The controversial debate over the legalisation of Medicinal Marijuana, otherwise known as Medicinal Cannabis has been speculated across all states of Australia after seeing the benefits for those suffering from a number of chronic illnesses. South Australia, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory have taken the first steps towards legalising the use of Marijuana for strictly medicinal purposes only by decriminalising the minor marijuana offences which means if the amount of marijuana recognised by each state is of a ‘small amount’ then it will be treated as a civil wrong with a minor penalty such as a fine or drug rehabilitation program. However this does not mean it is legal to use, it’s just a minor slap on the wrist as it is …show more content…
They include many chronic illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, HIV, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, Glaucoma, Chrons disease, Epilepsy and many more. Your body already makes marijuana-like chemicals that affects pain, inflammation, and many other processes but marijuana can sometimes help those natural chemicals work better (Laura Borgelt, 2013). Marijuana when compared to other medications used to help treat these illnesses has provided far more superior pain relief without the other added side effects. Therefore, the legalisation of medical marijuana could relieve pain and suffering of severely ill patients and could potentially improve the quality of life for those suffering from a range of painful …show more content…
The popularity of marijuana as a recreational drug, there is always the risk of wide scale drug diversion occurring which means people without a prescription for marijuana gaining access to the drug for purposes other than medicinal use. Marijuana affects the brain and can cause feelings of disorientation, altered visual perception, hallucinations, sleepiness, and poorer psychomotor control (Ashton Churchill, 2007) It has also been shown that drivers using Marijuana had about three to seven times the risk of being in a motor car collision than drivers who were not using marijuana (John Ramaekers, 2009) Pedestrians and cyclists who are prescribed marijuana are also at higher risks of being injured in a collision. Generally speaking a study showed marijuana use was associated with an increased risk of injuries from causes such as falls, lacerations, and burns (Simon Gerberich, 2013) Hence the legalisation of medical marijuana not only poses a risk to the personal safety of the patient but also to the physical safety of the wider
Another indisputable reason to legalize Marijuana is its use as an alleviator of pain. Those who must suffer with Multiple Sclerosis felt a lessening of spasticity, as well as muscle pain. Secondly, people who suffer from Glaucoma felt relief of pressure, and it is even reported to have put a halt to the progression of the disease (Kubby and Rosenthal 69). Marijuana is virtually cleansing the poisons out
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
Legalizing marijuana is crucial to the medical field because many patients cannot use this marvelous plant to relieve their pain. This plant can help patients with multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, HIV, nerve pain, and seizure disorders. Many patients must go behind the doctors back and consume cannabis or give it to a loved one to relieve their pain. Only twenty-nine states have allowed the use of medical marijuana. Furthermore, that means that twenty-two states do not allow the usage of any form of Cannabis. Marijuana should be an all-around legal
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.
The findings of the current research study explores and describes the hazards and benefits that medical marijuana can cause. The findings are beneficial to medical patients with debilitating illnesses, doctors, parents, and teens that do not understand the effects of marijuana. The findings provide a clear understanding of the pros and cons of using medical marijuana.
Background and ThesisThere are 29 States in the United States of America that have legalized marijuana for medical use. Marijuana first became illegal in 1937 when the United stated introduced The Marijuana Act. This Act stated that anyone buying, selling, dealing or giving away marijuana must pay the Internal Revenue a special tax (Industry Updates) To eliminate trafficking of psychoactive drug, congress passed The Controlled Substance Act in 1970. The U.S Governmentfound the marijuana had a high potential for abuse. Because of that they classified it has a Schedule 1 controlled substance, the government did not believe that marijuana had any medicinal purposes. The law held a penalty of 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for even the smallest amount of marijuana.. The United States found that Marijuana effects the user’s mental health as well as their lungs. Smoking Marijuana places 30 times more carcinogens than cigarette smoke into your lungs (Bob Barr). Cannabinoid receptors in the brain are affected by the THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the main chemical in Marijuana. Smoking Marijuana only takes about 30 seconds to get in the blood stream and to your brain. Once THC reaches the brain it over activates the Cannabinoid receptors altering the persons mind and body (Kevin Bonsor and Nicholas Gerbis).The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) found cannabis to give relief to people with conditions like
Next, let’s examine groups that support marijuana becoming officially authorized. These groups dispute that it has medical benefits for patients that have cancer or AIDS. It helps relieve pain, relaxes, and may help the patients get their appetites back. Marijuana is also known to help slow down the progression of the disease in Glaucoma patients. People suffering from epilepsy use marijuana to prevent the epileptic seizures. It’s also known that marijuana helps with the treatment of people who maybe clinically depressed.
