In this paper I will argue in favor of legalizing the cultivation and sale of marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes. Due to numerous studies supporting multiple links to treat certain illnesses, cannabis should be legalized. It may stop cancer cells from spreading. In addition, marijuana may control epileptic seizures. According to researchers in Virginia Commonwealth University “ingredients in marijuana and the cannabinoid receptor protein produced naturally in the body to regulate the central nervous system and other bodily functions play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy” (Robert J. DeLorenzo M.D.).
Prohibitionist disagree. They don’t believe that marijuana has any known medical properties. Some prohibitionists’ arguments come from Save Our Society from Drugs (S.O.S), an organization that prohibits the legalization cannabis and other drugs and urges the dangers of the consumptions of drugs. S.O.S asserts that the use of medical marijuana is a scam used by groups with special interest to exploit people who are vulnerable and hopeless from their illnesses. According to them long-term, regular use of marijuana—ranging to adolescents to teenage years—may impair brain development
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There are cases and studies that support that cannabis may slow or stop the spread of cancer cells. In addition researchers have found other beneficial uses for it. In a study published by Cochrane HIV/AIDS Group, a group of researchers conducted a controlled trial on patients with either HIV or AIDS to determine if cannabis actually improves the appetites of people with AIDS and resulted in weight gain. “The conclusion of the trail did lead the subjects to be likely to an increase in weight gain of 2 kilograms or more” (Group). This is significant because anorexia and cachexia are frequent complications HIV/AIDS
Marijuana can be used by the public for many purposes. Medicine is an important part of our lives and marijuana has been tested to cure cancerous cells as well as help people with their epilepsy. Using marijuana for medical purposes is one major aspect that people should take into consideration for legalizing it. Marijuana’s market has also been brought to many people’s attention because it has been poised to grow faster than smart phones. Together, these reasons have been more than enough for people to consider legalizing marijuana.
Marijuana has proven medical benefits. For example, investigators at Columbia University published clinical trial data in 2007, showing that HIV/AIDS patients who inhaled cannabis four times daily experienced substantial increases in
Recently the drug policies and war on drugs has been increasingly seen in the headlines. Policies taken by the United States government against illegal drugs like marijuana are becoming apparent, and are coming into question. This has caused quite a controversy among supporters and opponents about legalization issues. Should marijuana be used as a medicine, as its advocates say? Or is it a dangerous drug of abuse that exposes users to brain damage and lung cancer? The debate over legalizing marijuana in all probability will continue for a long time, and it is a shame that this debate is so polarized. Marijuana produces long-term effects and damage on the brain. Although there have been reports of successful treatment in the use of marijuana as medicine, there appears to be more negative reasons why marijuana should not be used. Marijuana has been used for treatment of many diseases, some of which include cancer, post traumatic stress disorder, arthrosclerosis, digestive diseases, and HIV/AIDS. Despite the success for some medical issues, marijuana continues to be a “dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users. Marijuana has no medical value that can't be met more effectively by legal drugs” ("U.S Drug Enforcement Administration"). The government and medical professionals should make it a point to emphasize the increasing problems of marijuana and its harmful effects on the body, as well as providing alternatives to
Are drugs always bad for people? The first impressions of drugs are probably that drugs make people lazy, make people sick, and make people uncontrollably addicted to drugs. Cannabis, which has several names such as marijuana, weed, pot, dope, hemp and so on is listed as Schedule I, referred by the Drug Enforcement Administration which means marijuana is highly addictive and dangerous material. However, Marijuana should not be in that category because marijuana has useful functions. Marijuana is different from other drugs such as Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Heroin because marijuana does not contain hazardous chemicals as much as Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Heroin have. Legalizing marijuana provides several benefits to people and the government. Legalizing marijuana educes crime, it has positive effects on serious physical symptoms, and it can bring massive amount of economic benefits
A lot of people are still stuck to the ideal that marijuana is dangerous to society and body. The facts are that the government has misled a lot of people about marijuana. These people are not well educated about the use of marijuana. Most people think person using marijuana is dangerous to the community, however, all the outcome of the research that the government carry out does not say anything about marijuana being dangerous. Use of marijuana for treatment has not just been discovered, according to Cohen Peter stated \" Cannabis, more commonly referred to as marijuana, has a long history of medical use in this country and worldwide\"(Cohen 20). Marijuana has been prescribed for pain relief, nausea, and glaucoma. It is the use as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that have HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Cohen wrote, \"smoked marijuana could ease the symptoms of AIDS wasting and produce gains in body weight\"(Cohen 21). When comparing, medicinal marijuana to other prescribed drugs, the prescribed drugs are a lot less effective, more expensive, and have dangerous side effects. Pills that were often given to people and some is strong painkillers which, are highly addictive, and that can cause overdoses. Marijuana leaf call \"cannabis\"(Cohen 20) is safer if used in the right dose without side effect. Today many patients are able to use marijuana as a method of treatment for their sickness. This is possible for some patient because, some state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis known as marijuana for treatment. For the useful of marijuana for treatment, some physician were been given license to prescribed marijuana for the patient. However, these patients can have the necessary treatment, without been in
One of the most controversial topics in modern times has been the medical efficacy of Cannabis. Cannabis is a plant that is used medically and recreationally and is classified as an herb, noticeable by its five spiked leaf structure (Merriam-Webster 2014). Cannabis contains multiple active ingredients that display a variety of psychological and neurological effects on humans and animals. Cannabis is the medical terminology for marijuana, which contains greater than 500 compounds and more are still being found as the years progress. Many of the compounds are referred to as cannabinoids and may show some antiepileptic factors when administered to individuals with epilepsy (Gloss and Vickery 2012). The public today believes that the cannabis prescribed to patients and individuals with drug resistant epilepsy are experiencing psychotropic effects (the feeling of what we know today as getting “high”). In reality the cannabis used to treat individuals with epilepsy is low in delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] a psychotropic ingredient and high in cannabidiol [CBD] a non-psychotropic ingredient. Since CBD results in no psychotropic effects it has immense potential to be seriously considered as the worlds next biggest anticonvulsant solution.
