Marijuana: Beneficial and Risky

In November, Jeanette Bokland was diagnosed with breast cancer. She tried to treat it but she couldn’t. One of her friends offered her medical marijuana and she said yes. She didn’t smoke the marijuana, she ate it. It took away her nausea, severe restlessness, and anxiety. It allowed her to eat. It made her feel halfway normal. She called it “a miracle drug.” These 3 people are just examples on why I think marijuana should be a medical option.

Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a controversial topic because many find it beneficial as others find the usage to be recreational. Throughout the years, medical marijuana has gone through periods of times in which it was legal and illegal. Over the years laws have been developed in order to try and regulate the usage of the drug. Studies have shown many the benefits of treating diseases and symptoms. Today it is used in treatment with many different diseases and disorders such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis. As medical marijuana has different species and uses of the product, it is important to depict where the drug can be used for treatment. The usage of this drug enables patients to have a more positive and livable outcome with treatments.

Today in America, millions of American citizens are both confused and outraged by the fact that there are still laws that are preventing people from using one of the most popular and controversial, illegal substances in the world: marijuana. According to recent polls, fifty percent of Americans want marijuana to be completely legal and decriminalized (Blodget), and a whopping eighty percent of Americans want it to be at least legalized for medical use (RangelMD). So why do so many Americans want marijuana to be legalized? To some this question can be easily answered, but to others, it’s not so simple. There are way too many reasons to count why

Many medically ill patients experience agonizing pain everyday that they can not easily control with regular pain medicine, so what’s the next best thing? There have been many recent cases where medical patients have used medical marijuana for therapeutic uses and found that it had slowed the progression of their disease or helped cure it. Medical marijuana has started to become more popular with medical communities and researchers. Medical marijuana can affect many things in a positive way such as financial situations and social aspects, while having benefits on medical illnesses. Medical marijuana that does not contain the THC drug should be legalized in the United States because it would provide therapeutic benefits without making the user feel high.

“In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.” Francis Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge, stated. Marijuana was thought of as a drug that was enormously harmful to the user’s health and well-being, but the truth about it is that if used correctly, marijuana has the ability to alleviate a variety of medical conditions, some that were thought to be “untreatable.” An immense amount of research and evidence has proven repeatedly that marijuana is able to treat many problems that plague much of our nation. Medical marijuana needs to legalization across the United States because of its ability to aid those with respiratory issues, to assuage one’s struggle with mental disorders, and it has a profound ability to mitigate the side effects often seen with people who are burdened with cancer.

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).

THC disrupts the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed. This makes it hard for the user to recall recent events (such as what happened a few minutes ago), and so it is hard to learn while high. A working short-term memory is required for learning and performing tasks that call for more than one or two steps. Some studies show that when people have smoked large amounts of marijuana for many years, the drug takes its toll on mental functions. Among a group of long-time heavy marijuana users in Costa Rica, researchers found that the people had great trouble when asked to recall a short list of words (a standard test of memory). People in that study group also found it very hard to focus their attention on the tests

Marijuana should be a medicinal option because it relieves major chronic pain to many symptoms. According to the Herald Editorial board, Marijuana shows a great impact on pain, “from a widespread number of causes, including cancer, spinal cord injury and disease, severe spasms, post-traumatic stress disorder, nausea, glaucoma, Parkinson’s and other debilitating ailments.” This drug is useful, as patients at times cannot use certain drug due to allergies or other complications. Marijuana helps elevated those who suffer severe pain that other drugs cannot, but doctors still prescribe stronger and more addictive opiates that are legal. If marijuana was a legal drug for the purpose of medication, marijuana can potentially save lives. Marijuana should be prescribed as there are fewer side effects compared to the drugs prescribed by doctors. Why would the government not allow doctors to prescribe patients with extreme health issues that can potentially help elevate their pain. There are individuals who suffer from epilepsy, epilepsy is a condition that causes nerve cell activity to disturb the brain. At times individuals can have up to 10 seizures a day, at any given moment. Having 10 seizures a day at random times makes it difficult for them to go on with their day, but marijuana can decrease the amount seizures into one day. It’s remarkable on how marijuana can reduce the amount of seizures an epileptic person has. Marijuana needs to be an option for medical purposes for the amount of benefits it provides.

