Medical marijuana continues to be a federal vs state level issue, since it remains illegal federally, but more than half of the states have passed laws authorizing the medical use of marijuana. This creates an ethical dilemma for medical personnel especially those working within the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). The VA provides patient care and federal benefits to veterans. Federal banning marijuana leads to a lack of trusted research of the drug with medical conditions, therefore it also limits the knowledge of marijuana side effects, medication interactions, effectiveness, contraindications, dosage levels, and precautions (Adams, Holland & Urban, 2017). Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug, but also needed to adjust federal enforcement priorities due to several states legalizing marijuana for medical use. Federally marijuana is an illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2017). Federal law states that marijuana has no medical benefits by labeling it as a Schedule I drug (Cole, 2013). The United States Drug Enforcement Administration defines Schedule I as “drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse (DEA, n.d.).” Federal guidance for states which have enacted laws authorizing medical use, production, distribution, or possession of marijuana is to establish regulations and guidelines for protecting the
At the federal level marijuana is still illegal under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C § 811), effectively treating it in the same spectrum on cocaine and heroin. The federal government puts every drug into a schedule which is a principle according to potential for abuse and medical value. Furthermore the aforementioned act does not differentiate between medical and recreational marijuana in its classification as a Schedule 1 drug. Doctors can “recommend”, but not “prescribe” marijuana use under the First Amendment. On August 29, 2013 the Department of Justice wrote a guidance memo to prosecutors, which states that prosecuting state medical marijuana cases is not a federal priority. Most medical cannabis follow a set of eight guidelines as stated in the article. In the landmark case of Gonzales v. Raich (2005), the Supreme Court established the constitutional right for the federal government to prohibit marijuana in any case. The Commerce-Justice-Science bill was a bill created to prohibit the Justice Department to use funds that prevent states to enact medical cannabis laws. Lobbying on the Justice Department’s side is illegal. Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2015 has until December 30, 2016 to be passed. The CAREERS is a huge advancement for the developing idea and research in pertains to
The cannabis plant (marijuana) has been used medicinally by a variety of cultures around the world. It was used as medicine in the United States until when a new tax fee led to its discontinued use. Congress has voted on several bills to legalize the medical use of marijuana; however none of those bills were passed. In June 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal laws against marijuana, including its medical use, are valid. The government has authorized few research studies into the health effects of medical marijuana. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved
Recent years have brought about a rapid shift in the approach that many states take towards the utilization of medical marijuana. Currently, thirty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have legalized some form of medical marijuana. Despite this progress, federal policies continue to inhibit United States veterans from obtaining the relief that such laws provide to other citizens. There are many sobering statistics regarding the abnormally high rate of drug addiction and suicide among veterans. Currently, too many veterans suffering from lingering pain or post-traumatic
As more effective treatments for diseases and cancers are being developed, a safe and promising drug is being under attack for its many misconceptions. Marijuana use of both medicinally and recreationally, has been hindered by the misconceptions it has faced due to it being on the schedule 1 drug class of the U.S government. These misconceptions of medical marijuana have hindered its legalization by having people continue to believe them, refusing to learn the beneficial properties of medical marijuana, and as a result have affected people who could benefit from this form of treatment.
Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General, once spoke about the legalization of marijuana for medical use in a press conference. "It's criminal to keep this medicine from patients," she said (Silverman, 1995, pg. 2). She received criticism not only from many citizens of the United States, but also strong criticism from the President who appointed her. The legalization of marijuana for medical use has always been a sharply debated subject, and many of the debaters are uneducated about the effects of using this illegal drug for therapeutic use. Many studies have been done and the results are clear. As a medical drug, marijuana should be available to patients who do not adequately respond to currently available
“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 topic of legalizing marijuana has been on the fore front of controversial issues ever since marijuana, cannabis, was brought into the United States from Mexico in the early 1920s. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana use in the past two decades, however, only four of those states, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, have passed the law legalizing recreational marijuana use. Some states have already enacted laws that allowed for the possession of marijuana to such individuals that received a written prescription from their doctors. Federal law, however, has continued to prohibit doctors from writing patients a marijuana prescription, meaning
In our society, especially in recent times, the topic of interest for many is the highly stigmatized drug marijuana. Marijuana is currently under national debate on whether it should be legalized on a federal level. A myriad of news and media outlets report that marijuana is legal in multiple states for numerous reasons, but the federal government still fails to legalize it as of now. To provide insight, marijuana also referred to as cannabis, is derived from the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant and can be used in many ways—smoking, edibles (food or drink), vaporizing, tinctures, ingestible oils, topical lotions or balms, and dabbing (delivers a higher THC in the form of hash oil, wax, or shatter). THC and CBD are called cannabinoids, which are the major chemicals in marijuana that assist the user for medical purposes or recreationally. As stated by Americans for Safe Access (ASA), “The federal government claims that marijuana is not medicine and in Gonzales v. Raich (2005) the United States Supreme Court held that the federal government has the constitutional authority to prohibit marijuana for all purposes… States have recognized marijuana’s medical value” (Americans for Safe Access). Furthermore, marijuana is used recreationally and medicinally in some states and the District of Columbia under state specific laws. Although the use of cannabis is legal in certain states, in the federal government’s eyes, marijuana use,
First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very “loose” with the use of marijuana. Hoxter a weed smuggler explains how he began in the 1960’s trying weed and years later saw himself unloading four hundred pounds of pot in Vancouver. The story of this man ends in his isolation and argument of why he couldn’t smoke weed even if he stopped selling? He asked a parole officer and she didn’t know what to respond. It is true what Hoxter states, fifty years ago alcohol was illegal and now it’s not, was it bad then? Will weed be legalized? And will the conflicts have been in vain? (Schou 8). Around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression (Zeese 1999). With this new worldwide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country want the
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.
Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.
The legalization of marijuana in other states has increased access to and acceptability of this drug for both medicinal and recreational purposes. In the absence of well-designed research and FDA approval, this creates unique challenges for both practitioners and regulators alike. Doctors are being pressured to recommend medical marijuana based off of the requests of the users. The regulations that have been put on marijuana are extremely loose fitting and hard to control
Over the past decade, the debate over medical marijuana has heated up fiercely. What was once a fringe-issue has cemented itself in the foreground of American politics. As the laws currently stand, the plant is still considered illegal on the federal level. The Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, classifies marijuana in the same group harmful drugs like heroin and ecstasy by labeling it as a Schedule I substance. According to the DEA, Schedule 1 substances are “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.” (DEA).
Drugs are heavily used throughout the entire world. However, it is important to understand and not undermine the variability in which drugs are used. It is clear some are for distinct medical treatment and others are for recreational use. In the United States, marijuana has been and continues to be a very controversial drug. Some states have allowed marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes, while others have completely outlawed the drug. Those who are against the legalization and regulation of marijuana suggest the economical and health risk associated with consumption of the drug are too high. Although there is risk involved with the legalization of the marijuana, our country has already been risking too much banning the drug.
Is medical marijuana hurting the citizens of the united states. Marijuana was legalized for people that have different type of health problems. Problems that cannot be solved with medicine. Should medical marijuana be legalized in all the 50 states of America, or should it be banned? Marijuana is a good medical plant that helps many people with certain health problems; however, many people hijack the system into using marijuana into recreational purposes.