Download Medical Marijuana

Running header: MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Legalization of Medical Marijuana
Mallorie Sorce
English 1010
April 30, 2014
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Medical Marijuana
Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years across many
cultures. Use of marijuana for medical purposes is currently legal in Austria, Canada,
Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands.
However, as a recreational drug it is not legal in most parts of the world. In the United
States it is illegal for both recreational and medicinal use. Twenty states in the U.S.
have decided that despite the national law, they will no longer prosecute people for the
possession or sale of the drug as long as they abide by the state’s marijuana sale
regulations (Medical Cannabis, 2014). Medical marijuana is most commonly used for
pain management, but is also prescribed for muscle spasms caused by multiple
sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, poor appetite and weight loss caused by
chronic illness such as HIV or nerve pain, seizure disorders, Crohn’s disease, and many
more. Medical Marijuana can be smoked, vaporized, eaten, or taken as a liquid extract
(Harding, 2013). There are three types of marijuana; indica and sativa are the two main
types and they can be mixed together to create hybrid strains. Each different type has
its own effects on the body and mind, which is why it is so beneficial medicinally
(Smoker, 2012).
In a publication written in 1999 it states, “During the past 16 years, there have
been major advances in what basic science discloses about the potential medical
benefits of cannabinoids, the group of compounds related to THC. Many variants are
found in the marijuana plant, and other cannabinoids not found in the plant have been
chemically synthesized.” Marijuana’s multiple effects can be singled out and studied
with the goals of finding out its medical value in specific medical conditions as well as
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minimizing unwanted side-effects (Joy, Watson, et al, 1999, p.33-34). In an article from
Norml it says that “almost all drugs – including those that are legal – pose greater
threats to individual health and/or society than does marijuana. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, approximately 46,000 people die each year from alcoholinduced deaths (not including motor vehicle fatalities where alcohol impairment was a
contributing factor), such as overdose and cirrhosis. Similarly, more than 440,000
premature deaths annually are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison,
marijuana is non-toxic and cannot cause death by overdose. In a large-scale population
study of marijuana use and mortality published in the American Journal of Public Health,
marijuana use, even long-term, “showed little if any effect … on non-AIDS mortality in
men and on total mortality in women” (Your Government, 2014).
Marijuana prohibition affects everybody, including the sick and dying. The denial
of medical cannabis to the tens of thousands of patients who could benefit from its
therapeutic use is tragic. In the mid-1800’s, Western medicine embraced marijuana’s
medical properties and by the beginning of the 20th century physicians had published
more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a
variety of disorders. Cannabis remained in the United States pharmacopoeia until it was
removed in 1941 after congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act which severely hindered
physicians from prescribing it. The American Medical Association testified against the
ban saying that it would deprive patients of a past, future and present medicine
(Introduction, 2014).
Slowly but surely things are starting to change, in an article from Norml it states,
“Currently, more than 60 U.S. and international health organizations -- including the
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American Public Health Association, Health Canada, and the Federation of American
Scientists support granting patients immediate legal access to medicinal marijuana
under a physician's supervision.” Many others, including the American Cancer Society
and the American Medical Association support the facilitating of wide-scale clinical
research trials so that physicians can better assess the medical potential of cannabis
(Introduction, 2014). “Even the Weather Channel now reports on weed.” says Barry
Poppins, “Their report–like many outsiders trying to educate on the industry–is a bizarre
one that features a news anchor talking about marijuana myths even though he looks
like someone who doesn’t know his Indica from Sativa. Still, he’s in the Weather
Channel’s news room and he’s openly saying weed words on National Television”
(Poppins, 2014). What society was once blindly denying had any good to offer is now
starting to be reevaluated on many different levels. It’s all a matter of showing people
the real side of marijuana and its benefits to society. “Numerous studies and federally
commissioned reports have endorsed marijuana’s relative safety compared to other
drugs, and recommended its decriminalization or legalization” (Your Government,
2014).
It doesn’t take much common sense to realize that a quick, safe, and easy
growing plant would be a great alternative to most other prescription drugs that cost
more money and take more time to make. Most of these prescription drugs also have a
lot of harmful side effects that marijuana doesn’t have. Although generations of people,
including doctors have been mislead about the effects of marijuana use, the legalization
of medical marijuana would be very beneficial for the medical field and the well-being of
the United States.
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One of the most common misconceptions about marijuana is that it is a
“gateway” drug. If this were true then it would mean that guns kill people, rather than
people kill people with guns. “There is no scientific evidence that marijuana is a
“gateway” drug” (Myths, 2000). This theory developed in the sixties when marijuana
became the leading recreational drug. It was refuted in the eighties, when cocaine
abuse exploded at the same time marijuana use declined. Another common myth about
cannabis is that it kills brain cells. Government officials are now admitting that this is not
true. This myth came from a few experiments done on animals in which structural
changes (not actual cell death) occurred in the brain cells of animals that were exposed
to high doses of pot. This has since been discredited due to better controlled studies
done on monkeys. There have also been human studies done on heavy smokers in
Jamaica and Costa Rica where they found zero evidence of abnormalities in brain
physiology (Myths, 2000). People have been “brain washed” by myths about marijuana
since the ban in 1941, and who can blame them when it is commonly associated with
harmful drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and meth? People would have thought much
differently of cannabis if it had been treated as a common prescription drug.
