The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has long been at the centre of much controversy. Some studies have shown results that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal reasons far outweigh the negative health matters that may be associated with its use, and therefore should be an accepted method of treatment for some patients who are suffering with illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, and eating disorders (Okie, 2005). Still, other studies have proven that there is not enough scientific evidence on the drug, there for it should not be legalized for the use of medication (Hutchings, 2002). Currently the issue is moving forward, although not without controversy, but it is unclear when a clear decision will be made. …show more content…
The Chemical breakdown of cannabis, which marijuana is a herbal product of, contains many components that prove beneficial in the medical field. Parts of the medical field that these components benefit would include various neurological conditions, such as spasticity, pain or sleeping disorders. It is currently difficult to conclude whether these benefits overpower the risks that a person with a neurological disorder would be taking. However Canadian surveys have showed that in two neurological disorder cases, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, cannabis has proven to be beneficial to symptom relief. People with these disorders using cannabis have gotten relief from both their primary symptoms and other symptoms associated with their disorders. In people with epilepsy, the severity and frequency of their seizures was reduced. In people with multiple sclerosis were found to have reduced pain and spasticity, as well as being relived from psychological symptoms caused by the disorder. Without the use of cannabis in some users, they would have a much more difficult time dealing with the symptoms of their disorders (Wingerchuk, 2004). However, there still remains a lot of opposition on the topic of medical marijuana.
In the article by Doctor Reginald Hutchings, from Charlottetown P.E.I., discusses the negative side of marijuana. As a physician, Hutchings states that he will not prescribe marijuana to his patients unless he is
According to the United Nations, “158.8 million people around the world use marijuana—more than 3.8% of the planet’s population” (Marijuana). Marijuana has become a crucial topic throughout the world in recent years. Marijuana has been legalized medically throughout many countries, such as Australia, Chile, Spain, and Uruguay. Within the United States of America, twenty-eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, the most recent legalization passed was in the state of Florida. Therefore, one can assert that medical marijuana is a controversial topic locally and globally. Medical marijuana portrays many advantages and disadvantages within society. Medical marijuana portrays many benefits to victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
For decades America has associated marijuana with many things, and none of them ever any good. From the ‘60s with the hippie revolution, to today with criminals of all kinds, there have been numerous associations that are arguably unwarranted in this day and age. Why is it that we have such negative feelings about marijuana? In America today, the government considers it a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use.” The problem with this classification clearly lies in the second half of its classification. Marijuana certainly has medicinal purposes, and humans have been using it for centuries to primarily treat chronic pain and a lack of appetite. It is hard to construct a
Just as important of a medical issue as glaucoma, More than 300,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis, in which the body attacks myelin, the sheath that insulates nerve fibers. That can produce tremors, stiffness, paralysis, loss vision, numbness and pain. “Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability amount young and middle aged adults in the United States” (MPP, 2004 author page # title). Through years of study, the cause of multiple sclerosis is still unknown and still no cure has been produced for the disease. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the usefulness of marijuana is stated throughout, and is said to be used for symptom management in multiple sclerosis (MS). Marijuana is substituted for the use of pain control, which also eases tremors and spasticity. (Marijuana, NMSS)
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 debate on Medical marijuana has been a controversial subject mainly because people have an abundance of opinions and very little scientific research to back up either side of the debate. The most important question here is “will medical marijuana be used for medical purposes or will it be used inappropriately?”
How would most Americans react if the law allowed the use of heroin, LSD, or amphetamines for medical purposes? Many of us would react in disbelief mainly because of the effects of these powerful and addictive drugs. However, in Arizona the law permits the use of heroin, LSD, and amphetamines for medicinal purposes, yet the medicinal use of marijuana remains illegal in the United States ("Facts"). Because marijuana is categorized as a Schedule 1 drug under the federal Controlled Substance Act ("Issues"), physicians cannot legally prescribe it. The national debate on the effectiveness of marijuana as medicine is divided between those who advocate marijuana's medicinal value and
Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General, once spoke about the legalization of marijuana for medical use in a press conference. "It's criminal to keep this medicine from patients," she said (Silverman, 1995, pg. 2). She received criticism not only from many citizens of the United States, but also strong criticism from the President who appointed her. The legalization of marijuana for medical use has always been a sharply debated subject, and many of the debaters are uneducated about the effects of using this illegal drug for therapeutic use. Many studies have been done and the results are clear. As a medical drug, marijuana should be available to patients who do not adequately respond to currently available
Are you sick of hearing your girlfriend nagging you about letting go of your pot pasttime? Have you been hearing a lot of negative things about the use of marijuana lately? Would you like to know what the real deal is behind the use of this infamous drug? Then read on because you're in for a surprise.
Gray’s article “Legalize Use of Marijuana for Medical Purposes, MDs and Patients Plead” sufficiently appeals to the reader’s pathos. However, she fails to support her claim that marijuana needs to become legal and doctors should have a supply available for their patients due to the lack of detail, statistics, and unreliable
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
Should medical marijuana be legal across the United States? Imagine a world where individuals who have chronic pain did not have to suffer anymore. Envision a cure for cancer, a disease many Americans are killed by daily. Picture people with severe, violent mood disorders being treated. Most people think the answers to these problems are simple and could be solved by over medicating patients. Today, there are twenty states in America who have legalized medical marijuana for specific health and medical related conditions (Medical Marijuana 1). The United States should legalize medical marijuana so patients who suffer from chronic pain can be treated, cancer could be cured, and mood disorders can be treated.
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.
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
experiment, he suffocated a monkey for 5 minutes at a time, using way more smoke
As the debate about marijuana’s use as a medicine continues, experts have given us information pertaining to