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legalization of marijuana as a alternative medicine essay
the importance legalization of marijuana in medical fields
arguments for the legalization of marijuana for medicine and recreational purposes
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According to a 1996 Gallup poll, "73 percent of Americans favored making marjuana available by perscription", but 69 percent did not favor the legalization of its recreational use. (Koch) With this topic continually in the news, it becomes more about its medicinal and therapuetic uses and less about how it is used recreationally. Medical marijuana should be federally legalized to be used as an alternative medicine because it is a better choice than other drugs for pain and nausea, it is more affordable than other medicines and with its change from a Scheduale I to a Scheduale II drug, would fall in the same regulations as a perscription drug.
Marijuana is a better choice than other drugs for pain and nausea because its side effects are not as harsh and it is the only thing that that seems to work for some patients. For those with nausea, it causes this to fade, giving them the ability to eat again. For those with pain, it helps them in the way that an aspirin would work for an average person. An example of this is Angel Raich, who suffered from chronic pain and a brain tumor which could not be removed, who was so weak at one point, she had to use a wheelchair. With no pain relief in sight, she decided to try marijuana with her doctors' approval. The drug worked, "...her symptoms improved, and she even retired her wheelchair"(Marshall). It is also a better choice because other medicines could be made from it. Kathy Koch, an assistant managing editor who specializes in education and social-policy issues, explains more about this in her article "Medical Marijuana":
Scientists see the potential for developing a variety of new medicines from among the 200-plus active ingrediants in [marijuana]cannabis, including more than...
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...e medicines. Marijuana is also more affordable to patients than other more expensive perscription drugs due to its ability to be grown at home or a dispensary. Finally if marijuana were recategorized as a Scheduale II drug it would be perscribed in certain cases and watched over carefully for those who need it, without a doctors fear of breaking the law or losing their medical license. Legalizing medical marijuana would lead the way for more medicines and cures to be found and therefore, better health for all.
Works Cited
Koch, Kathy. "Medical Marijuana." CQ Researcher 9.31(1999):705-728. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 8 Nov 2011.
Marshall, Patrick. "Marijuana Laws." CQ Researcher 15.6(2005):125-148. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 8 Nov 2011.
Worsnop, Richard L. "Alternative Medicine's Next Phase." CQ Researcher 7.6 (1997):121-144. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 8 Nov 2011.
When marijuana is taken it can have amazing effects on the user, if someone with chronic neck or back pains, severe vomiting and nausea or someone with Neurological conditions uses marijuana it can remarkably relieve them from the pain. Marijuana has potent analgesic properties which can be used to treat a variety of different pains. Medical marijuana as a chronic pain reliever can reduce patients' pain and improve the quality of their life, without the same serious side effects associated with use of some pharmaceutical pain relievers. Marijuana can also be taken as an Anti-emetic which is a drug used to prevent one from vomiting, if a person potentially believes that he or she is going to vomit then smoking marijuan...
Although there are numerous deaths, at least 100,000, from prescription drugs each year, there has never been a death attributed to marijuana. The late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former administrator of the US government’s marijuana research programs, stated that after he had treated about 10,000 patients in 15 years, he felt that there are about 200 different medical conditions that respond favorably to medical marijuana.
Marijuana is a proven agent to prevent nausea in people. In 1985, the FDA approved a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol(THC). It was approved to combat nausea and vomiting that accompanies chemotherapy. In a 1988 study, 78% of 56 people said that they had received some
in Colorado and Washington as not only medicinal, but recreational use. They have also begun
The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes has become an increasingly controversial topic, with many different issues on which people have many different opinions. There is opposition to the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes because it has the potential to be used incorrectly, however it is also considered that there is the potential for marijuana to be used in relieving the suffering of many seriously ill patients. Marijuana has been used by people for thousands of years to provide relief from many different serious medical problems. There are many doctors who currently support the effectiveness of using marijuana as a treatment for various medical conditions. Many people who are suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS have found that marijuana can be a very effective pain and symptom reliever.
Marijuana is the cause of much commotion and debate, as the question of legalization becomes more of an issue. Drugs are a major influential force in countries all over the world today. Legalization is an option that has not had a chance, but really should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of drug use, legalization would benefit for the following reasons: 1)reduction of money spent on law enforcement 2)increase in the countries revenue 3)lessen crime 4)useful in treating certain medical conditions. Many feel today we are losing the war on drugs.
Marijuana is one of the hundreds of drugs that holds Americans in the bondage of addiction and causes harm to their health and well-being. Marijuana comes from the hemp plant called cannabis sativa and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. (Goldberg). Although marijuana has mostly been used as a drug to get high, physicians have recently discovered that marijuana can treat the symptoms of cancer and multiple sclerosis, relieve pain, and treat many minor ailments. Because of the rare healing effects of this drug, many states are working to legalize medical marijuana in their state, but there is much controversy over whether or not medical marijuana should be legalized. Although medical marijuana has been proven to relieve pain and treat the symptoms of many life-threatening illnesses, the harmful side effects, the possibility of addiction and Americans untrustworthiness causes medical marijuana to be an implausible healing agent.