These days prescription drugs are annually the leading cause of death over
illegal drugs. According to the American Medical Association, prescription drugs kill
about two hundred and ninety people in the United States every day. Prescription pills
mostly bandage the undesirable behaviors and sensations rather than addressing the
root cause of the problem, which only leads to more unwanted symptoms rather than a
solution (White, 2013). In most cases marijuana doesn’t actually “fix” the problem of
pain either but the side effects are comparably far more desirable than a lot of the ones
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you hear spouted out for three minutes on the T.V. after an advertisement. In a study
done from January 1, 1997 - June 30, 2005 the safety of marijuana was compared to
the safety of FDA approved drugs. Twelve of the FDA approved drugs that were chosen
were commonly prescribed in place of medical marijuana and the other five were
randomly chosen because they were widely used and known to the general public. Out
of 11,687 deaths, marijuana was never the primary cause of death. However, antiemetics (used to treat vomiting) was the primary suspect for 196 deaths, antispasmodics (used to treat muscle spasms) was the primary suspect for 118 deaths, and
anti-psychotics (used to treat psychosis) was the primary cause for a shocking number
of 1,593 deaths (Deaths, 2009). This study alone speaks for itself about whether or not
marijuana is safer than prescription drugs.
Legalizing marijuana would not only be beneficial to the medical field but also in
raising revenue for each state. “California Norml estimates that a legally regulated
market for marijuana could yield the state at least $1.2 billion in tax revenues and
reduced enforcement costs. A basic $50/ounce excise tax (roughly $1/joint) would yield
about $770 - 900 million per year plus another $240 - 360 million in sales taxes. In
addition, the state would save over $200 million in enforcement costs for arrests,
prosecutions and prison. Additional benefits would accrue from increased employment
and spinoff industries. Total retail sales of marijuana could be on the order of $3-$5
billion, with total economic impact of $12-$18 billion including spin-off industries such as
coffeehouses, tourism, plus industrial hemp.” (Gieringer, 2009). The United States could
finally start pulling themselves out of debt with all of the money that would be saved and
generated. In addition to saving money there has also been evidence that crime rates
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have been known to decrease after legalization. Data from the Denver Police
Department states that violent crime (including homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and
aggravated assault) dropped by 6.9% in the first quarter of 2014, compared with the
same period in 2013. Property crime also dropped by 11.1% (Delmore, 2014). Trials in
both of these states alone have lead the way and shown how much the United States
as a whole could benefit from the legalization of medical marijuana.
Legalization of medical marijuana is just one more step to a better, healthier
America. This country should always be striving to eliminate debt, crime, and illness
when possible and right now there really aren’t too many reasons not to legalize and
show people what benefit marijuana can be. Even though society has been mislead for
so many years, the evidence has already been provided; people just need to be better
informed about the real effects of marijuana in all aspects.
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References
Deaths, (2009, July 8). Deaths From Marijuana V. 17 FDA-Approved Drugs. Retrieved
from ProCon.org
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000145
Delmore, E. (2014, April 15). Study: Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Increase Crime.
Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.com/all/does-marijuana-lower-the-crime-rate
Gieringer, D. (1996, August). Review of Human Studies of Medical use of Marijuana.
Retrieved from Norml.org http://norml.org/library/medical-marijuanareports/item/review-of-human-studies-on-medical-use-ofmarijuana?category_id=577
Gieringer, D. (2009, October). Benefits of Marijuana Legalization in California. Retrieved
from http://www.canorml.org/background/ca_legalization2.html
Harding, (2014, November 4). Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from WebMD.com
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses
Introduction, (2014). Introduction. Retrieved from Norml.org
http://norml.org/marijuana/medical/item/introduction-7?category_id=733
Joy, J., Watson, S., & Benson, J. (1999). Institute of Medicine’s Marijuana and
Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington, D.C.: National Academy
Press. Retrieved from
http://search.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6376&page=R1
Medical Cannabis, (2014). Retrieved from wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis
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Myths, (Sept./Oct. 2000). Thistle: Myths About Marijuana. Retrieved from
http://www.mit.edu/~thistle/v13/2/myths.html
Poppins, B. (2014, April, 11). Even The Weather Channel Now Reports on Weed.
Retrieved from Marijuana.com http://www.marijuana.com/news/2014/04/eventhe-weather-channel-now-reports-on-weed/
Smoker, J. (2012, January 26). The Difference Between Indica and Sativa Marijuana
Plants. Retrieved from The Weed Blog http://www.theweedblog.com/thedifference-between-indica-and-sativa-marijuana-plants/
White, S. (2013, May 7). Prescription Drugs Kill over 100,000 People Each Year, Are
You Being Medicated Incorrectly? Retrieved from
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/05/07/death-by-prescription-drugs-is-agrowing-problem/
Your Government, (2014). Your Government Is Lying to You (Again) About Marijuana.
Retrieved from Norml.com http://norml.org/library/item/your-government-is-lyingto-you-again-about-marijuana