Using Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes

     Marijuana does have some negative effects, but compared to other drugs marijuana is harmless. Other drugs are highly addictive were marijuana is not. Alcohol is one of the most leading causes of car crashes. Marijuana is nowhere near being a leading cause of death. Other drugs can lead to cancer where marijuana is used to cure it, and other drugs can lead to deaths. Other drugs impair you vision, but marijuana does not. All the other drugs except alcohol are gateway drugs, and the only way to purchase them is by smuggling them across the border. Many advocates say “we should begin to reflect that reality in our state and federal legislation, and stop acting as if otherwise law-abiding marijuana smokers are part of the crime problem. They are not, and it is absurd to continue using law enforcement resources arresting them.” (Gary) Many advocates also say, “Far more harm is caused by marijuana prohibition than by marijuana itself.”(Gary)

The use of medical marijuana (slang: Acapulco gold, ace, bhang, cannabis, hash, dope, ganja, grass, weed, hashish oil, hemp, home-grown, honey oil, indica, Jamaican roach, sativa, sinse, sinsemilla, tea, weed oil) has a been a major topic of debate for countless years. People all around the United States have seen propaganda of some sort regarding the legalization of marijuana. For example, with the ongoing discussion of legalization throughout the states, it’s abruptly mentioned in the news, everyday conversations, school topics for debate, and within stories of social media. In the article, “Is marijuana prohibition coming to an end”, Michelle Johnson a North Carolina journalist, states “Legalizing marijuana for a medical or recreational

The use of Cannabis (Marijuana) for medical treatment is gaining momentum across the United States. Currently twenty three states and the District of Columbia have passed bills legalizing medical marijuana for treatment of cancer, AIDS, PTSD, neuromuscular disease and various other health issues (Medical Marijuana Pros and Cons, 2014). On May 3, 2013, Representative Robert Hagan (Democrat- Youngstown) introduced HB 153 ( a reintroduction of HB 214 to the 129th Ohio General Assembly) to the 130th Ohio General Assembly to legalize medical marijuana for patients and provision for statutory protection regarding medical use of marijuana (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, 2014).

Throughout America many people believe marijuana should be legal because it's not bad for you. There are many different theories about this conflict. There are also those people who believe that marijuana is the gateway drug, the drug that takes you to more drugs. This drug can take your life in a heartbeat.

Marijuana has been used in religious ceremonies or for medical purposes for thousands of years. I have always been against the use of Marijuana up until four years ago when my husband at the age of twenty seven underwent invasive surgery on his knee and has never been the same since. Colorado took a huge step several years ago legalizing marijuana for medical use and in recent years took the plunge to legalize it for recreational use. Marijuana is not always a bad thing nor is it always a good thing. A lot of people will compare it to any other mind altering substance and have very valid points. I would rather have a loved one or myself smoke marijuana or ingest it, instead of popping pain pills or other harmful substances put on the market by the pharmaceutical industry; Recreational use can be safe and accepting if it is regulated correctly and used responsibly.

Marijuana has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.

Marijuana is very safe and supporters of legalization would like to see it regulated like alcohol, or even believe that it is safe enough that regulation would not be necessary. Kayla Morgan states that “Marijuana is a safe and natural substance” and that people have been “using it for centuries” (100). Since people have been using it for centuries, no one has overdosed and marijuana is not physically addictive in the way that tobacco and alcohol are. “Studies show cannabis is not chemically addictive in the way heroin, nicotine, or alcohol is. This means the user’s body will not go into a physical withdrawal if regular cannabis use is stopped.” (Morgan 50). Marijuana is not physically or chemically addictive, which would not have as big of an effect on the user as other drugs. Drugs even prescribed to users for medicinal purposes can become addictive, and put patients through physical withdrawal.

