In recent years a great amount of debate has been brought up about the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational use. This debate has been both the topic of much discussion both politically and socially. This topic was brought to the forefront by the legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational uses in many states. Marijuana has shown a great amount of potential for the treatment. Yet, marijuana has quite a few negative side effects associated with it. Much of the research being conducted on marijuana is in the early stages or is inconclusive. Due to this fact it seems as though these states may have been too hasty in legalization. I believe that following in-depth studies on the effects of marijuana, it should be legalized for treatment of cancer and epilepsy when all other treatment options have failed. One of the main reasons that marijuana has not seen wide scale legalization is it’s potential for abuse. The DEA classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug (1). A schedule 1 drug is defined as a drug with high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment, and a lack of accepted safety …show more content…
First, a greater amount of research needs to be obtained to ensure the safety and effectiveness of cannabis for a specific condition. Currently our knowledge of how cannabis affects the body and its impact on certain disease is extremely limited. Until sufficient knowledge of the effects of marijuana are known it can not be safely legalized. Following this, a strict set of regulations needs to be established for what marijuana can be used to treat and who can use it. Marijuana should only be used in cases where the rewards out weigh the risk, such as in cancer and epilepsy. Marijuana should only be allowed for patients 21 and older to prevent it from effecting brain development. Once these have been done marijuana can be used to effectively treat certain
Furthermore, minors could get their hands on marijuana, leading to it disrupting their brain growth. Finally, marijuana would increase safety issues for the state, because it affects the way people 's CNS(central nervous systems) works. One of the reasons marijuana should not be legalized is because it is a gateway drug. NYLN(2015) says that
This subject has been debated numerous times over the past few years. People’s points of view and researches about the topic have varied greatly. Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized, while the rest feel should stay prohibited. Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of teens and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.
Marijuana has had a significant amount of medical breakthroughs in its ability to help treat many diseases and disorders such as, glaucoma muscle spasms and even anorexia and bulimia. However, despite these many medical advances, there still lay many controversies surrounding the topic. Marijuana supporters argue that the drug should be used in medicine and be legalized for recreational purposes; on the other hand, those against marijuana argue that it is a gateway drug and should not be used in medicine or recreationally.
In conclusion, it is no secret that marijuana has not always been given a positive image, but cannot be ruled out as a medicine. Marijuana could potentially treat many illnesses and may even some day cure cancer. Medical Marijuana should be legalized for those who are responsible and could greatly benefit from its medicinal
Back in the early twentieth century, marijuana was mainly used for medical purposes in the US. Now, both it 's recreational and medical use is increasingly being consumed by the population and the tendency is to continue increasing. Much has been said about the use of marijuana as a solution to different health problems, and although not everything that is said is true, it cannot be ignored that marijuana can help in the treatment of some cases of adult patients. CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was opposed to the medicinal use of cannabis. Based on his knowledge as a neurologist, he was convinced that the drug was dangerous and had dismissed its supposed therapeutic benefits.
An amazing 76% of American doctors and 66% of British voters approve of medical marijuana use to help cure or treat symptoms of these diseases. Not to mention, medical marijuana has a shockingly low potential for abuse, especially when compared with other, more extreme, yet legal, pain relievers. It has been proven multiple times that this is true. The American College of Physicians stated in 2008 that “ACP urges review of marijuana’s status as a schedule I drug and its reclassification... regarding marijuana’s safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions,” (Source 2). This proves that it is far less harmful and addictive than other schedule one drugs like heroin and LSD.
Thus, the importance of addressing such controversial topic is because the use of cannabis is more widespread every day and it is important to know the reason why it is the heart of one of the most heated debates. With that being said, what are the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana? With the help of sources and general knowledge, we will discuss
People believe that if marijuana is legalized users will get addicted. Marijuana use disorder become what is known as addiction when “the person cannot stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life” (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Although addiction is a problem, out of all the people who use marijuana, only 9% become dependent on it (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Also, opioids and painkillers are very addictive as well, and they can lead to an overdose resulting in death. The second concern is abuse.
Alexander Sanchez ERWC Period 4 September 28, 2014 Should Marijuana Be Legalized For Recreational Use Marijuana has been, in the past few years, talked about a lot more than usual because people want to know the advantages and disadvantages of smoking said marijuana. Recently, studies have shown that with the legalization of marijuana in more states, America puts a huge risk on their future generations well-being. Smoking marijuana puts people in a lot of different health risks and can be dangerous for everyone around those people as well. If America wants to improve it’s image, its going to need to keep people away from as many drugs as possible. Marijuana can be very harmful to it’s user with not only body problems, but mental and physical problems too.
One reason marijuana should be legalized because it has a legitimate medical effect. Imagine having seizures or loss of appetite because of cancer chemotherapy, almost every day and there is no cure to treat it? Marijuana has been beneficial to treating epileptic and cancer patients. Although it may not have dismissed their disorder or disease, it has helped decrease the frequency of seizures.
A famous writer Steven Gould once said “It is beyond my comprehension that any humane person would withhold such a beneficial substance from people in such great need simply because others use it for different purposes.” Legalizing marijuana has always been a controversial and prominent topic in society. Many people have a negative connotation towards marijuana and a stigma that it is detrimental for a person's health. Even though there is a lot of negatives effects from marijuana the benefits are outweighing those disadvantages. Marijuana is not only used for recreational purposes as everybody thinks it is also used for medical purposes.
The topic if legalising marijuana is very controversial issue. It is taking place throughout the world. In fact just one country has fully legalized marijuana for a resident, Uruguay and 7 states have fully legalized marijuana, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Washington D.C., and Oregon. and Maine. There are many factors to consider when examining this issue, including advantages and disadvantages to health, the economy and the legal system.
In our society today, we live in a world where alcohol and cigarette are fully legal in our country, but we are still deliberating on making marijuana legal especially for medical purposes. The hesitations on making it fully legal for recreational use its justifiable, but when it comes to the medical aspects of marijuana, I believe that a lot of considerations and researches should be dedicated to the medical aspect of marijuana especially when the uses of medical researches has been linked to PSTD, pains, Chemotherapy and a whole lot more. Marijuana’s negatives connotation has hindered the progression of its medical side. When looking at the nations predicament on the advancement and stagnation of medical marijuana, I honestly believe that the hesitation towards legalizing marijuana for medical purposes nationwide, it’s mostly due to the uncertainties of the futures repercussions. Since not a lot of researches has been conducted on marijuana, or as the benefits been fully proven apart from patients testimonies and surveys, and other minor researches, I believe that both the congress and medical and drug associations and organizations believe that legalizing marijuana or using it for medicinal purposes when it has not been fully tested and proven is trusting blindly and when it comes to patients
Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana Should marijuana be legalized? There is no shortage on either side of this debate as to whether marijuana should be legalized or not. The question of legalizing marijuana involves changing the law (Federal Controlled Substances Act) to make it legal to produce, sell and possess in specific quantities. Legalizing marijuana at the end of the day is a bad public policy and liability due to the effects it has on loss of short term memory, birth defects, and impairing mental functions to name a few.
These points are the following; Cannabis kills brain cells in developing brains, it can cause addiction, and it is a gate-way drug, meaning it leads to other drugs. These arguments would be left obsolete if Marijuana was legalized. If Cannabis was legal, the American government would be able to regulate the dosage, the actual substance, and the age at which Cannabis is bought. Cannabis does not cause addiction; the reason why there are various cases that claim addiction is because the Marijuana bought today in the underground market and in insecure places mix Marijuana with other substances. Today when you buy Marijuana on the streets, you do not know exactly what you are buying, and this is what causes most of the problems with Cannabis.