The
Legalization of Medical Marijuana
Jennifer Fanjoy
Southern New Hampshire
University
Marijuana is
classified as an illegal substance by the FDA. The media has also continued to
paint a negative picture on this substance. However, marijuana should be
legalized mainly for one reason, the pain alleviation for those suffering from
chronic illnesses. These groups of people should be allowed full non-restricted
access to medical marijuana. Just because the substance is said to be illegal
and being misused should not be a reason to subject patients who need it
for pain and suffering.
Experts from the
National Institute of Health or NIH have confirmed that marijuana is an
effective, safe and inexpensive alternative for treating nausea caused by AIDS
medications and chemotherapy. It also helps alleviate symptoms
from glaucoma, anorexia, asthma, insomnia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease,
Alzheimers, migraines, schizophrenia, sickle cell disease, Tourette syndrome
and Wilson’s disease.
It has been proven
to provide “both analgesia and anti-inflammatory relief for autoimmune
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, complex sympathetic
dystrophy, and restless leg syndrome; and assists many with mental health
problems, including attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder,
depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder” (Bearman, 2011).
Some think
marijuana should be legal, others think it shouldn’t, and some think it
should be with some modifications on the usage. Marijuana provides relief to
people with chronic pain however, the government proclaims there is no
therapeutic value in the medicinal use of marijuana, but they do not have hard
evidence to prove it. Some of the advantages that marijuana has on multiple
sclerosis is it reduces muscle pain and plasticity cause by the disease, and
may also help some patients with bladder control and relieve tremor. It can
also prevent epileptic seizures for epilepsy patients. When you look at the
benefits, there is no question that marijuana should be legal throughout the
entire country.
The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) does not recognize or approve the marijuana plant or
its crude extracts as medicine, however, the FDA has approved several drugs
with a synthetic cannabinoid similar to delta-9-
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Dronabinol
(Marinol) is used to treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and wasting disease
(extreme weight loss) caused by AIDS.
Nabilone (Cesamet) also contains a synthetic cannabinoid and is used for
the same purposes. The UK and several
other European countries have a drug called Sativex, which contains equal parts
of THC and CBD, to “treat spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) and it
is now in Phase III clinical trials in the U.S.” (NIDA).
Marijuana is a drug
that is always being talked about all over the media. There is constant public
dispute on whether it should be legalized or not and if it were legalized, how
would they make it work. The divider on this matter is people’s beliefs and the
way that society has stereotyped marijuana. Since medical marijuana is
illegal on a federal level, it makes it much more difficult because
of running the risk of getting in trouble with the government. However, with the legalization, the benefits
that would come from this would be exponential, beyond the benefits of
prescription drugs
References
Barr,
B. (2008). Medical Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized. In J. Tardiff (Ed.),
Contemporary Issues Companion. Marijuana. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted
from Commonwealth, 1999, June) Retrieved from >
Bearman,
D. (2011). Marijuana Has Been Proven to Effectively Treat Many Medical
Conditions. In N. Merino (Ed.), Current Controversies. Medical Marijuana.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Medical Marijuana: Scientific
Mechanisms and Clinical Indications, www.davidbearmanmd.com, 1-18, n.d.) Retrieved
from >
Cerdá,
M., Wall, M., Keyes, K. M., Galea, S., & Hasin, D. (2012). Medical
marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state
legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and
dependence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Drug
Policy Alliance. (2016). Marijuana Should Be Fully Legalized, Not Just
Decriminalized. In N. Merino (Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints. The Legalization of
Marijuana. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Why Is
Marijuana Decriminalization Not Enough?, 1, 2015, January) Retrieved from >
NIDA.
(2017, April 28). Marijuana as Medicine. Retrieved from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine on 2017,
June 15
Looking for a Similar Assignment? Order now and Get 10% Discount! Use Coupon Code "Newclient"
Like this:
Like Loading...