Marijuana has been used as medicine since the beginning of time, but because of the bad reputation surrounding marijuana you wouldn’t believe that marijuana first use was for medical purposes. Marijuana dates all the way back to 2900 BC, in China, where the Chinese emperor Fu Hsi noted that cannabis was a very popular medicine that possessed both yin and yang. The Egyptians also used cannabis for glaucoma, inflammation, and enemas. In India, they use Bhang, a drink of cannabis and milk, as an anesthetic and anti-phlegmatic. By the mid-1930s, marijuana was regulated in every state by laws instituted through The Uniform State Narcotic Act. Then in 1937 the Marihuana Tax Act was passed. The Act imposed a tax on anyone who dealt with marijuana, which lead to a decline in marijuana prescriptions. The Act didn’t criminalize the possession or use of marijuana but it did include penalty and enforcement provisions to which marijuana handlers were subject. Violation of these procedures could result in a fine up to $2000 and five years in prison. In 1972, the US congress placed marijuana in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use.” Research has shown that marijuana use is medically beneficial and that legalization would have a positive impact on patients who suffer from symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS. By keeping marijuana illegal, we are denying relieve, that marijuana provides to the patients that does not respond to the medicines that physicians prescribe or suffer from the side effect of these harsh drugs causes.
The debate on medical marijuana has been a controversial subject, mainly because people have an abundance of opinions and very little scientific research to back up either side of the debate. The most important question here is “will medical marijuana be used for medical purposes or will it be used inappropriately?” Unlike a person who uses marijuana for medicine or entertainment, some people use marijuana as a means of income. Honestly, marijuana sales are a very profitable business, but the problem is that there are still a numerous number of people who sell marijuana illegally. Usually with illegal sales of marijuana, also comes other illegal activity.
Legalizing marijuana will let the terminally ill and very sick people get what they need to help them without the trouble. It will also decrease the number of arguments and legal battles to legalize or to not legalize the substance. Marijuana is from a natural plant that is not meant to harm or affect people in anyway. The government and anyone against legalizing marijuana need to realize that there are things far more worse than marijuana. Make it legal and stop the drug war!
Imagine you are lying in your home, suffering from the side-effects of chemotherapy and all you can do is think about how sick you are and what could possibly keep you from being secluded from life and happiness. Marijuana will prevent side-effects linked to terminal illnesses, does not cause any real harm to a human well-being, and would increase US revenue due to taxation and also tourism. Well, according to Ed Rosenthal and Steve Kubby of the book Why Marijuana Should Be Legal, from which this viewpoint is excerpted. They argue that “marijuana is effective at relieving pain, controlling nausea, and stimulating the appetite, and is successfully used to treat a large number of medical problems, including asthma, cancer, AIDS, depression, and glaucoma. Marinol, a synthetic formulation of THC—the chemical in marijuana that is responsible for many of its soothing effects—is not nearly as effective as natural marijuana, they claim.
Medical marijuana has been used for centuries to combat pain, weakness, anxiety, insomnia, female problems and nausea. Today it is commonly used by cancer and AIDS patients to stimulate hunger, combat nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy or other drug therapy and reduce pain. It has also been shown to be effective in reducing eye pressure, especially in the cases with glaucoma. Medical marijuana, or cannabis, is derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and there is some evidence of cannabis being used medicinally for over four thousand years. Many believe that medical marijuana is a healthy and natural alternative to dangerous and toxic pharmaceuticals that often have side effects worse than the original condition. The United Sates declared marijuana a narcotic and declared it illegal with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.
Marijuana continues to be one of the most used illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana has been used for many years and at one time was legal to consume. Throughout the years, marijuana has been used for treatment of different medical conditions and has been used recreationally by people of all ages. While the use of medicinal marijuana has proven to be effective in treating medically ill patients, society continues to question its recreational use and the long term effects it will have on its users. Some feel that legalizing marijuana will only open up avenues for the use of more potent drugs, causing an increase in criminal activity. However, a number of people question why it is considered illegal being it is a naturally growing
Marijuana has a Medical use, which people with certain health problems can benefit from if Marijuana is legalize. Marijuana can be used as a medicin...
...only could marijuana be utilized to treat a variety of illnesses, but patients would no longer have to take pharmaceuticals with side effects and they could treat their ailments in a pleasurable way. With recreational marijuana legal dispensaries would no longer have to fear raids from the DEA, which would lead to more dispensaries opening and businesses thriving. Instead of having a few dispensaries making millions there would be many dispensaries making a decent profit, so employees can make a decent salary as opposed to six figures which would certainly help lead the state into prosperous times. One might say that drugs are dangerous and they kill people every day; however this is not the case with marijuana. According to drugfacts.org in the five thousand years of marijuana’s documented use there has been zero deaths caused primarily by marijuana. (drugwarfacts)