Running head: SHOULD STATES HAVE LEGAL CONTROL OF MARIJUANA
Should States Have Legal Control of Medicinal Marijuana?
Richard J. Radde
Columbia Southern University
Abstract
The use of marijuana for medicinal treatment has recently been an argumentive issue in state politics. The intent of this paper is to inform the reader of the benefits of using marijuana to assist patients with incurable diseases and to prove that states should have the right to legally control the use of it.
State’s Control of Marijuana for Medical Use
Marijuana is the drug made from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The active ingredient of marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a sticky resin that is
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Lester Grinspoon, M.D., the Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School states that although cannabis is not entirely harmless, it is a safe drug. He also says that it is less toxic than the other conventional drugs that it would replace if it were legalized. In the history of its use it has never caused an overdose death. Cannabis would be one of the least toxic and addictive medicines in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia if rescheduled and legalized for medical use. Patients would not have to deal with the anxiety and expense that they deal with now. Cannabis would be at least 100 times less expensive than current medicines that perform the same treatment. Dr. Grinspoon also states that the most serious concern would be respiratory damage from smoking. The particulate matter in the smoke could be separated from the active ingredients, the cannabinoids to reduce the risk. Prohibition has prevented this technology from happening (Lester Grinspoon, 1997).
AARP Magazine conducted a telephone survey of 1,706 U.S. residents age 45 and over in November 2004. 72 percent agreed that adults should be allowed legally to use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician recommends it, 59 percent believe that marijuana has medical benefits, 55 percent say that they would obtain marijuana for a suffering loved one, 33 percent think that adults should be allowed to grow marijuana for
In addition, anecdotal evidence exists that marijuana is effective in the treatment of arthritis, migraine headaches, pruritis, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other mood disorders. Marijuana could benefit as many as five million patients in the United States. However, except for the eight individuals given special permission by the federal government, marijuana remains illegal-even as medicine! Individuals currently suffering from any of the aforementioned ailments, for whom the standard legal medical alternatives have not been safe or effective, are left with two choices: Continue to suffer from the effects of the disease; or Obtain marijuana illegally and risk the potential consequences, which may include: an insufficient supply because of the prohibition-inflated price or unavailability; impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana; arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.
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.
Marijuana is a mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems and flowers from a hemp plant better know as Cannabis sativa. Uses of marijuana can be recreational or medical and the earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC. (Rudgley, “The
Marijuana is amongst one of the most disputable subjects in political issues. It is the most exploited drug in the United States and can even be around the globe. Marijuana is the main source of substance reliance other than alcohol in the United States. Numerous groups in recent years have come forward and claim that marijuana use has been beneficial with numerous medical conditions. In fact, it has helped numerous people with diseases, for example, Glaucoma, Cancer, and any other physical or mental pain. Medicinal cannabis should be legalized in Florida, but should be regulated accordingly. The clear majority trust that marijuana use would be more beneficial if it was not criminalized but most still believe that the government should keep it as a controlled substance. In 2008, 4 million out of the 7 million individuals, ages 12 and older, characterized as having a reliance or abusing marijuana. This implies that two out of every three Americans experiencing any substance abuse have developed marijuana reliance. The legalization of marijuana in the United States such an issue for so many individuals today. Some believe that marijuana should not be legalized in Florida because of physical health, mental health, effects of driving under the influence of marijuana, and increase in use. Others believe that is it marijuana should be legal because of its harmless if used in moderation, limits of personal freedoms, and potential FDA regulations.
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
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
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.
Medical Marijuana, a highly controversial issue in today’s society, is at the cutting edge of both cultural and medical debate. Regardless of federal restrictions of the use of the illegal drug, about 41% of Americans have tried it at least once in their lives.(Armentano) Furthermore, medical studies have shown that while medical marijuana is both addictive and poses some risks to the immune system, there are also positive results to alternative forms of treatment. Medicinal use of this drug has been shown to reduce psychotic behavior, nausea, pain and other sicknesses.(Jack) States should legalize the use of medical marijuana to help those who suffer from a variety of alignments, many of which cannot be cured by pharmaceutical drugs.
Marijuana should be legalized for it reduce crimes, it has no health risk, and it increase tax revenue for the government. Most people wonder about the fact that it’s an addictive drug, and the fact that they can get to comfortable to the amount or just usage that they might lose their job from coming to work under the influence. Some people feel that if they legalize one drug they might as well legalize them all. Majority of Americans is bias about legalizing marijuana. Many people have tried to find ways to get through the rough edges of their lives. With the pain of the society stopping people from adoring simple things, most of the time there is a need for help. Marijuana brings majority of people comfort from the pain they feel on an
What is cannabis? One of the most common illgial drugs that is used by people in the world.Cannabis also known as marijuana is a drug that comes from a cannabis plant that tends to grow in types of environments that are warm in the world. The marijuana is composed of the leave from the plant that have been dried out. In this drug there is an ingredient that gives users a feeling of being “high” the ingredient called delta-9 tetrahydro-cannabino, also know as THC. The felling of being “high” is reached when the marijuana is smoked or mixed in with something that is edible.
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America behind only alcohol and tobacco, and is estimated that nearly 80 million Americans use it at least one occasion. According to government surveys, some 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Being used for medicinal purposes or simply for recreational, there are not only laws to consider when the topic of legalization comes up but also ethical concerns as well. For this paper I will outline some of the uses for this drug and some of the benefits of its use. I will apply the
Marijuana should be illegal for casual use. Marijuana should only be used for severe medical illnesses that have no other alternative cure or treatment. Marijuana is a dangerous drug with strong side effects. There have been absolutely no cases stating a person has overdosed from smoking marijuana, but there have been several documented cases that prove marijuana was the cause of death. For example; a person smokes one self-made marijuana cigarette and attempts to drive an automobile. The moment that person sits in the driver’s seat they become as dangerous as a drunk driver. Another extremely dangerous side effect is the slowing down of reflexes. If a marijuana-intoxicated driver were to be confronted with
Hot of the press for the State of Hawaii… on July 15, 2015 Governor Ige signed HB 321 which became Act 241 establishing a system for licensing Medical Marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. He is quoted as saying, “I support the establishment of dispensaries to ensure that qualified patients can legally and safely access medical marijuana” (1). Hawaii legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2000 through Act 228, fifteen years prior to the signing of Act 241 in 2016. For the past fifteen years patients who received “recommendations” for the usage of marijuana to treat a debilitating illness often had difficulty securing their medication as marijuana remained classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the federal government. The classification limited it’s availability to patients; Act 241 now increases patient access to marijuana based medications. Counties can no longer prohibit and/or discriminate against licensed dispensaries and their production centers. With this law, Hawaii joined twenty seven other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing Medical Marijuana dispensaries across the nation. Based on the findings of ongoing research regarding the benefits of medical marijuana, as well as the fact that is was used for medicinal purposes in ancient times, medical marijuana dispensaries should be legalized in all fifty states.
Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).
Should medical marijuana be legalized is a brewing conversation. This is a topic that many support or oppose. Some claims that people may make are “It can be a very addictive drug...People who don’t need it will use it… it can be dangerous...etc”. Some claims that support it may be “It helps kids and people that really need it...promising research...it can’t be worse than drinking or smoking alchohol...etc”. What medical conditions need this drug? What is the effect medical marijuana has on an average person? Is it addicting? What states is it legal in? Are there any countries or places that are facing the same problem, if so how did they deal with their problem? Can you overdose? The previous questions are ones that we researched to help provide people with the most accurate information.