The legalisation of medicinal marijuana is a very controversial topic within Australia. Recently, Victoria took the first steps to legalise medicinal marijuana, referenced in Victorian Government 's Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2015 (12th April 2016) and passed by the Victorian Parliament. This is the beginning of “the process of enabling patients to access medicinal cannabis.” In spite of this forward move, the debate still rages. There are valid and significant stances about whether marijuana should be legalised for medicinal purposes. Marijuana, better known as “cannabis”, is a psychotropic drug. Medicinal cannabis is known to have 400 chemicals, and these chemicals help with pain management, mitigate some cancers, relieve …show more content…
“The first recorded mention of cannabis used in a medical context comes from the Shennong pên Ts’ao ching of the earliest texts on herbal medicine, which dates back to 2700 BCE.” ("Sensi Seeds, 2015, "What is medicinal marijuana?", para.2).
Cannabis kept on being a vital piece of incalculable prescriptions, from cough syrup to pain killers. As it was used to help treat or relieve a symptom and individual had. At one stage, cannabis was the worlds most generally endorsed restorative plant, until it was suddenly precluded in numerous countries during the 1930s. ‘Medicinal cannabis use was lawful in Australia until the 1950s, but cannabis cultivation and use is now illegal in all states except Victoria.’ (Wodak, A., 2016) Medical use of marijuana has been a hot topic in Australia of late, with many having their sole opinion on the matter. Australia has been separated whether medicinal marijuana should be legalised throughout the whole country. Recently, Victoria took the initiative to pass their bill on legalising the use of marijuana for medical reasons only to the highest Government. A whole year later, the bill was surpassed and accepted by the government. With many states keeping a close eye on Victoria, it has gathered support from most states in Australia to legalise medicinal marijuana for the whole country. The particular group who want to see this issue
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
Thesis Statement: Marijuana has been regarded as a harmful plant that can endanger lives and is thought to be nothing more than an extra problem to be dealt with in today’s society. However, based on its economic value and medical benefits, the cannabis has proven to outweigh its negatives with numerous other positives.
Marijuana was in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed to patients for various conditions including labor pains, nausea and rheumatism. During the 1850’s up to the 1930’s it was a very popular intoxicant. A movement conducted in the 1930’s by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (presently the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) fought to make marijuana appear to be an Addicting and powerful substance that would lead
The perception and policy on cannabis has been clouded by ill-informed attitudes uphold by a section of society and by the legacy of the various ‘war on drugs’. A handful of countries such as SPAIAN, Netherlands, North Korea, Colombia, Portugal, and parts of United States of America, have legalised medical and recreational use of cannabis. However cannabis is currently illegal in Australia, state of Victoria soon to legalise medicinal cannabis, but the handling and benefits of the current policies are inundated by the potential social opportunity cost if legalisation was to occur. The question is, should cannabis be legalised here in Australia? The following three main pillars of arguments will illustrate why cannabis should be legalised in Australia; decriminalisation, regulation and relative ramification.
Marijuana has been used for many millennia with some of the earliest mentions dating back to 2700 BCE in China. It has “long been considered valuable as an analgesic, an anesthetic, an antidepressant, an antibiotic, and a sedative”, it has also been “administered internally to treat gonorrhea and angina pectoris” (Abdullah). Also, unlike many other drugs, “chronic use does not establish a physical dependence, nor does the regular user suffer extreme physical discomfort after withdrawal” (Abdullah).
Marijuana is a drug that divides people. Some people claim it as the wonder drug of the '90s, capable of relieving the symptoms of many serious illnesses. Others curse the day the cannabis plant was ever discovered. From pain relief to stimulating the appetites of patients on chemotherapy, marijuana seems to have plenty going for it as a medicine. The legalization of marijuana is a large controversy in many parts of the world today, but the obvious negative effects that the drug induces has kept it from being legalized. Many researchers have a strong positive attitude towards marijuana. It has been said that the drug is “worth investigating and even providing as a medicine for pain relief, severe
Cannabis or Marijuana has become a buzz word amongst the people of Canada who are eagerly waiting for legalization of all ingestion methods of the herbal product. However, it is seemingly a long distance process to achieve such hard task as there are many threats and illnesses which queue together when marijuana is not properly taken in. Therefore, Health Canada and the government laid down serious restrictions of the use of marijuana under the surveillance of certified medical marijuana doctors and personnel belonging to Health Canada.
In recent years, the legalization of Cannabis has become a popular issue and conversation topic in canada. Other countries, such as the Netherlands and Canada’s neighbour, the United States of America have begun to legalize the use of Cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes. As a result, other nations across the globe, including Canada, are also looking towards the legalization of the Cannabis plant. Many trials have been conducted, proving benefits from usage, and various uses, beyond bodily consumption have been discovered, and may provide excellent alternatives to other things that humans use.
The National Wholesale Druggists’ Association (NWDA) representative protested, in addition to other aspects of the proposed legislation, the inclusion of cannabis alongside opiates and cocaine stating that cannabis was not what may be called a habit-forming drug. Had the use and selling of cannabis been seen in more of a Utilitarian perspective then perhaps the 1937 Marijuana Act could have been halted. More consideration and research into this issue in the 1930’s could have given earlier insight to the positive medical uses.
What scientific research has since revealed and what is yet to be discovered about the potential benefits of cannabis as a medicine is a hot topic and does not appear that it will be put to rest anytime in the near future. In fact, the debates are just heating up. A significant aspect of the debate centers on whether or not the potential benefits of legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes outweighs the risk of the risk of substance abuse. The science indicates that cannabis can be sourced in a way so as to eliminate the compound that could lead to drug abuse. Still, cannabis medicine is not a new phenomenon despite the strong interest directed towards the issue today. Even before recorded history,
Marijuana has a rich cultural history that dates back to 300BC China. Ching Neng the Chinese emperor was known to use marijuana for medical, ceremonial and recreational pursuits and the practice has been sustained in the present.
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 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
Marijuana is illegal in fifty states because of its classification as an illicit drug, but controversial issues have been established that this “illicit drug” has improved the course of treatment for suffering patients. Marijuana has beneficial effects when used in medicinal scenarios for the treatment of pain; thus it should be an administered drug for patients who can benefit from the use of this drug. Marijuana has undergone analysis for its use as a medicine and the results have shown improvements in the patients who were treated with this drug. Doctors have expressed opposite opinions, making this issue very controversial.
Drugs are heavily used throughout the entire world. However, it is important to understand and not undermine the variability in which drugs are used. It is clear some are for distinct medical treatment and others are for recreational use. In the United States, marijuana has been and continues to be a very controversial drug. Some states have allowed marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes, while others have completely outlawed the drug. Those who are against the legalization and regulation of marijuana suggest the economical and health risk associated with consumption of the drug are too high. Although there is risk involved with the legalization of the marijuana, our country has already been risking too much banning the drug.