Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Uses and Hemp

Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Uses and Hemp

Marijuana, dope, weed, pot, these are all names for a drug that has many medical uses, but it not currently legal in the United States. Marijuana is still used extensively for medical purposes, even though it is illegal. Marijuana, when smoked, produces a chemical substance known as THC, or tetra-hydro-cannabinol. It is often used as a recreational drug, which is used to heighten perception, and relax the mind and body.

In medical use, it is a painkiller, used my patients of many chronic diseases. Glaucoma patients use it to relieve pressure in the eye; Cancer patients use it to relieve them of the nausea caused by the chemotherapy. AIDS patients use it to help one of the symptoms known as "wasting"; which is where a person cannot gain weight by eating and is consistently losing weight.

Why not use a prescription that has comparable results? A few things to point out, is the cost of experimental painkillers, and the side effects that go along with them. There is a synthetic version of the THC that is found in Marijuana, called Marinol. The Rx for one year would be a hefty $5,000. It also has pharmaceutical shortcomings such as, lower concentrations, and the fact that in a pill form, it may make patients taking it for their nausea vomit while attempting to swallow the pill.

Since the late 1970s, 34 states have passed laws that allow doctors to recommend marijuana or urge the creation of research programs on marijuana. The trouble with this is, federal law supercedes state law, and the DEA is clear on its position of marijuana being a drug without medical uses.

Many opponents of the legalization claim that marijuana is a gateway drug, a drug that lea...

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...soft material, softer than cotton fiber. It is rich in cellulose, and can be used to make things such as paper, toilet tissue (the soft 3-ply kind!) and other paper type products. It has possible uses as a biofuel, able to power cars, heat homes, etc. Hemp can grow without pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. A hemp crop is usually harvested in 100-120 days after reaching a height of 4-15 feet, depending on the variety, making hemp a better producer than timber.

All this information is leading up to the conclusion that the United States needs to lift the ban on hemp growing! Currently the only place in the US that hemp growing is legal is Hawaii, in a ¼ acre experimental plot. Hemp is the perfect replacement for trees grown for pulp for papermaking. Over 10 other countries have a large hemp growing industry, and some even print their money on hemp paper!