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Medical Marijuana Argumentative Essay

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Medical Marijuana Marijuana has been used around the world for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of ailments. Chinese emperor Shen Nung was the first to record marijuana as a medical drug in 2737 B.C. He documented the drug’s effectiveness in treating the pains associated with rheumatism and gout. The legalization of medical marijuana has long been debated within American society and Government. Marijuana was a legal source for medicines in the U.S. until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which federally prohibited marijuana. Prior to the enactment of the Marijuana Tax Act, there were at least twenty-seven legal medicines that contained marijuana available in the U.S. In 1970, The Controlled Substances Act placed marijuana into a …show more content…

In March 2008, then Governor Barack Obama stated in an interview with Gary Nelson of the Oregon Mail Tribune, “When it comes to medical marijuana, I have more of a practical view than anything else. My attitude is that if it's an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there really is no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else.” In a Harris Poll taken in February of 2011, 74 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana for medical treatment. Government organizations send the message that legalization of medical marijuana will result in increased recreational use, especially among adolescents. This claim is unfounded and sends the wrong message to the general public. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the U.S. By legalizing marijuana, even for medical reasons, the wrong message is being sent out to our nation’s youth. Currently there are more young people being treated for marijuana dependency than for all other illegal drugs, and alcohol combined. Marijuana is also a gateway drug. A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that out of 300 sets of twins, the marijuana-using twins were four times more likely than their siblings to use cocaine and crack cocaine.

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