The Legal Status Of Marijuana

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

Cannabis began being outlawed all across the U.S. during the 1900’s and has remained illegal ever since, until recent years when states began legalizing it (huffpost.com). Although many people believe that the reason behind the prohibition of cannabis was based on genuine concern for the possible consequences it may have on the well-being of people if it remained accessible to all, the truth is that the drive behind the U.S.’s prohibition of cannabis was founded on racism. During the early 1900’s cannabis was considered an “ethnic drug” due to the fact that many Mexican immigrants smoked the plant (huffpost.com). With the tension in Western states regarding the migration of Mexicans into the states, laws concerning the use regulation of

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

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

            Many citizens in the United States suffer from lifelong diseases that cause them to lose the ability to live their day-to-day lives. The United States is now faced with the problem over whether or not drugs, often stigmatized by society, should be made legal. One of these lifesaving drugs is medical marijuana. This leaves us with the troubling question: “should medical marijuana be legalized in the United States?”. Supporters of the drug have argued that it should be legalized because it is superior to other painkillers and can be beneficial to people suffering from numerous illnesses. However, those who oppose its use, argue that not enough research has been done and it may be harmful. The

“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.

In Carrie Shortsleeve’s article, “The Truth About Medical Marijuana”, she is writing to those who are curious about the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Doctors and Scientists everywhere have been studying the use of marijuana for years and question the medical use of it every day. Some doctors and scientists are ready for it to be legalized in their states so that they can administer the drug as soon as tomorrow. While others are 100 percent against the use of marijuana in the medical environment. In her article, Carrie Shortsleeve interviews different doctors and professors to see what their opinions or thoughts may be on the use of medical marijuana. She goes into great detail using facts and statistics on both the positive and negative uses of the drug. The motivation behind Carrie’s article is to find out answers to the questions that we all ask ourselves every day, “Is marijuana safe to use in medical terms?”, “How do you know how much to administer a patient?”, “Will it be legalized in every state?” etc. There are many ways in which medical marijuana can be used to help you, but there are also many ways where it can do more harm than good.

The legalization of marijuana appears to be a hot topic and is definitely controversial among the American people as well as federal agencies like the DEA (The Star Ledger, 2012). From my research through the university library as well as over the intranet, I found several sources of information that referenced the legalization of marijuana. The sources were mixed in biases and opinions about marijuana usage, its affects on the human body, and whether or not marijuana is even as toxic and harmful as the government has made people believe. I read over a few sources that claimed that suggest that marijuana is not harmful enough to justify its prohibition (Dubner, 2007). I read over articles that suggest that states were marijuana has been legalized will encourage an increase in usage. I also found a source that opposed the previous idea that legalization will increase usage by suggesting that legalization does not increase usage through case studies.

Medical use of Marijuana is probably the most discussed topic of the legalizing campaign over the recent years. Some opponents of Marijuana say that it does not have any medical uses at all, and argue that Marijuana is only harmful and should remain illegal. Others for legalization have an opposite view that is starting to gain more recognition as time goes on. Around the late 1990’s, some members of the nation’s medical establishment began to acknowledge marijuana’s potential health benefits. One respected health organization, the Institute of Medicine, released a report in 1999 which stated that “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety can all be mitigated by marijuana (Medical). In an article Drug Legalization, Advocates of medical marijuana say that in many cases it is the only treatment that has been shown to work. “It is a very effective medication for people who have failed to get good results from standard medications,” says Ethan Russo, a neurologist who has studied medical marijuana, “and that is why so many people are devoted to risking their lives and career to get this drug”(Drug). There are many reports that Marijuana can help with conditions traditional medicines do not seem to help with. Marijuana has also been a huge help to patients with Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Glaucoma, and Insomnia. With a lot of prescription medicines being expensive, Marijuana would be a cheaper alternative to buy if people chose to do so.

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

My first initial position of legalized medical marijuana I was against it mainly because I thought it was just for people to have fun. I never thought that it could be something that helps people with their medical condition. After during research on this topic I take the position of that they shouldn’t be prosecution for having medical marijuana as long as they have a prescription for it from a board doctor that has the right to practices medicine.

The legal status of cannabis in the United States has shifted numerous times since pharmaceutical regulation took root in the 1850s. However, since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act by the 91st United States Congress in 1970, cannabis has been federally classified as a Schedule I substance. This means that, under federal law, cannabis is considered to have “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” The fallout of this Congressional decision has been decades of wrongful imprisonment for millions of nonviolent drug-related offenses. It’s inhumane, and it’s a waste of valuable tax dollars that could be better spent funding patient-centric recovery facilities designed to

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.

Marijuana is one of the most discussed and controversial topics in the U.S today. Many say that it has medicinal benefits and should be made legal. While many say that it has a “high potential for abuse” (Medical) and should remain illegal. Among the arguments, proponents for medical marijuana have presented a stronger argument for legalization through their use of research and evidence.

One major way the legalization and regulation of marijuana can benefit society is for medical use or prescription by a doctor. Critics of this may be quick to assert this is an excuse to entertain personal interest and satisfaction one would achieve from the drug. However, there are