Free Essays on Medical Marijuana

Drugs are a very influential part of the everyday norm in the United States today. Many drugs are taken form everyday from regular prescribed pills and the over the counter medicines that are at your local grocery store, to those that can be found in the street. Nevertheless, what is the difference between the two? In America, it is frowned upon in the media for the use of marijuana; it is as if everyone that uses it is going to turn into a crazed person or is not going to be able to take care of themselves or others. If this is the case, why are there now doctors that suggest the use of it? In the 1960’s to the 1970’s, there was a greater acceptance of use of marijuana. There was an understanding that the drug itself should not be in the same class of narcotics (The Legalization Question.) The problem of stereotyping the use of marijuana became out of hand in the mid 1980’s and 1990’s because of the Presidency of Regan and Bush(White House Drug Policy.) Supporters of marijuana think that the government’s bans is in violation of free speech and other rights(Support of Marijuana.) These two had started the â€Å"zero tolerance† on the drug. They felt as if they could put a stop to the sale and use of marijuana then they can stop the â€Å"crimes† that are associated with it. In the past, prohibition has been considered as an option that would stop the use of alcohol. However, as seen and recorded, the prohibition of anything leans to more crimes and more of a larger demand to the public. The U.S. should honor the courage and determination of the people through out the states to find expression in the exercise of a sovereign State's fundamental right guaranteed by the Ninth and the Tenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. In addition, by denying the injunction sought by the federal government, should return the Controlled Substances Act to the established channels of federal authority (The State of California Departm... Free Essays on Medical Marijuana Free Essays on Medical Marijuana One of the most controversial issues in the United States is over medical marijuana. Not just a political debate but as often happens in politics it’s a moral debate as well. The idea of a street drug being used for anything else than a picture of a junkie high on the street is something most people today find hard to imagine. However, times do change and when it comes to medicine new discoveries are made every day. Many experiments test the validity of the drug as a medicine, and results of these experiments receive much praise but also some critique. The DEA and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) are battling over the issue. The underlying matter that cannot be ignored is that marijuana proves to be a useful medication for many patients, especially those with wasting diseases. This battle dates back to about the 1970’s after the drug culture was extremely high in America. In 1970, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act. This law assigned psychoactive drugs to five schedules and placed cannabis in Schedule I, the most restrictive. According to the legal definition, Schedule I drugs have no medical use, are a high potential for abuse, and cannot be used safely even under a doctor's supervision. Two years later, in 1972, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) petitioned the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (formerly the Federal Bureau of Narcotics) to transfer marijuana to Schedule II, so that physicians could legally prescribe it. The chemical in marijuana that is known to make the affect on these diseases and on the person using the drug is called THC. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana. The course of action they chose took place in 1985 when the government reclassified synthetic THC as a Schedule II drug but kept marijuana itself - and THC derived from marijuana - in Schedule I. With t his action it w as clear that the government knew of the medi... Free Essays on Medical Marijuana Should Marijuana be legalized for medical purposes? â€Å"I just smoke to ease the pain.† This has been heard many times on television interviews of people giving a reason why they smoke marijuana. To some people this may seem like a justified medical cause. This excuse, however, has no medical support at all. There has been no factual evidence to date supporting the fact that marijuana alone helps cure any disease. The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is, however, currently available from pharmacies, there are many studies disproving the positive effects of smoking marijuana, and ingesting a â€Å"medicine† by smoke inhalation is not good for the body. These statements back up the fact that smoking marijuana has no health benefits. To begin with, the active ingredient in marijuana (THC) is already available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription from medical doctors, so why not just get a medication legally if it helps to ease the pain? The pill form of the drug also does not contain all of the combinations of drugs and other ingredients found in a marijuana cigarette; one should be able to reap the benefits just as plentifully if it truly does help ease the pain. The other drug found in marijuana, marinol is removed from the pill form because of the adverse effects it has on patients. Also, physicians should be able to monitor the side effects, if any, that could be linked to other medications. So, in the long term, doctors may develop a form of the active ingredient that could allow maximum comfort for all patients. Secondly, there are many studies showing the harmful effects that prolonged exposure from marijuana can have. Some people may counter by saying that these people are going to die anyway, but why complicate their disease even more by introducing new side effects? A physician employed at the local hospital accounted for a case of an adverse side effect. A woman was smoking