Legalization of Medical Marijuana Marijuana is not like other helpful drugs that have amazing medical benefits. It is not made available to thousands of patients that could gain quality of live from it. Many Americans are forced to use second rate drugs to help them deal with conditions such as nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Why does the “world’s best health care system” use drugs that are not as effective as marijuana, but have more side effects?
The United States Federal Government is going on a personal crusade to ban legalized marijuana. Before the government makes a decision about the legality of the medical use of marijuana, they should weigh the influences that marijuana has on society in
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It has recently legislated to provide cannabis on medical prescription to registered patients, but this method has not been implemented so far. Some advocates argue that legalizing cannabis is the only way to ensure that patients can use it legally medical purposes. However, this would be contrary to international drug control treaties and is electorally unpopular. The best prospects for the medical use of cannabinoids lies in finding ways to deliver THC that do not involve smoking and in developing synthetic cannabinoids that produce therapeutic effects with a minimum of psychoactive effects. While awaiting these developments, patients with specified medical conditions suffer. While the issue is in debate, the government could give patients exemptions from criminal prosecution to grow cannabis for their own use, at their own risk.
While the government of Great Britain seems to support a public health approach by lowering cannabis to a class C drug (lowest priority for law enforcement); the United State’s war on drugs heavily supports a criminal/moral approach to the drug problem and marijuana users are the biggest target. Slogans such as ‘Just Say No’ and ‘Zero Tolerance’ blatantly send the message that any use of illegal drugs is wrong and drug users will be punished.
The clinician needs to assess each patient’s perception of his/her use. For some patients, cannabis provides much relief for chronic symptoms;
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
It is evident that the need for reform in the area of illicit substances is significant, due to the countless cases of people requiring medicinal cannabis and having these requests consistently revoked. The current legal response, although somewhat lenient does not fully allow for medicinal cannabis. Depending on the circumstances, can particular patients be allowed to use Cannabis treatment, although previous bills not allow recreational users to legally use the substance.
Medical cannabis became legal in Canada in 2001, but medical professionals here and in the United States have been wary of advocating it as a treatment. Many continue to prescribe opioids in spite of patient preferences.
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
The fight to legalize marijuana has been waged for decades and it’s about time that we find a resolution. I’m not a supporter of marijuana, I detest the culture associated with the drug and have no interest in consumption of the drug. But the effects of enforcing laws outlawing marijuana have done more harm than good in the US. The United States imprisons too many minorities due to minor drug infractions, the costs of enforcing these laws are too high, and the government is missing out on tax opportunities due to the current drug laws.
Many people suffer unbearable pain and discomfort from their illnesses and seek any method that might bring relief. Many suffer from chemotherapy treatment, HIV infection related wasting, glaucoma, or other serious ailments that carry an unbearable amount of pain. They first try the drugs that their doctors have prescribed. These prescribed legal drugs seem to have some benefits, but often carry with them many side effects that may be more harmful than helpful. Many patients give the legal drugs a try and find that they are not effective in relieving them of their symptoms. As a result, many turn to marijuana for its medicinal use. Because it is an effective treatment,
In the United States institutionalized prohibition-based cannabis policies defy widely accepted societal values, delegitimizing the state's authority of law, neglecting its responsibility to respect individual free will and ultimately, the right of self-determination. These unjustified policies take a heavy financial and social toll on society, forcing law enforcement to spend time and money to arrest a majority of non-violent, low level-offenders. In addition, marijuana policies and enforcement have been seen as inherently biased and discriminatory. Not only that, but the medical applications of cannabis are increasingly becoming recognized and accepted as a standard in terms of treating diseases and relieving physical or mental ailments. Furthermore, statistics have shown that legalization leads to a decreased use of marijuana among teens and minors. Dollar wise, cannabis
Since the very first day marijuana began dominating our country over 30 years ago, federal control of the drug has been the topic of an continuing arguments. Marijuana is a crushed up blend of dried out herbs, seeds and stems of the plant cannabis. Most people inhale it in the shape of cigarettes for pleasure and relief. Should marijuana be made legal? Advocates of the drug argue that there are multiple medical advantages and that tobacco and alcohol are far more harmful for us than the drug itself. This causes us to believe that banning this drug interferes with our rights to freedom. Within the past 10 years, a very high number of operations to allow the use of marijuana have been significantly strengthening in size. Based purely off of the 2011 Gallup survey, 50% of Americans argue that marijuana should not be banned. This high number marks a 4% increase in comparison to the year before. In 2000, this number was only 30%, increasing to 40% in 2009, before reaching 50% in 2011. What this proves, is that aside from our federal attempts to eradicate the use of it, marijuana is seemingly more attractive in society. Not only does it provide medical advantages to the deathly ill, it could also be the root of tax earnings and could be the reason that taxpayers save millions, if not billions of money that is used in the budget for prosecuting these people. It seems as though we are blowing huge amounts of government funding to imprison the citizens participating in nonviolent
Many believe that cannabis is not helpful in any form of medicines. When most people think of marijuana they think of teenagers, drug dealers, and many bad things. Medical cannabis is safe and useful for medical conditions such as cancer, pain, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and many conditions that are more serious. Many believe that marijuana is not for medical purposes, but cannabis can be helpful in so many cases. Marijuana can be used to somewhat sooth the symptoms of many major sicknesses, this essay is going to attempt to make you agree that marijuana has great medical uses. Elvy Musikka is a fifty-seven year old woman
Marijuana has caused upheaval across the world, but the turbulence is not because of the drug itself, but rather how governments have reacted and created an unnecessary war, a war against marijuana. Although marijuana is classified as an illegal drug by the government of the United States, the drug war against marijuana has led to more grave ramifications than the actual consumption of the drug itself has imposed on society as a whole and the solution is simple: legalize marijuana. History repeats itself, and just like alcohol, marijuana is bound to be regulated. The only question is: How much more time needs to
According to government surveys, about 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year. More than 14 million do it regularly. (NORML: Working to Reform Marijuana Laws, 2015) Marijuana has been the topic of much discussion these past decades. The main factor of discussion is whether or not to legalize it and the outcome it would have on the states. Some states have already legalized but for medicinal purposes only. Much research has come out in this decade that marijuana just isn’t for your average drug junkie but it can be for someone who is going through cancer treatment, has anxiety, or has constant seizures. While there are some people who believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and if it is legalized for medical purposes
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.
In the UK currently committees of inquiry have encouraged the prescription of cannabis (Hall & Degenhardt, 1) But we know that the rest of the United States and other various places have yet to establish these laws.
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
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