deadliest drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine. As a schedule 1 drug, marijuana is considered to be more dangerous than prescription opioids (painkillers), which currently holds 1st place for the most overdoses. A wide variety of categories like HIV/ AIDs, cancer, glaucoma, and trauma patients report improved comfort and pain relief without the harmful side effects of death. Medical marijuana is a safe and effective alternative to prescription drugs

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a schedule one narcotic that contains eighty unique chemicals known as cannabinoids; "Of these, the most pharmacologically active is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)("Medical Marijuana"). Cannabinoids are helpful in treating pain, nausea, and stimulating appetite. Extraction of marijuana comes in the form of tinctures, pills, vapors, edibles, topical lotions, and also smoked; due to carcinogens contained in the smoke, research shows that smoking cannabis lists concerns for lung cancer. Marijuana can be addicting with heavy usage: it has also shown an increase in psychosis with those suffering from mental illness. The Federal Government is currently still against the legalization

The use of cannabis toward medicine should not be shocking to anyone, since it has been around for centuries. As a matter of fact, it has been under medicinal aid for an estimated 5,000 years. Western medicine truly grasped marijuana’s medicinal abilities in the 1850’s. Infact, doctors documented over one hundred papers about how marijuana helped numerous disorders, such as nausea, glaucoma, movement disorders, pain relief, depression, and anxiety. It also helps cancer patients and those with HIV or Aids. Currently, many American patients have access to marijuana use so that they can have effective treatments for their illnesses. Medical marijuana use is achievable because