It has often been used to help treat headaches, cancer, glaucoma, and even nerve pain. In can be smoked, vaporized, eaten, or taken in liquid form. Marijuana acts as a helper. Your body already produces marijuana like chemicals, so by taking more, the chemicals in your body work better to provide the effects you want. Marijuana doesn’t just stop pain and inflammation. It can help also with nausea, seizures, and muscle spasms. According to some, marijuana is “one of the most beneficial and therapeutically active substances known to man” (Langtree). Cannabis has been used for almost over 4,000 years in the medical field. It is currently illegal in many states because people are afraid of it. Some states have started to see it as a plus. As a result, there are about 28 states that legally have medical marijuana. If so many states have it legal for the medical purposes why shouldn’t others? (28 Legal Medical Marijuana
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 become legal in our country as a prescription and clinical drug for medicinal treatment? Imagine somebody that you love lying in bed at a hospital and having just undergone chemotherapy for their cancer treatment; Side effects of chemotherapy like constantly vomiting, fatigue and pain are difficult to tolerate every day. Doctor can prescribe medication, but any of it has absolutely no effect in relieving the intolerable pain of nausea and headache. Medical marijuana as a treatment and pain reliever is nothing new; people have used it for ages. Patients in countries where marijuana is legalized describe this plant as the first drug that has a treatment benefit over treatments and medicinal drugs. This plant may be the only possibility to reduce their physical pain, but if there is no legalization of medical marijuana in their country, what should they do? Dr. Sunil K. Aggarwal with his group of medical researchers and doctors argues that there are many confirmed medical advantage of marijuana, but science reporter, Colin Lowry, argues that marijuana has damaging mentally effects.
In today’s society, there are certain diseases that are debilitating and causing painful reactions to Americans throughout the United States. The patient with MS who cannot control the spasms created by their disease, the rheumatoid arthritis patient with pain so severe they cannot rest and nothing seems to be easing the pain. Then there is the AIDS patient who cannot eat, as they are so nauseated from the HIV medications that they are taking; these patients have just some of the disease scenarios that medicinal marijuana can help. Many people have long used marijuana for both medicinal and other purposes for many years. However, its modern use is a very controversial issue having both strong supporters as well as firm opponents. With
Illnesses can also be treated by cannabis. Illness is something that someone gets over time but it eventually goes away. (The Union, Brett Harvey) Cannabis is an excellent and healthy way to relieve pain from migraine headaches. (The Union, Brett Harvey) Migraines are often caused by nausea, flashes of light, and photosensitivity. (How Weed won the west, Kevin Booth) When cannabis is taken in to a person’s body it impacts the Autonomic Nervous system which causes that person to breathe easier and relax. (The Union, Brett Harvey)
Since the legalization of marijuana for medical use, eight out of ten states caused a decreased in teenage cannabis use. Currently in the nation there are several states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Government officials have different belief on medical marijuana. According to Judge Young, “Marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people” (“Top Ten”). The governmental figure sees potential with the use of medical cannabis. According to Walters, “Smoked marijuana damages the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system” (“Top Ten”). Walters is suggesting that this study is only going to do harm. Though there are many people who agree and disagree with cannabis use for
Although marijuana is non-FDA approved, neither are vitamins, which no one really thinks, or worries, about. No one has ever overdosed because of marijuana, but overdosing on alcohol kills about 88,000 people every single year, just in the United States (“Alcohol Facts and Statistics,” 2016). Studies have shown that marijuana can affect development of the brain in adolescents (William and Robert, 2015). Marijuana does affect the brain, so it, like many other legal drugs, should not be available to people under the legal age. There is no long-term effect on adults, so simply do not give it to adolescents (Bonnie and Jill, 2014). Finally, driving after smoking marijuana can be dangerous (William and Robert, 2015). This is true, but you also should not drive after drinking alcohol or taking anxiety medications. Marijuana is still a drug that affects the mind, but, if you use it responsibly, it is completely
The debate surrounding the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been around for many years. Patients with chronic debilitating illnesses taut the benefits of marijuana, whether through smoking or eating it, and claim that its use has been instrumental in allowing them to live normal, productive lives. Others, like those in law enforcement and the government, believe that allowing marijuana to be used for medicinal reasons will result in a higher incidence of illicit drug use, along with encouraging users to seek bogus exemptions under the medicinal marijuana laws (Fang, 2014). Used for thousands of years to treat a variety of illnesses, there is no evidence that the use of marijuana for treatment purposes led people to