Dear Representative Carter, I am contacting you concerning the legalization of prescribing Medical Marijuana. In light of the mounting evidence of marijuana’s medical efficacy, I urge your support giving suffering and severely ill patients in our state legal access to marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C. now have laws to protect patients who benefit from the medical use of marijuana. The number of states and the number of approved uses for medical marijuana is expected to increase. Physicians will bear the responsibility of prescribing marijuana and thus have an obligation to understand the issues involved regarding the Pro’s and Con’s. I hope the evidence will persuade you to introduce or support …show more content…
According to the IOM, for patients with AIDS or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and suffering from severe pain, nausea, and appetite loss, marijuana and other cannabinoid drugs might offer relief not found in any other single medication. There have been a large amount of published papers on the scientific and medicinal value of marijuana on illness such as Neurofibromatosis, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Lupus, Interstitial cystitis, Myasthenia gravis, Cancer, Glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, Lou Gehrig's disease (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, Cachexia (wasting syndrome), Muscular dystrophy, Fibromyalgia, Spinal cord disease and injury, Multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, Tourette’s, and Epilepsy. According to Abrams (2007), marijuana has been shown effective in the reduction of pain related to neuropathy in HIV also mood and daily function has been shown to be improved. This improvement in daily functioning may be related to the improved appetite and sleep that marijuana induces. In ALS marijuana reduces appetite loss, depression, pain and spasticity. Patients with MS also report a decreased in pain with the use of marijuana. In some preliminary research, there may be some antiproliferative action on tumors. If not
Marijuana is one of the most discussed and controversial topics in the U.S today. Many say that it has medicinal benefits and should be made legal. While many say that it has a “high potential for abuse” (Medical) and should remain illegal. Among the arguments, proponents for medical marijuana have presented a stronger argument for legalization through their use of research and evidence.
Nevertheless, it is proven fact marijuana frequently contributes aid to the struggles which accompany several severe illnesses. For example, marijuana treats the side effects of the treatment of AIDS. Vomiting and nausea are significantly reduced, as well as appetites being increased (qtd. in “Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine”). The substance also assists with intense effects which come from chemotherapy. Constant feelings of nausea are diminished and stomach sensitivity is lessened. Those who have used marijuana, while undergoing cancer treatment, have experienced better results than when using brand name medications. Not only does it help with the effects of treatment, in some cases it stops the disease from progressing or happening (qtd. in “Ibid”). In epilepsy patients who used cannabis, it allowed them to reduce their dosage of other medications and in some cases prevented the epileptic seizure from occurring in other patients (Kubby and Rosenthal 68).
Marijuana has survived the passing of time and still helps the sick today. The advanced stages of treatment for patients with Cancer, AIDS and other diseases often include, terrible nausea, vomiting, and different types of pain. Patients have reported much relief from
The decriminalization of marijuana is an incredibly controversial topic in the United States. Conservative views deem the drug dangerous and debilitating, while reformers suggest that legalizing the plant would have an enormous positive impact on the economy. While others, the terminally ill, wish for the plant to be legal so it can be offered as a less toxic and sometimes more effective alternative to harsh prescription drugs. an overwhelming wealth of facts that state the benefits marijuana can have medically.
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
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
References 1. Bearman, P. (2011, November 30). Medical Marijuana. In Procon.org. Retrieved from www.procon.org 2.
The legalization of marijuana in other states has increased access to and acceptability of this drug for both medicinal and recreational purposes. In the absence of well-designed research and FDA approval, this creates unique challenges for both practitioners and regulators alike. Doctors are being pressured to recommend medical marijuana based off of the requests of the users. The regulations that have been put on marijuana are extremely loose fitting and hard to control
“Marijuana has been shown to alleviate symptoms of a wide range of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer 's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), epilepsy, Crohn 's disease, and glaucoma, and is often an effective alternative to narcotic painkillers.” (Merino) Medical marijuana helps increase people 's appetite, relieves symptoms of pain and diseases that affect their ability to move, and helps reduce anxiety levels when dealing with certain diseases or more intense treatments. There are also different and safer forms of using medical marijuana other than smoking such as edibles, oils, vaporizing, tinctures, transdermal patches, and beverages. “ Marijuana took away my nausea, so I could eat healthy. It took away the severe restlessness and anxiety, so I could relax. It allowed me to eat, sleep and be up and active when I was awake — all of which are critical to recovery.” (Bokland) Most medical marijuana supporters suffer from a form of cancer or other disease, medical marijuana is a safe treatment that has been proven to help people who suffer from these diseases. A group of physicians named “The Doctors for Cannabis Regulation” are the largest group of doctors that are in favor of medical marijuana legalization, deming that cannabis is far less dangerous and unhealthy for adults than both alcohol and tobacco. Even with all this information, people still refuse to allow the use of medical
Gray’s article “Legalize Use of Marijuana for Medical Purposes, MDs and Patients Plead” sufficiently appeals to the reader’s pathos. However, she fails to support her claim that marijuana needs to become legal and doctors should have a supply available for their patients due to the lack of detail, statistics, and unreliable
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
The debate regarding marijuana for medical usage has become more evident in recent years. There has been a controversy in both the public and healthcare arena. The debate on legalization of marijuana has some advocators emphasizing the benefits of using medical marijuana such as relieving chronic pain, nausea and vomiting while the opponents are emphasizing the ability to become addicted to of this drug and the lack of research done to know the side effects (Porche, 2013). Overall the real question is should marijuana be a medical option?
In recent years legalization of marijuana has been a controversial issue. With states like California and Colorado establishing recreational systems other states have yet to even allow medicinal usage. This much heated debate has raised cause for concern everywhere and is a relevant topic. The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 was first installed in California and now 20 years later it is being passed in the state of New York. Two decades of experiments, studies, and policies have still left many open questions. The legalization of marijuana is not fully recognized by our country but studies have shown that further knowledge is needed to make better reform on the matter which is why I believe that marijuana should be legalized and regulated.
Finally, in order to achieve a cautious and compassionate use of medical marijuana, several recommendations should be taken in consideration to be implemented. So patients with debilitating symptoms who had been exhausting the regular conventional therapies could maintain a good quality of life. The following recommendations are synthesized based on the reviewed latest research evidences and updated practices literature:
The argument for medical marijuana legalization has been one of the controversial debates that have raised heated discussions in many conferences worldwide. Therefore, this essay will provide a consistent and comprehensive argument to support the position that medical marijuana should be legalized. In this essay, the stand will focus on the fundamental aspects behind treatment. In addition, it will present evidence for how marijuana treatment provides heaps of benefits for terminally ill patients as well as pain relief options for others. As if so, this essay corroborates that legalization will allow substance controls and regulations, in turn, minimizing the chances for abuse or addiction.