Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Applications: A consideration of aspects of the issue
INTRODUCTION
In its brief overview of palliative care (Improving palliative care, August 2003), the Institute of Medicine emphasized purpose: “to prevent or lessen the severity of pain and other symptoms and to achieve the best quality of life for people dying or suffering from a long-term disease” (p. 2). Immediate pain reduction, if not outright elimination, facilitates satisfaction of other, more emotional or introspective end-of-life matters (e.g., working through spiritual issues, resolving family differences). Achieving pain relief under certain treatment regimes implicates a number of federal and state criminal statutes, as well as public policy. Those treatment regimes that rely on opiates (e.g., morphine) and cannabinoids (most notably, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) risk running afoul of the Controlled Substances Act [CSA] (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841 et seq.). Under current federal law, the use of marijuana for any purpose—other than government-sanctioned research—is a criminal offense. (In October 2009, the Department of Justice, in a guidance memorandum to United States Attorneys, stated that the Department considered federal prosecution of persons using marijuana for medical purposes in compliance with state laws “is unlikely to be an efficient use of federal resources” [p. 2]. The choice of words in the memorandum may be
Philippe Lucas’s article “Cannabis as an Adjunct to or Substitute for Opiates in the Treatment of Chronic Pain” recommends using cannabis instead of opiates to relieve chronic pain. He also proposes cannabis may be used to treat prescription opiate abuse by patients suffering from chronic pain and depicts cannabis as a medicine and not a gateway drug. Lucas suggests national governments abandon misinformation emphasizing drug prohibition and start supporting the claim that cannabis effectively treats a variety of illnesses including chronic pain, and is a possible “drug exit” for problematic substance abuse. Appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos are frequently present, creating the ideal balance of evidence and theory regarding medicinal cannabis and opiates.
By this point in time, the opioid crisis is well-known and concerning. One potential solution suggested by researchers, medical professionals, and individual patients alike is the use of medical cannabis for treatment of conditions such as chronic pain. In fact, many patients now prefer medical cannabis to opioid treatments. It’s not difficult to see why.
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
Many people suffer unbearable pain and discomfort from their illnesses and seek any method that might bring relief. Many suffer from chemotherapy treatment, HIV infection related wasting, glaucoma, or other serious ailments that carry an unbearable amount of pain. They first try the drugs that their doctors have prescribed. These prescribed legal drugs seem to have some benefits, but often carry with them many side effects that may be more harmful than helpful. Many patients give the legal drugs a try and find that they are not effective in relieving them of their symptoms. As a result, many turn to marijuana for its medicinal use. Because it is an effective treatment,
What is Marijuana? Well, it is a plant that has many medical benefits and dates back almost 12,000 years ago. The plant has many components within itself like THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, it is the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high. Another component is CBD, Cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive and provides a wide range of medical benefits. There are eight states that allow for the plant to be used recreationally and twenty-nine states that allow the use of the plant for medical purposes only.
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 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).
Palliative care is a system of holistic care aimed to satisfy the requirements of the chronically ill, typically within their home and community rather than as an in-patient1. Hospice is based on the same principles of care, however, it requires that a patient be deemed with six months or less to live and that life-sustaining treatments be ceased, creating an important distinction between the two. Hospice and palliative care both provide comfort, but hospice is for comfort during end-of-life. Pain and palliative care patients have indicated that receiving that care not only reduced their pain that was once intolerable either completely or to a substantial extent, but it also maintained or increased their hope and outlook on life1. In this country, palliative medicine is a relatively new field of medicine. It wasn’t until 2014 that the WHO began to recognize “palliative and end of life care services as essential and integral to health systems worldwide”2.
Marijuana use should be legalized throughout the United States. Marijuana legalization is becoming a highly popular argument among the country.
The many tales and legends surrounding the medical use of marijuana can be traced as far back to the ancient Chinese and Greek civilizations, who both believed that on top of its psychoactive capabilities, marijuana was effective in treating pain. Several thousand years later, Queen Victoria was urged by her doctor to take marijuana in order to relieve such pains as migraines or menstrual cramps. However, despite the many historical anecdotes regarding marijuana’s medicinal uses, scientists, doctors, and politicians in the United States have been quarreling over the same question for many years: Should marijuana be sanctioned for medicinal usage?
For at least the last decade medical marijuana has been on all of the national headlines. Proponents for its use have told us all the ways it has benefited everyone who has been prescribed medical marijuana. However opponents for its use have demonized it to the point where the average citizen doesn’t know what’s good about it and what’s bad about it. Medical Marijuana should be legal in all states.
Should we or should we not legalize Medical Marijuana? Yes, I think we should make medical marijuana legal in all 50 states. Why is it so difficult for our government and our american society to vote for marijuana to be used for medical purposes. There are many reasons why medical marijuana should be legal, why is medical marijuana helpful, and cannabis are my three reasons why Medical marijuana should be legalized.
In 2012, Colorado was among one of the states that passed the legislation to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Similar to the age limitation set for buying and consuming alcohol and smoking of tobacco products, Colorado has set the age limit for recreational use for adults who are at least twenty-one years of age and over to use an ounce of this drug. According to the drugabuse.gov website, the drug marijuana is defined as a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant. After two years of legalizing marijuana, Colorado has had various perks that range from medical, economic, and social. Other states like Ohio and Mississippi are also considering legalizing marijuana after looking at most of the benefits Colorado is having after legalizing the drug. According to the website, The News Nerd.com, after looking at the success the drug marijuana has brought to Colorado, state legislators have decided to try passing the legalization of the drug heroin as well. In this paper, we will look at the pros and cons of Colorado’s legalized soft drug marijuana versus the legalization of the hard drug heroin. We will also look from the opposing view that Peter de Marneffe is trying to make about the drug heroin and how it will affect our youth in their developmental stage of maturity.
In todays society marijuana is a very controversial topic in America. There has been some horrible remarks towards cannabis in the past but the truth is finally starting to come out. People think of marijuana as a substance just to get “high” with but there are other good outcomes towards cannabis that can make this world a better place.As a marijuana support I believe marijuana should be used for all purposes.
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.