Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Roughly three million people in the United States suffer from glaucoma and the disease has actually impaired two million of those people. Glaucoma is the number one cause of blindness in the United States. Smoked marijuana does have properties that lower high internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), alleviating the pain and slowing, sometimes stopping the damage to the eyes.

Marijuana is no longer used just to achieve euphoria or by hippies to show rebellion against the United States authorities. In today’s world you do not need a lava lamp and a van down by the river, you can now receive marijuana from doctors. The medicinal use of marijuana is fairly new in the U.S. One of the most common diseases medical marijuana patients suffer from is glaucoma. Although it is now legal, recent studies show hemp may not be the answer for glaucoma patients. The benefits of marijuana’s use for glaucoma treatment has not proven to outweigh its risks.

Studies have proven that marijuana is no more harmful to a person’s health than alcohol or tobacco. Every year, tobacco kills roughly 390,000 people, alcohol contributes to 80,000 deaths in America and marijuana contributed to 0; no deaths from marijuana have ever been recorded in US history (Abovetheinfluence.org). When smoking tobacco, the user inhales tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and 200 other known poisons into the lungs (Abovetheinfluence.org). All forms of tobacco, including cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco, contain the addictive drug nicotine, and can also cause cancer. Alcohol alters a person's perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing. Alcohol plays a role in at least 50 percent of traffic deaths, about half of murders, and about 25 percent of suicides (Abovetheinfluence.org). Marijuana side effects include delusions, impaired memory, hallucinations and disorientation, which are no different from the side effects of alcohol alone.

There has been reports of marijuana being less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. According to the British research foundation two deaths worldwide can be directly caused by marijuana, yet 150,000 people die from alcohol and tobacco (“Marijuana Less Harmful"). Moreover, CNN discusses the ongoing debate of marijuana legalization which concluded that alcohol is the most used addictive substance in the USA. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism documented that about 17.6 people suffer from alcohol abuse which causes withdrawal symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, nausea, and so on. While, marijuana symptoms are not fully understood, but the NSDA states 9% of people who smoke marijuana became addicted to it. The

Firstly, marijuana has many health benefits. It can be used to treat a disease in the eye called glaucoma, by

Another advantage of legalising marijuana may be the medical benefits of cannabis which can be used to create a safe therapeutic effect, when used medicinally in its purest form. Studies also show the marijuana when used under a supervised routine of medical care can be used to reduce stress, as well as relieving and reducing nausea from cancer patients who participate in chemotherapy. Other medical source’s state Marijuana, once again when used under supervision for medical reasons can be effective in treating glaucoma, through relieving pressure on one’s eye socket, as well providing relief to those suffering from AID’s and Multiple sclerosis. Whilst to put in perspective the damaging effects of marijuana in

Medical marijuana can also be used to treat and prevent the eye disease glaucoma, which can damage the optic nerve, by increased pressure of eyeball and causing loss of vision. According to the National Eye Institute: "Studies in the early 1970s showed that marijuana, when smoked, lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) in people with normal pressure and those with glaucoma." These effects of the drug may prevent blindness. Marijuana use also decreases the symptoms of a severe seizure disorder known as Dravet's Syndrome. THC may be able to slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a study led by Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute suggests. Another benefit of medical marijuana is that it relieves arthritis discomfort, by reducing inflammation, which may help

There are many scientifically proven health benefits to smoking marijuana the first of which is it can be used to treat glaucoma and other eye disease. Pot doesn’t just treat glaucoma it can be used to prevent it. According to the National Eye Institute "Studies in the early 1970s showed that

Marijuana has been found to aid certain medical conditions and in the US, 23 states have legalized the use of the medical extracts from the plant. For example, ‘cannabis oil’. Glaucoma is a disease which can harm the nerves in the eye and can lead to permanent blindness. According to the National Eye institute, marijuana can relieves the fluids in the eye, reducing the stress on the eye. Studies began in 1978, studying the effects of marijuana in diseases like glaucoma and marijuana was proven to be a vbremedy for the disease. Other serious medical diseases i.e. Cancer have been linked to marijuana in the case of the drug reducing the effects of the serious disease. These cases have proven marijuana is a medical drug and can be used to treat diseases. However, in the UK there is no legalisation of any kind for the drug. Therefore, they are unable to conduct any cases with marijuana involving patients. Due to marijuana’s reputation of being an addictive high and, just like any other drug,

If the people smoked marijuana, the weed can stop the disease from getting worse and can stop the patient from going blind.Scientists have said that smoking weed is more effective for glaucoma than other eye medicines. When a person has glaucoma, their pupils dilate and can cause sharp pains in the eyes. The patient can be prescribed marijuana so the pain goes down and doesn't cause any pain.

Marijuana has been found to alleviate symptoms of serious diseases. Asthma, glaucoma, and muscle spasms are just a few. It has also been proven to help a

There are two FDA approved chemically altered forms of THC dronabinol and nabilone and was shown to reduce chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting in a cancer patients. It may also be used to help people who are suffering to the symptoms of aids. A effect of marijuana is ¨munchies¨ and has been used to stimulate the appetite of a HIV/AIDS patient and other people that have a suppressed appetite. According to the article ¨medical marijuana: Benefits, Risks & State Laws¨ and states ¨Medical marijuana has also been touted as a treatment for glaucoma, which is an elevated pressure in the eyeball that can lead to blindness. While smoking marijuana may reduce intraocular pressure, marijuana must be consumed numerous times during the day to have the desired effect and other drugs are more effective, according to the American Cancer Society. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive component of marijuana that has therapeutic

Glaucoma is a condition which can lead to blindness if left untreated. It is caused mainly by the increase pressure in the eye. Marijuana is made primary of cannabis which contains Cannabinoids. Cannabinoids successfully lowers the pressure in the eye making it a possible cure for glaucoma. What about patients who suffer from epilepsy or seizures? In 2015 at the New York University medical school researchers have found a fifty percent decrease in the patients using Cannabidiol(CBD). Cannabidiol is simply defined as a compound found in marijuana except it will not make the person high. Many parents of children who suffer from seizures are being treated with Cannabidiol.

If cannabis for medical use was passed as a law researchers would be more capable of doing studies to add onto the already numerous amounts of studies that they have done, but these new studies would open up the eyes to many negative or positive. What we do know is that studies have shown that medical marijuana reduces intraocular pressure in the eye, which slows the development of glaucoma. (Businessinsider.com) In another study done in 2007 medical marijuana, which contains cannabidiol, was once again able to slow down the advancement of the spread of cancer cells because the affect that this cannabidiol has on a certain gene (businessinsider.com). Once again due to a study completed by Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute in 2006, showed that the THC contained in marijuana slowed affects of plaque build up that destroy brain cells and cause the disease known as Alzheimer’s (businessinsider.com). These are only a few reports of the diseases that marijuana can have a positive affect on.

The end result is blindness. Smoking marijuana relieves this pressure that builds up. In one