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The Obstacles and Challenges in Legalizing Medical Marijuana As more effective treatments for diseases and cancers are being developed, a safe and promising drug is being under attack for its many misconceptions. Marijuana use of both medicinally and recreationally, has been hindered by the misconceptions it

Summer Reading Assignment Name: Alex Yu Senior English -Brave New World By carefully completing this assignment over the summer, which you need to bring to class on the first day of school, you will be prepared to discuss the story in the fall and to write an in-class essay using your novel

Cannabis has provided millions worldwide with relief from chronic pain caused by a myriad of pain-producing illnesses. Cannabis has significantly improved the quality of life of people with cancer, AIDS, arthritis, and the list goes on. The medical marijuana movement is not concerned with decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis for recreational use. It is concerned with helping people with serious illnesses and disabilities to get on with their lives. (Bearman, 2011)

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

The drug is currently recognized in a majority of the country as twenty-nine states have medical marijuana laws in addition to eighteen states that have passed legislation acknowledging the health benefits (“Medical Marijuana Overview”, 2017). The growth of medical marijuana programs is a contributing factor to national polls steadily revealing a 60%-89% support rating in favor of the drug, and assisted the nation in overcoming the social stigma, specifically in the western states (Campbell et al., 2015). 64% of those between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four support marijuana legislation; and according to a 2014 national public radio poll, more than three-fourths of Americans support medical marijuana use (Campbell et al., 2015). Furthermore, a 2013 report in the New England Journal of Medicine disclosed that 76% of physicians surveyed would recommend medical marijuana to their patient (“Medical Marijuana Overview”,

The Myths of Legalizing Marijuana A controversial social topic surrounding our time has been the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, was classified by the United States government as a class I drug in 1970, which means that it is against the law to possess and distribute this illegal substance (Source 2). However, in recent years, many states have made marijuana more accessible for medical and recreational use. States such as Colorado and Washington have not just decriminalized possession and distribution, but have enacted laws that encourage the recreational use of cannabis. Around 100 million Americans have experienced this drug (Source 1). Essentially one in four Americans

Marijuana has been around for a long time and its use has become wide spread in America. So much so, that an underground culture and economy have formed around it like a protective shroud. For most people, a supply of marijuana is only a phone call away (ICSDP.) Yet it has been illegal to possess, use, grow, or distribute since the thirties. Despite the possibility of becoming addicted to marijuana, many use it recreationally, while others rely on the medicinal effects of marijuana to alleviate a variety of diseases. Thirteen states have enacted medical marijuana laws and programs despite federal prohibition policies against the use of marijuana. Twelve more states are in the process of following this trend and if they are successful in

Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Purposes It is a debate that continues to rage on in restaurants, recreational parks, homes, and legislative offices among other varied locations. The debate as to whether marijuana can and should be used for medicinal purposes has divided opinion across the global community. Among all the current trends in medicine today, the potential for marijuana as a tool for medical treatment has proven to be one that is highly controversial and divisive. The extent of this divisive factor is that the use of medical marijuana is legal in some states and illegal in others. In addition, some countries like Holland allow public controlled usage of marijuana while in other countries possession of a small amount

Marijuana’s medicinal properties are one of its greatest benefits. According to Joycelyn Elders, MD, medical marijuana use relieves symptoms of diseases like AIDS, MS, and cancer (Elders). The New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel has added 43 new conditions that are now treatable with medical marijuana (Hefler). Unfortunately, not everyone has the same view of this medical progress. Governor Chris Christie “reluctantly signed” a bill to make PTSD treatable by marijuana, claiming marijuana is a “gateway drug” (Hefler). Opponents of legalization use the term gateway drug in discussions of marijuana to bring harder drugs into the conversation as a boogeyman tactic. If anything pot has demonstrated itself to be a gatekeeper because in states where pot is legal opioid related deaths have dropped nearly 25 percent (Strouse).

The illegal use of marijuana is causing problems for many users, their families, and also for hospitals and police officers. Emergency room visits from injuries or accidents related to marijuana use have dramatically increased in the United States since 2008. “In 2011, there were nearly 456,000 marijuana-related emergency department visits in the United States, which is a 21% increase since 2009” (Marijuana as Medicine). This is causing more staff members including nurses, doctors, and surgeons to be on call for foolish incidents that could have easily been avoided by not consuming the substance in the first place. Several studies have shown that it is possible that marijuana may even be worse for your health than cigarettes are. After all, cigarettes are not peeling points off of your IQ. “Heavy cannabis use in adolescence causes persistent impairments in neurocognitive performance and IQ, and use is associated with increased rates of anxiety, mood and psychotic thought disorders” (Robinson). Marijuana users are likely to encounter detrimental lung problems at least twenty years earlier than cigarette-smokers would encounter similar problems. Along with lung problems, it can also cause disastrous birth defects in women who consume marijuana while pregnant. Some common birth defects are mental abnormalities as well as the

Since the legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado, I have been patiently waiting for my chance to vote on this issue in Texas. It seems that we have been left in the dust as 25 other states and Washington D. C. now allow medical marijuana, with four of the states allowing recreational marijuana. One of the naysayers that does not want medical or recreational marijuana are the Parents Opposed to Pot, who claim that marijuana is causing schizophrenia and psychosis. The second naysayer that I will be addressing is Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana, or CALM. CALM claims concerns about the economic effects that marijuana will have. I am responding to both of these organization’s arguments with researched facts about marijuana.

Marijuana has shown itself and its derivatives to be profoundly successful in treating a multitude of diseases, their symptoms or side effects of their treatments. Marijuana should be reclassified from Schedule 1 agent and more studies done into the other possible medical uses for this drug. Opposition to the idea

Many people wonder what it would be like if we legalized marijuana, and what its effect would have on today society. On the other hand many do not even want to think about the drug legalization even if it is for a good cause, such as it being made into medical marijuana. The definition of Marijuana is “dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plants that yield THC and are smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect.” (Merriam) Many people think that Marijuana is bad due to the fact that it is a drug but what many people cannot see is that Marijuana does more than just getting a person “high” it gives the freedom to sick patients from all their harsh medicines and pain to feel more normal, and functional. Although there

Close your eyes and imagine for a moment. You now have a child who suffers from extreme, almost constant, terrifying seizures. Unfortunately, none of the medicine prescribed in the past has worked. In fact, some medication even makes the seizures worse. Suddenly, doctors discover a medicine that has the potential to reduce seizures and sometimes stop them all together, therefore improving your child’s quality of life. They have turned that medicine into safe drops, vapor, and pills. Would you want to at least give the medicine a try? Would you want to give your child some relief? If you answered yes, then you have just proven that it is not the medicine that people feel uneasy about, it is the stigma of the name of plant the medicine comes from, marijuana.

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. The two-sided debate between embracing medical use of the drug