As a state legislator, if I took on the utilitarian method that means I would do the greater good for the greatest amount of people in the situation, which means my decision has to be based on the greater good for everyone (Johnson 157). Without thinking of my personal beliefs or values, I think of those around me instead. But until the eighteenth and nineteenth century we did not have a definition for this kind of act, now it is known as Utilitarianism (Johnson 157). If I had to make the decision on if I should vote for the use of marijuana for medical usage such as helping cancer and glaucoma while using utilitarianism I would need to use the four steps. The first step to prepare my decision would be to identify the action under consideration, which would be to vote to legally allow the marijuana for cancer and glaucoma patients (Johnson 157). The second step is to acknowledge all who are affected by this action, such as myself, the patients, the doctors, the community, and technically the nation (Johnson 157). The third step is to realize the good and the bad consequences from this decision, so the good would to take pain away from the patients but the bad would be if people start to use it for non- medical reasons (Johnson 157). It also could be a good consequence because it could lead to scientists and doctors to use marijuana to explore these diseases to try to create a cure. And in the end game, that is what it is all about is to try to find a cure for these

We now realize that medicinal pot is an effective, and sometimes superior medication, and that the last 70 years of prohibition have been uncalled for. Its uses are numerous, and it is a terrible injustice that patients are being denied access to this wealth of uses. One of the best uses of marijuana is for pain relief, mainly neuropathic pain, which is pain associated with nerve damage. It can be used to control nausea,

Marijuana is the name for several breeds of the Cannibus sativa l. plants. This plant most commonly seen on the evening news, the drug is Delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol (THC) and I refer to the plant as "Mary Jane". Typically Mary Jane is extremely short, produces very poor fibers, and has high THC concentration in its buds. Hemp plants, Mary Jane's brothers, are distinguished by towering over thirteen feet high, poor production of THC, and exceptionally strong fibers. Hemp is a largely ignored plant because of the bad rap that its sister gets as a vice, generated by energy, legal and illegal drug, and paper industries; all of these industries are threatened by the industrialization of marijuana. I ask you to now read on to what I have to say

Throughout history, marijuana has served a multitude of purposes. However, it has collected a certain stigma that has caused it to become taboo. With more research, medical marijuana could replace countless dangerous prescription pills for a multitude of afflictions. From mental illnesses to cancer, there are a plethora of benefits that medical marijuana may contribute. By going through the history of it While some see it as just a simple recreational drug, it can very much be taken as a medicine.

Marijuana as medicine is a theory saying that the highly addictive drug can be used to dull pain and even help other illnesses such as aids and cancer. The fact that marijuana can be used as medicine is a very controversial theory that many contradict.

The public seems to know this. Pain relief is one of these uses. Cannabis sativa can be used as a strong anti inflammatory drug. Sativa has been shown to treat multiple sclerosis, asthma, cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, and depression (Newman). The other type of marijuana, Cannabis sativa forma indica, while somewhat similar to its brethren counterpart, offers different benefits. Indica plays a part in aiding concentration, helps relax the mind, and has been shown to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

The true medical benefits of marijuana are nearly endless. Marijuana has been utilized by ancient peoples all the way up to the modern society. “The first recorded use of marijuana as a medicinal drug occurred in 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung.” (Hill, N/A). According to (Hill, N/a) the Chinese emperor discovered and well documented just some of the few medicinal benefits of marijuana, he learned how it controls pains in simple medical issues such as: rheumatism, and the gout. Whilst he just found out a couple benefits of medicinal marijuana. Other ancient civilizations discovered more uses, according to (Ghaly, N/A) “The Ancient Egyptians used cannabis and applied it as suppositories for treatment of hemorrhoids.” so it was essentially it was used once again as a pain reliever. In India, people discovered multiple uses: “Cannabis was used for a plethora of medicinal and spiritual purposes, ranging anywhere from nausea and diarrhoea to headaches and insomnia. But the Indians were using

Many diseases cannot be cured but most doctors can prescribe pain killers that can cause serious internal damage. Marijuana is also used to help ease chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms, and loss of appetite (Anderson 334). With this knowledge further medical research and testing should be done to help those in need. Marijuana has been used medicinally since the 1800s. Marijuana was recognized as a medicinal drug and was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 to 1942.