They're are many people in the states that are for and against the prohibition of marijuana. The people who are for the prohibition of marijuana, they beileve that the drug causes loss of brain cells and will have the negative impact of your health. The other side of the argument is that it's not harmful as other illegal drugs and can be useful in curing or stopping fatal disease from killing you. Where I fall in this spectrum is against the prohibition of marijuana. One of the main reason I'm against the prohibition is because of the medical uses. Examples of marijuana for medical uses are to treat and prevent glaucoma, can prevent epileptic seizures, and prevent cancer from spreading to name a few. In the article "Why I changed my mind on
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in cannabis that has garnered international attention due to its reported remarkable ability to greatly improve the quality of life in children suffering from catastrophic epilepsy. Cannabis breeders have developed techniques allowing them to grow strains of marijuana low in tetrahydrocannibinoil (THC), the chemical that causes the psychoactive effect of being “high.” Instead, the strain contains a high concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) a compound thought to have medicinal properties. This nontraditional form of alleviating health ailments in epileptic children has recently stirred controversy in both the medical and political arena.
It's the stupidest law just legalize it and tax it like liquor-Morgan freeman,marijuana one of the drugs that has been illegal for many years and we believe that is really dangerous. But on the contrary,we could have more benefits than we think having it legal would just create a bunch of stoners.republicans,news stations say that crime would skyrocket those facts are propaganda that people who have no knowledge of it usually use to repel other ignorant people to believe their facts to join those who oppose legalization.Due to that most people these days are scared to death to think that it has more more uses that people can use other than getting high.Individuals don't want to think for themselves and just follow the scared instead of just
Government prohibition of marijuana in this day and time is an ongoing debate. Both sides make clear cases and voice their opinions on why they think it should or shouldn’t be legal. People against its legalization argue how it’s a possible gateway drug or how it messes with your memory, learning, judgment or coordination. As for the people for it, they usually justify its medical usage or how its all natural since it’s made from a plant. Personally, I think marijuana should be legal, however, there should be restrictions and regulation placed on its usage. Marijuana itself has never killed anyone; whereas, alcohol and tobacco users die ever day from substance abuse. Everybody needs a way to blow of stress, and I personally think marijuana
Marijuana has been successfully used to treat pain, nausea, anorexia, and seizures. No serious side effects have been noted in these patients (Britannica 2). Along with these pain-killing effects, marijuana has been linked to helping fight certain cancers and diseases. Studies show that marijuana can help kill breast and liver cancer cells. The potential to prevent Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease is also present (Szalavitz 2). Most medicinal organizations are against the use of medical marijuana due to the popular “gateway theory” myth. The “gateway theory” states that marijuana users are more likely to try harder drugs, but it is simply not true. Marijuana sales are in an underground market, which gives drug dealers an opportunity to push harder drugs to potential buyers. The illegal status of marijuana is what makes it a “gateway” drug (Ferner 3). Consumption of deadly drugs, such as heroin and crack, would reduce significantly if marijuana was sold in a store and not on a street corner (Nathan 1). , Despite the controversy, researchers are continuing to develop and investigate herbal medicine solutions using marijuana to treat patients (Britannica
In epileptics, marijuana has been proven to help control, or even temporarily stop the seizures all together. A study was conducted by “Robert J. Delorenzo” of Virginia Commonwealth University in which he administered marijuana extract, as well as synthetic THC to epileptic rats. The rats went without having a seizure for ten straight hours. The results of this study were published in the Journal of
Since the 1930s, the U.S. government as classified Marijuana as an illegal drug. Marijuana, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1990, is a schedule 1 substance. This means there is no legal medical use and high potential for abuse. Today a large number of people including doctors would argue that the law is wrong, there are many medical benefits from the use of marijuana. This law is clearly outdated and needs to be reformed to fit today’s society. Not only does this law restrict medical benefits, it also has a negative effect on our economy, and law enforcement. Enforcing cannabis laws costs billions of dollars every year. This does not help our society. This enormous amount of money could be used to better our society, but instead is being wasted on Marijuana prohibition, which is a complete failure. In fact, even though marijuana remains completely illegal, nearly half the population has tired marijuana. As a teen I have witnessed this happen numerous times.
There is many evidence which prove that many ancient civilizations had incorporated marijuana in their medical practices way back to 8500 B.C. Nowadays, marijuana is one of the most commonly used drug in the world. According to data collected by United Nation, approximatively 158.8 million people around the world consume marijuana. In United States over 94 million people have admitted to have use it at least once. But it is important to make the distinction between its illegal consumption just for recreational purposes and its legal consumption for medical purposes. It is not a secret anymore that it has been scientifically proven that marijuana reduces pains for patients suffering for severe diseases. In another hands, a lot of people misused it and it can be harmful so their long term health. Therefore, it becomes understandable why the legalization of
I would have to agree, they shouldn’t criminalize marijuana for medical purposes. I feel that’s equivalent to denying a cancer patient treatment. IF, those who choose to or need this form of medication have the right to take it why punish them for something out of their control. An individual should have to full opportunity to receive medical marijuana as an alternative form of medication. The federal law shouldn’t have the right to punish people whose are handling and managing this drug correctly. I don’t truly understand why they would want to penalize people, who are just trying to ease their pain. I feel situations like these causes a tug-a-war between congress powers vs. state power. In my opinion, medical marijuana can help improve medical