Marijuana as Medicine: More Harm Than Help Joan Daly
smokes marijuana. She is also a former member of the San Francisco
Police Department. When Joan was diagnosed with cancer she began
a rigorous chemotherapy program, which has left her in an almost
constant state of nausea, to battle her disease. She, and many like
her, claim that the only drug they have tried that works to ease their
pain is marijuana (Lacayo np). Claims such as this have led to a
national movement pushing the legalization of medical marijuana.
Marijuana should not be legalized for medicine or any other purpose.
(98) Naturally, those who support the cause of legalization will have
their arguments, which can be summarized into three main areas. The
first is the claim that marijuana is an instrumental treatment for the
nausea associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. The next
assertion is that marijuana is an effective controller of glaucoma.
Finally, marijuana advocates claim that it is effective in stimulating the
appetite for the prevention of AIDS wasting syndrome. (71)
Proponents of medical marijuana swear by its ability to ease the
suffering of chemotherapy patients, however there is no research to
back these staunch claims. To be sure, there is a large body of
research regarding cannabinoids, the chemicals found in plants of the
same type as marijuana- the cannabis family, but the overwhelming
majority of those studies use the already USDA approved dronabinol,
a synthetic pill version of marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient,
THC (NIH np). The pill, claim legalization supporters, does not work to
relieve nausea (Lacayo np). There is, in fact, only one study that has
compared smoked marijuana and synthetic THC pills. Of the 20
patients studied, 9 had no preference, 7 preferred dronabinol, and only
4 preferred smoked marijuana (NIH np). Critics of the legalization
Cleland 2 movement say that using the drug before its safety and
effectiveness are determined is foolhardy ("Weed Wars" np). There is
evidence enough to support this claim. The number of patients who
have been clinically dosed with marijuana for research purposes is a
staggering 56 (NIH np). That is an extremely small number to base
such large claims on. The treatment of nausea debate generally
focuses on the synthetic pill/smoked marijuana trade off. The simple
truth is that treatments are available that much more effective than the
pill in the form of ondansetron, granisetron, and others. Their
effectiveness has not been rated against that of marijuana, but the
vast majority of patients respond well to these new treatments, and the
benefits of marijuana for the remaining few is simply not known (NIH
np). (255) Another use of medical marijuana, says advocates, is for
Of the three issues related to the Marijuana legalization debate, Marijuana and its medical use might be the most widely discussed of them all. Opponents of Medical Marijuana bring up many significant arguments as to why it should not be condoned. The American Medical Association in 2001 stated that Marijuana should remain a schedule 1 drug, primarily basing their decision on the fact that they do not believe it has any medical value and that it has “no accepted medical use” and possesses a “high potential for abuse”. The FDA has a specific process in which the joint medical and scientific communities conduct certain procedures to determine whether drugs can be considered safe and effective as medicine, and Marijuana has not been approved by this.
Legalization of Marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. In the United States, legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is spreading to the state level. For example, in November 1996, the people of California and Arizona voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal reasons. As a result of Proposition 215 in California, patients now smoke marijuana provided their physician recommends its usage. A prescription is not required, and marijuana continues to be illegal to prescribe. The Clinton administration responded that it “would not recognize these decisions, and would prosecute physicians who recommend or provide marijuana to their patients.” Although California and Arizona are the only two states to have already passed laws regulating marijuana usage, twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws and resolutions regarding marijuana usage. These laws and resolutions range from establishing therapeutic research programs, to allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, to asking the federal government to lift the ban. Despite the states’ desires to have marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the US National Institutes of Health examined all existing clinical evidence about smoked marijuana and concluded that, “There is no scientifically sound evidence that smoked marijuana is medically superior to currently available therapies.”