marijuana without her d... Free Essays on Medical Marijuana Drugs are a very influential part of the everyday norm in the United States today. Many drugs are taken form everyday from regular prescribed pills and the over the counter medicines that are at your local grocery store, to those that can be found in the street. Nevertheless, what is the difference between the two? In America, it is frowned upon in the media for the use of marijuana; it is as if everyone that uses it is going to turn into a crazed person or is not going to be able to take care of themselves or others. If this is the case, why are there now doctors that suggest the use of it? In the 1960’s to the 1970’s, there was a greater acceptance of use of marijuana. There was an understanding that the drug itself should not be in the same class of narcotics (The Legalization Question.) The problem of stereotyping the use of marijuana became out of hand in the mid 1980’s and 1990’s because of the Presidency of Regan and Bush(White House Drug Policy.) Supporters of marijuana think that the government’s bans is in violation of free speech and other rights(Support of Marijuana.) These two had started the â€Å"zero tolerance† on the drug. They felt as if they could put a stop to the sale and use of marijuana then they can stop the â€Å"crimes† that are associated with it. In the past, prohibition has been considered as an option that would stop the use of alcohol. However, as seen and recorded, the prohibition of anything leans to more crimes and more of a larger demand to the public. The U.S. should honor the courage and determination of the people through out the states to find expression in the exercise of a sovereign State's fundamental right guaranteed by the Ninth and the Tenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. In addition, by denying the injunction sought by the federal government, should return the Controlled Substances Act to the established channels of federal authority (The State of California Departm... Free Essays on Medical Marijuana There are many diseases in which the ‘victim’ may experience symptoms that can be treated by smoking marijuana. AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and chron’s disease are only a few of the many diseases that can be helped through the use of marijuana. People consider marijuana to be a dangerous drug and are unaware of many medical uses. Because marijuana is stereotyped as a dangerous drug, a bad feeling about the drug is common. There are many groups and even magazines dedicated to trying to get marijuana legalized, such as High Times Magazine, the Cannabis Coalition and the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). Others just don’t want to admit that the drug should be used for any reason at all because they feel that it is harmful. A lot of people however, disagree and feel that marijuana should never be legalized, but what about for medical uses? The medical use of marijuana should be legal for people who suffer from a serious disease, and c an be helped by the use of the drug. Marijuana, a.k.a. pot, weed, cannabis, (the list goes on), is one of the most popular drugs being used throughout the country. Marijuana is not the cure to any disease, not by any means, but it does help ease the pain of those who suffer. One such disease is chron’s. This is an incurable, and painful inflammation of the digestive tract that can have life-threatening complications. A good example of this is in the case of Cheryl Johnson. Cheryl is the mother of Simon Johnson, who has chron’s disease. Simon is left with nausea and vomiting from the disease and the medicine that he was put on to control it. The vomiting was so severe that every morning on his way to school he would have to have his mother pull the car to the side of the road so that he could throw up. He often would miss months of school at a time because he was immensely sick. That was before he found marijuana. He now lives a relatively normal life. (Rubenstein, 82) Ma... Free Essays on Medical Marijuana Marijuana is illegal because of its classification as an illicit drug, but there are some issues that have been established saying that this â€Å"illicit drug† has improved the treatment for suffering patients. Marijuana has lots of beneficial effects when used in medicinal settings for the treatment of pain; but it should be an administered drug for patients who can benefit from the use of this drug. Marijuana has had analysis for its use as a medicine and the results showed improvements in the patients who were treated with this drug. Doctors have expressed opposite opinions, making this theme very controversial. I have researched for its positive effects when used properly, so that marijuana can be considered in treating patients. Much of the opposite opinions about this issue have to do with the hands of the government, which says that marijuana is not a safe medicine, versus the doctors who research the topic for medicinal purposes. Nevertheless, not all doctors feel that cannabis should be a â€Å"legal† prescribed medicine; it is in their hands to decide so. The Institute of Medicine has also this controversy when it said smoking marijuana is risky, but also recommended that critically ill patients should be allowed to use it under closely monitored settings (Koch 707). A specialist at the National Cancer Institute authorized his patients to use the drug, but not over do it (Koch 708). With all this, one would think that doctors wouldn’t be so enthusiastic to offer the drug as a reliever. The National Institute of Drug Abuse puts approximately 300 free joints each month for patients who are in an experimental program . The Government proclaims there is no therapeutic value in the medicin al use of marijuana, but they do not have hard evidence to prove it. Ira Glasser, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, (at a congressional forum) expressed: â€Å"the government has demonized all drug use without differen...