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History and background of marijuana
Criminalizing marijuana
Criminalizing marijuana
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Is it possible for an illegal drug to be deemed as legal for medical purposes? This is the case for Marijuana. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is an preparation of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or medicine. When people hear the word “marijuana”, they think of drugs, ruined lives, and addicts. Although marijuana does have a good side, that side being used for its medicinal properties. Medical marijuana has the potential to become a natural alternative drug to alleviate pain from many common diseases in this day and age. While recreational use of marijuana is controversial as is any drug, many believe that the drug should be made legal to use for medical purposes. Medicinal use of marijuana dates back to 2737 …show more content…
Up until 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, marijuana was a legal source for medicine in the United States. Because of this setback, it has become increasingly difficult for researchers to study medical marijuana. Neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta personally apologized for dismissing the value of scientific research for medicinal marijuana usage. Although there are sixty-six cannabinoids in marijuana, two inexact have been the subjects of most studies examining medical uses: delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBD). Medical marijuana is a growing legalization movement throughout the United States that now consists of sixteen states that allow the use of medicinal marijuana. If further scientific research is funded, maybe one day the United States will hopefully legalize medical marijuana use in every …show more content…
Its medical benefits far outweigh its few associated negative side effects. Some negative side effects include:dizziness, dry mouth, agitation, increased appetite, and slowed reaction time. Compared to other drugs, marijuana is not an addictive drug nor can it kill you, unlike many common drugs that doctors prescribe daily to treat illnesses. There are no reported deaths from marijuana usage because it would be physically impossible to overdose of this drug. According to a 1988 United States administrative law hearing, the user would have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response. Medical marijuana is used to help treat and manage debilitating diseases such as epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. Because marijuana was labeled as a “Schedule I substance, illegal, and without medical value”, it became the most widely used illicit recreational drug. Physicians and other healthcare professionals who write prescriptions for it can be prosecuted under federal law. Many scientists have tried for decades to obtain permission from federal agencies like the FDA and DEA to have human medical trials and further the study the effects that marijuana has on the body. Marijuana is still a drug and it should still be treated as such even if it becomes legal to use for medicinal purposes. “It has to be stressed that cannabis is not a totally benign substance and smoking it
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.”
Thesis: Despite its legal status cannabis and CBD has been recognized as being beneficial in many ways. After all, cannabis and CBD has been medically beneficial when treating pain, seizures, and cancer.
Why isn 't marijuana legal in the United States? Marijuana could serve many purposes to the human body and the community. In 1937, the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act. This act immediately criminalized marijuana. This means you can not have possession of the drug for medical purposes or not. This act is still in effect today, but it should be repealed .
Is it possible for an illegal drug to be deemed legal for medical purposes? Well for an illegal drug like marijuana, that is the question. There are currently many people who use marijuana legally to suppress their illness. Marijuana should be allowed for medicinal purposes.
Legalization of marijuana in the United States has received much attention and controversy in recent months. The federal government outlaws the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, despite proven research studies that have discovered the plant’s potential to treat the lives of many Americans affected by disease and chronic pain. Medicinal use of the marijuana plant dates back to 2700 B.C. in China. Emperor Shen Nung discovered its’ healing properties and recommended marijuana for a variety of ailments (Mack and Joy 14). Today, bias views and laws plague the advancement of marijuana in present day medicine.
Medical marijuana refers to the use of cannabis and its chemical compound, which is THC and CBD, as medical therapy to treat disease or alleviate symptoms. The marijuana plant has a history of medical use dating back thousands of years through many cultures. Its usage in modern times is controversial, and in recent years the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and other pharmaceutical organizations have issued statements opposing its usage for medical reasons. From the early 1900s to the 1950s marijuana, opium, and coc...
Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over the 3,000 years and has been met with much resistance in the recent decade (Bearman 12). In the early part of the century, marijuana, also known as cannabis, was a part of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for about 90 years, but drug companies began to drop marijuana from medications when the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was passed (4-6). Medical marijuana can be used in two ways; it can be smoked in a cigarette form or taken in a capsule. Marijuana’s most potent ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be taken as a pill, but is “easily
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.
The effects of marijuana are minimal. The high has a feeling of euphoria, peacefulness and well-being. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active chemical in marijuana. It’s estimated that a person would have to ingest a dose 20,000 to 40,000 times the average dose before death would occur. In the early 1990’s sophisticated research on marijuana began. The scientists discovered THC stimulates special receptors in the brain. Researchers have now isolated a natural substance that appears to produce the same effects as THC in the brain. Recently the medical uses of marijuana are being more and more accepted, and many marijuana smokers wonder how it can be harmful if it helps/treats patients.
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.
In America, marijuana is the most used drug after alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is used by millions of Americans, despite the harsh laws illegalizing the drug. Some states, such as Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Efforts to legalize the drug in other states have been unsuccessful such as Proposition 19 in California, which failed in 2010 despite uptight campaigns. Billions of dollars are spent at the state, local, and federal level to fight the use of marijuana. Millions are arrested for marijuana offenses and sentenced for extended periods. Marijuana has negative effects on the human health and high potential for addiction. Legalizing marijuana will eliminate the black market, which is responsible for the increase in violence, crime, and corruption. Resources used for mass incarceration in the war on drug can be redirected to rehabilitation to decrease drug abuse and addiction.
Should Marijuana be Legalized for Medical Purposes? Marijuana has been used extensively as a medical remedy for more than five thousand years of experience. In the early 1900s, medical usage of marijuana began to decline with the advent of alternative drugs. Injectable opiates and synthetic Drugs such as aspirin and barbiturates began to replace marijuana as the physician's drug of choice in the twentieth-century, as their results proved to.
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.
Marijuana is a cannabis drug that may be used for medical purposes. It was used to soothe malaria and constipation in many Asian countries including India and China (Ashton). It has the capability to relieve the pain of a serious sickness like malaria as well as a common every day stomach sickness like constipation. Marijuana has also been used therapeutically for the common disease asthma (Ashton). It “exert[s] a bronchodilator action on the small airways” therefore allowing a person to breathe better (Ashton). Marijuana has not only been used for amusement but it has been a treatment for many illnesses therefore; we need to consider all the characteristics of marijuana before making a decision to legalize it for medical purposes.
Marijuana is a version of the cannabis plant that is consumed for recreational purposes and medical purposes in a variety of ways marijuana is the third most used recreational drug in the United States behind only alcohol and tobacco. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year (www.Norml.org). While marijuana is used throughout the country for recreational purposes it has also been used for many years for medical purposes. Research has shown that marijuana is a valuable aid in the treatment of many different medical applications. Marijuana has been known to be used for pain relief, nausea, spasticity, glaucoma and other disorders. It can also aid in the treatment of patients that are HIV positive and also cancer patients. Marijuana can be used to help any disorder...