Should marijuana be available for patients to use as medical treatment for their long-term illnesses? This question is not only an ethical issue concerning the use of drugs, but it could also be a serious legal issue considering that marijuana is illegal according to the federal government. Many doctors have praised the merits of using cannabis for treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, chemotherapy and cancer treatments, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, arthritis, anxiety, and depression. While most professionals in the medical field seem to agree on the benefits of using medicinal marijuana, there has been much division about the legal ramifications involved in prescribing and distributing this illegal product to the patients

Cannabis is also mentioned in the report as an aid in…diabetes …and chronic ulcers. Other beneficial effects attributed to cannabis are prevention of insomnia, relief of anxiety, protection against cholera, alleviation of hunger and as an aid to concentration of attention” (procon.org). In the 1930’s, a campaign took place to beam cannabis as a powerful addicting drugs that would lead to dangerous drugs and labeled marijuana as a gateway drug ("Encyclopedia-marijuana”). With the campaign in effect, America put cannabis on the schedule of controlled substances. On November 15th, 2010 “Arizona became the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana when proposition 203, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, passes by a margin of 4,341 votes out of 1,678,351 votes cast. The "yes" votes only outnumbered the "no" votes after the early and provisional ballots were all counted as of Nov. 15, 2010” (procon.org). The most current event to have acceptance of medicinal marijuana was on August 7th, 2011. “The [Israeli] Cabinet …approved arrangements and supervision regarding the supply of cannabis for medical and research uses” (procon.org). The decision of the Israeli Cabinet is in recognition that the medical use of cannabis is necessary in certain cases. The number of people recognizing the significance of the cannabis plant is growing, and with this growth, the American Federal government

Why keep those pricey bottles and boxes of drugs in our medicine cabinets which are worthless? New research suggests that marijuana is a medicine. This is a concern which should be addressed for the citizens of United States who have to fight for their medicine to feel better and ease their illness. This is why marijuana should be a medical option! Marijuana is a natural herbal plant which is often called pot, weed, MMJ, cannabis, bubble gum, green goddess and there are several other names that follows. It can be smoked, eaten and drank. There are few reasons why it should be a medical option such as it costs less, its chemical free, and last it helps with the side effects from other medicines and illnesses.

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.

Imagine you have just been diagnosed with cancer. The chemotherapy drugs have left you feeling extremely nauseous; the anti-nausea drugs aren’t working. Marijuana would help but, if you took it you would be a criminal act. The government needs to stop being swayed by negative information and allow marijuana to be legalised for medical use.

Nowadays, legalizing marijuana is considered a sensitive issue among societies and governments. Marijuana has become one of the most commonly used drugs all over the world. Some people suggest that it should be permissible, while others believe that it is hazardous and it should be prohibited. It is true that marijuana has a few positive effects that contribute in the medical field, but we cannot deny the fact that the majority of its effects are negative. Therefore, marijuana should be prohibited because of its effects on adolescent, the effects on brain health, and its effects on the physical health.

Arguably, medicinal marijuana has proven to be most effective for the relief of nausea and anorexia associated with cancer and AIDS/HIV treatments. For cancer patients who not only go through the unimaginable pains and discomforts of the disease itself but also the process of treatment through chemotherapy, the option of using marijuana may prove to be helpful in relief of the symptoms. In an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Kate Scannell, M.D. wrote "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss" ("Do"). Dr. Scannell concluded by claiming "...almost every sick and dying patient I've ever known who's tried medical marijuana experienced a kinder death" ("Do"). This example alone is worth allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana. If marijuana brings relief by easing the pain and suffering of just one patient, isn't that enough reason to legalize its use for medicinal purposes?