Many scientists, doctors, and patients recognize the medicinal utility of marijuana. However, the federal government opposes passing legislation that would legalize medical marijuana because of its potential to be abused or unregulated. The states are continuously challenging the federal government causing complications in legislation in regards to medical marijuana. Because of its history of medicinal properties and accumulating amounts of state and local legislation, the federal government should decriminalize medical marijuana and legalize its use. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard and an authority on medical marijuana, researched medical marijuana’s history for a legal hearing. He …show more content…
Those who didn’t comply with the regulations were jailed or fined. The law made it very difficult to obtain marijuana medically. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics used “anti-diversion” regulations, or regulations to prohibit certain exported goods, which angered physicians further. By 1941, medical cannabis was removed from the U.S. Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (Grinspoon 1-8). In the 1960s, stories of its medical properties were published in mainstream magazines, and as the legislative concerns about the recreational purposes surfaced, Congress passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act (1970). Also known as the Controlled Substances Act, this placed psychoactive drugs into five categories, with marijuana in Schedule I: the most restrictive, indicating very little medicinal value, safety concerns, and a high potential for abuse. Dronabinol (i.e. marinol), a marijuana derivative, was placed in Schedule III, allowing it to be used safely as medicine. Following the categorization, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) attempted, through several petitions and legal hearings, to encourage the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to re-categorize natural marijuana as a Schedule II drug, so it could be prescribed by doctors (Grinspoon 8-10). Also, the states began to challenge federal legislation, creating a significant conflict within federalism. Court cases also impacted medical marijuana
The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic in the media for many years now. There is a major divide in those who believe it should be legal, those who do not, and those who think it could be legal with modifications on the usage. The number of those who support the legalization of marijuana is on the rise with nearly 50% supporting recreational marijuana legalization, and 81% supporting marijuana legalization for medical treatment as of 2015 ("Public Support for Marijuana Legalization, 2015”). Marijuana should be legalized on a federal level because it is safer than alcohol, it will increase the economy, and there is an unfair criminalization of marijuana.
This book explains real the medicinal value of marijuana. why is it illegal? David Ford explains how the federal government created a systematic campaign of deception that began in the 1930's. From fifty years of research and interviews with hundreds of marijuana users, the author offers many arguments why marijuana should never have been illegal. The government is aware that marijuana never resulted in even one documented death. In 1966, the voters of California and Arizona approved marijuana for medical purposes. This has sparked up a controversy. Should it be legalized or not? I want to write about this because, this is one of the most talked about and most argued about subjects in America today. It is definitely a subject that should be examined and researched a little more. I will use David’s book to illustrate whether or not marijuana should be legalized or not. In honesty I am not a fan for marijuana, I think the world functions just fine as it
Marijuana was in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed to patients for various conditions including labor pains, nausea and rheumatism. During the 1850’s up to the 1930’s it was a very popular intoxicant. A movement conducted in the 1930’s by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (presently the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) fought to make marijuana appear to be an Addicting and powerful substance that would lead
“According to the United Nations, 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana—more than 3.8% of the planet’s population” (Drugfreeworld.org, 2014). Marijuana is one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world (Sewell). It has received a plethora of criticism in the past and its negative reputation has carried on throughout history, making the legalization of marijuana one of the most controversial topics today. Marijuana does not deserve the reputation it receives, and in actuality it serves many medicinal purposes for the human body. Marijuana should be legalized in all 50 states for medical use.
Legalizing marijuana is crucial to the medical field because many patients cannot use this marvelous plant to relieve their pain. This plant can help patients with multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, HIV, nerve pain, and seizure disorders. Many patients must go behind the doctors back and consume cannabis or give it to a loved one to relieve their pain. Only twenty-nine states have allowed the use of medical marijuana. Furthermore, that means that twenty-two states do not allow the usage of any form of Cannabis. Marijuana should be an all-around legal
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While
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
First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very “loose” with the use of marijuana. Hoxter a weed smuggler explains how he began in the 1960’s trying weed and years later saw himself unloading four hundred pounds of pot in Vancouver. The story of this man ends in his isolation and argument of why he couldn’t smoke weed even if he stopped selling? He asked a parole officer and she didn’t know what to respond. It is true what Hoxter states, fifty years ago alcohol was illegal and now it’s not, was it bad then? Will weed be legalized? And will the conflicts have been in vain? (Schou 8). Around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression (Zeese 1999). With this new worldwide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country want the
How could a federally illegal drug be given to the citizens by physicians of the United States to potentially be grown in their homes? Medical marijuana is a common phenomenon that is acceptable in more than half of the 50 states. Individuals of all ages are affected by the new regulations of the once illegal substance and exposed more than one might think. Marijuana is introduced through schools by peers as a parent struggles to ensure their child will maintain an effective future. This particular drug is dangerous and can have intense effects to the body. To reduce the exposure of the harmful effects of marijuana, physicians should not be given the power to distribute the substance. Medical marijuana should not be given as a form of medicine in the United States because of the drugs negative effects to the body, the central nervous system, and one’s physical health. Also research has proven that the drug is known to be abused by individuals around the country who have been given access.
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.
Today’s society this has change in some many ways. For instances laws has change some for the good and some for the bad. In this paper we be discussing whether to continue the federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers under the accordance with the federal controlled substance Act. There are so many opinions that people have on this issues. Some people may disagree with congress for passing this law and they may feel that it’s giving people the right to smoke marijuana freely and then you have some people that agree with this law being pass. Because they may feel that it’s helping people with different disease and with their chronic pain. Then you can’t say that they just want to smoke marijuana freely because all states have not passed the law that has legalized medical marijuana.
Marijuana has a long standing history of being one of the most controversial substances in America. While the history or the Cannabis plant indicates not only acceptance as a useful plant, but even advocated as a source of revenue and medicinal usage, much of the United States government propaganda over the last 100+ years has led Americans to accept very slighted and often false information about the plant and its uses. Based on the origin of the illegalization of marijuana and the inconsistent findings of its effects in comparison to other substances, both legal and illegal, marijuana should be decriminalized and treated as a recreational substance just as alcohol and tobacco are.
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.
Marijuana has been vilified in America over the past 70+ years. Despite its many practical uses, medicinal and industrial, our Federal government insists on maintaining the status quo that the growth, possession and use of marijuana is criminal despite the evidence that the legalization of marijuana would have a positive influence on America. In this paper I will discuss the history of marijuana, the industrial uses of hemp, the prohibition of marijuana, the economic impact prohibition has on America, the effects of marijuana use on the mind and the body, marijuana for medical use, and how legalization of marijuana would have a positive influence on America. Although
One major way the legalization and regulation of marijuana can benefit society is for medical use or prescription by a doctor. Critics of this may be quick to assert this is an excuse to entertain personal interest and satisfaction one would achieve from the drug. However, there are