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Summary: Use Weed Before One Turns To Ashes

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Use Weed Before One Turns to Ashes When people hear the word marijuana, it often takes on a negative connotation. But what some may not know is that marijuana has the power to cure life-threatening diseases, or at least make the symptoms less painful. The actual term itself, medical marijuana “refers to using the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat disease or symptoms” (“Is Marijuana Medicine?”). 23 states have already legalized the use of medical marijuana because of the way it helps to reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and has even been proved to improve lung health. Researchers tested the lung function of 5,115 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung function over time, …show more content…

According to Paul Armentano, a director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, “over 85 percent of voters acknowledge that cannabis is a safe and effective treatment that ought to be permitted. Even Walgreens, a company whose medical sales topped out at $5.4 billion in 2015 stated that “research has indicated it [cannabis] provides pain relief in ways traditional pain medicines don’t. Medical marijuana can improve appetite and relieve nausea in those who have cancer and it may relieve symptoms such as muscle stiffness in people who have multiple sclerosis” (Clarifying Clinical …show more content…

As mentioned before, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical use. Furthermore, four other states, including Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use, however, it is still banned federally. Medical marijuana has been suggested and reported to have the power to make the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disorders, glaucoma and many others less noticeable. In addition, even if medical marijuana was legalized, patients would not be able to get it from a pharmacy like traditional prescriptions. It has to be sold through a licensed dispensary in a state that approves of medical marijuana. The patient must also be seen and evaluated by a licensed health care provider. Marijuana has lived throughout history as a medical miracle, yet only in recent years has it been misrepresented as a lethal substance. History repeats itself and this entire situation is comparable to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. Back then, when alcohol was initially banned, people did the same thing they are doing today- producing the product themselves in beer breweries or marijuana farms in this case. “Millions have died from cigarettes, yet they’re still freely sold at stores” so why shouldn’t marijuana be freely sold when there is not one confirmed case of someone dying strictly from pot (Dale Archer M.D.).

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