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Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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The legalization of marijuana has been a very controversial issue in America’s society. Many citizens of America are very against the legalization due to false assumptions about the plant. The truth has been in the process of being uncovered for a couple years now but is heavily criticized because of the stereotypical picture of a “pot smoker”. This stereotype has brought years of misinformation and propaganda that comes off as ignorant. Marijuana should be legalized, not only for medical purposes, but for industrial and revenue purposes.
Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references to use medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders. These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Today, thousands of patients are able to use marijuana as an effective method of treatment for their conditions. This is possible because twenty-three state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis’ effective healing properties and legalized its consumption for medicinal purposes with the consent of a licensed physician.

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