The term Virtual Reality is a very unique way of bringing life to a world which doesn't even exist. There are many ways by which people have been trying to bring in the consent of the audience and to grab their interest. The history of virtual reality is marvelous in terms of what it was and what it is now. When before 1960s virtual reality existed, it was popular with the term "Pygmalion's Spectacles". Then there was "View-Master" a device in which there was a circular disc having small pictures in it and to view these pictures a person has to use a viewer where he places the disc inside of the designated place and then view in the direction of light. Then from the year 2000 onwards there were many platforms
Of course, there are many people opposed to legalizing marijuana, despite the benefits. Some doctors are against legalizing marijuana because they think that it will cause “emotionally crippled adults”, and they think that people can become addicted to it. Doctor Howard Samuels believes that marijuana is a psychoactive drug which will create problems for adults in the future. I disagree with this. It doesn’t do anything harmful to your brain, so I don’t see how it would cause problems for adults in the future that use marijuana. You can’t become addicted to it, like you can with cigarettes and alcohol. Marijuana doesn’t have nicotine in it, which causes the addiction to cigarettes. Doctors prescribe morphine to patients, and that is very addictive...
Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants (Nahas 8). Since it became illegal in 1967, there have been questions of whether or not it is good for purposes, such as medicine, other than being a leisure drug. Debates between pro and con groups for the use of marijuana in the medical profession, have been heated and in recent months, referendums have been pasted in a least three states to make it accessible for medical treatment. Personally, I feel that marijuana has the potential to be a significant help with certain aliments, however, more research needs to be done to maximize its potential.
Growing up, my older brother had frequent migraines. The worst part about Christopher 's migraines were the medications his neurologist prescribed to treat them. The medications caused him to not feel like himself; he would even have a difficult time trying to stop taking some of the pills. My family was constantly looking for a way to help Christopher be comfortable and happy. If marijuana were approved for medical uses, it would have had a positive impact on my brother’s life. Medical marijuana should be legalized in Florida because it is a natural painkiller, it has low addiction risk, and it has minor side effects.
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 has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.
Marijuana is a harmful drug and should not be legalized. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug used in the United States. It is a plant that grows from the ground however, it contains many harmful toxins. There are many pros and cons for the legalization of marijuana although there are more cons than there are pros; one being that children are the ones who abuse marijuana the most. Surprisingly, against other beliefs, marijuana smoking actually does impair the user’s ability to drive a lot like the effects of alcohol and it is more addictive than alcohol. Based on this information, many have concluded that marijuana should not be legalized for recreational use.
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 humans 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. Millions of people are suffering needlessly because of the prohibition against using medical marijuana, Rosenthal and Kubby assert. They conclude that marijuana should be decriminalized.”(Rosenthal, Kubby) Today, I am going to help you understand the real benefits of marijuana. By the time that we are through, you will be agreeing with me and will want a part in the effort needed by citizens to legalize such a beneficial drug. You will be in amazement at how long our government has despised such a great thing.
Those opposed to the use of medical marijuana contend that there have not been enough studies, it is too dangerous and it is ineffective enough to call for its legalization. They believe that marijuana is addictive, is a gateway drug, can lead to infertility and can injure the brain, lungs and other organs. However, advocates of medical marijuana point out numerous government studies, peer-reviewed clinical trials and the long, proven history of cannabis used medicinally throughout the world as counter-points to the opposition. Advocates also point out the various harmful side effects of prescription drug medication, and hold that if those are approved by the FDA for patient use, than marijuana should be as well.
As of today the nation stands behind three basic ideas of what to do with marijuana; legalize marijuana, make it legal only as a prescription drug, or keep it as it is, illegal. People, who are pro-marijuana like me, argue that marijuana is considerably less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, the most frequently used legal drugs. Furthermore marijuana has never directly caused anyone's death. People who side with the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes believe that the ends justify the means. But the people who want to keep it illegal think that the medical uses do not outweigh the harmful side effects.
SCOTT, T. (1996). Virtual Reality: A Historical Perspective. Available: http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Tate.VR.html#2. Last accessed 8th January 2014.
Taking a look at the history of virtual reality it actually began in the late 1950’s with the first supercomputers (Mitchell). The whole concept of virtual reality began with the realization that computer screen could be used instead of paper to view output (An explanation). At first, however, many people thought the computers as nothing more than adding machines. As virtual reality began to develop many individuals played a role in it. Three important men were Douglas Engelbart, Ivan Sutherland, and Myron Krueger. The contributions of these men were critical to the development of early virtual reality.
Duty ethics focus on treating others, the people believing the person(s), as the person(s) telling the information want to be treated. Duty ethics support the ethics thread on honesty because the person(s) giving out the information does not want to be lied to as much as the people listening to the person(s). The person(s) do not want the people that are listening to end up in trouble, getting hurt or possibly worse death.