Should marijuana be used for medical purposes?
Submitted by staff1 on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 12:05
With recent studies showing that marijuana may be key in fighting Alzheimer's as well as its known strength to help those with glaucoma, suffering from depression, cancer, and anorexia nervosa, should the drug be legalized for medical purposes? The sometimes considered "harmless" drug does have multiple side effects, but do the pros outweigh the cons?- Your Friendly DoSomething Intern
when regularly controlled, marajuana is just as harmless as any prescription medication. if used under supervision, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. marajuana being illegal in the first place has made many studies impossible to conduct.
I agree giantsvic160. If it was controlled properly, it would likely do more good than bad. Medicinal marijuana has successfully help thousands in states like California...I'd say lets give it a try.
but do you think we are too far gone to give it a try? i definitely think that medicinal marijuana has it's benefits, but how is society going to be impacted by such a move?
I smoke marijuana everyday and im doing very well in college, above most my class. I have a stable job and a stable relationship. Marijuana has no effect on my life. I do enjoy it and i believe it should be decriminized with rescrictions. massachusetts has that in effect already, as should the rest of america.
Jeremy, you may not believe marijuana has no effect on your life but I feel I must be honest with you. When you smoke marijuana on a daily basis, this affects your heart and lungs. I teach tobacco education to kids and teens because they too have bought into what others have told them that "marijuana is all-natural and should be legal." But that myth couldn't be further from the truth. Marijuana is still tobacco and contains over 400 different chemicals that are most definitely harmful for your body. Smoking marijuana puts an unnecessary strain on your heart causing your heart rate to increase and effecting your central nervous system. These are just a couple of the short-term effects. The longterm effects are even more startling. Take a look at the NIDA website. I don't know you, but if you say you smoke on a regular basis at least once a day, that means you are already addicted. At some point, you will have a loss of interest in your job, your family, your life...that's why people use the term "burnout." It's not to be ugly or rude, it's a term used to describe how the THC is a mind-altering drug that takes hold once addicted and slowly deteriorates your interest. You will stop caring about the things that were once important to you. I know that I am not overstepping my boundaries, since we have never met and this is just a blog, but please don't simply disregard this message. Please research this out for yourself with an open mind and attitude. You will see exactly why marijuana is illegal. I hope this helps, Jeremy.
The only reason marijuana is illegal is because of abuse. If anything is abused enough to the point drugs have been of course it will become restricted. So, YES! I think it should be perscribed!
People have ligitimit reasons to have marijuana with a perscription. There is nothing else to the matter unless there is an equal alternative.
@jessbreazeale:
I agree with some of the points you have made, but there are some errors in your post:
i) Marijuana is most certainly not tobacco. The two come from completely different plants and are processed differently.
ii) Marijuana is not physically addictive, though, depending on how one may define addiction, it can be argued that it may have psychologically or emotionally addictive properties.
There is a lot of misleading information available, and I think the first step to making decisions is to be well-informed.
Pros:
Yes, it should be used. Why? Because it's for the good, not evil use (in this matter). The marijuana would be in the doctors hands--meaning they know how to use it as just a prescription to those who need to be medicated, not as some drug thats being abused.
Cons:
Some people may actually think about using the marijuana because they think they 'need' it. So then they'd end up abusing the use of it and end up in a more worse condition than they may already be in.
*Just my 2Cents(:
I fear that you have fallen into addiction. Your defensive reply suggests you have. I am only concerned for your health and for the influence you will have on innocent people. I care. That's not a bad thing...it's well needed in the corrupt world we live in today.
I do agree with you 100% on physical effects it does on your body. EXCEPT! the physical addiction. I do many athletic activities like baseball in school and extra curricular activities like skateboarding everyday. So far I am in excellent physical condition. I shouldn't have said I smoke marijuana everyday because occasionally I do take long period breaks for weeks or months at a time. When I do smoke, it is everyday sometimes 3 times a day! I have been doing this for about 3 years straight. My success so far is respectable and couldn't ask for a better life. I just landed a paid internship in California for next summer!
All I would have to say is that, Yes it is bad for your health in every way, but why is it that we have Alcohol or Smokes? Aren't they bad for you, but yet they are still being sold everywhere in the globe. Marijuana, is only a drug that affects the mind and alters your state as to how you react and act in general, same thing applies to Alcohol, which can kill if overused and abused. However, I uesd to smoke "heaters" and marijuana, I stopped because I was my "ex"-girlfriend hated smoking, so I quit. I tried an experiment on myself (with my friends that were recording my behaviors, reactions, actions, and normal every day life). I quit smoking trying to go "cold turkey" bit noticed that I was having a really hard time trying to quit, including all the time of being sick to my stomache. However, with marijuana, I quit a month later after I quit smoking, I noticed that I didn't need the crave or the feeling to smoke any marijuana after I quit.
I was talking about this same topic to my English writing instructor, who used to smoke marijuana alot during his College years. We were discussing why drugs like marijuana and coke were illegal, and after an hour is discussing and using google to clarify some disagreements, we realized that drugs were set illegal for some controlling a certain group of people, i.e. mexicans with marijuana, African Americans with cocaine, etc.
So if we agree with having marijuana legal, then wouldn't it be harder to keep the other drugs under control if this one is out in hospitals? Its a hard topic to discuss because ur either for it or against it, there is no middle grounds. So its really up to the city/state to decide if they should have it legalized and realize that if they did legalize medical marijuana, then they would have to crack down on more people that abuse that privilage to use that drug (or if it gets stolen because marijuana users can become desperate)
I understand your point of view, you see that it's illegal, you've heard horrible things about it, it's classified as a drug, it's looked down upon, and you've never experienced it. I guess that's what bothers me most, is that you criticize me and degrade me for this 'lifestyle' choice. When in all reality, it's harmless and enjoyable. It's not addictive nor is it hurting me. Just because it's illegal doesn't mean i'm going too quit, It's a ridiculous law. If you do some research, it was made illegal in the early 1900's because of the government trying to enforce laws against immigrants. Which in the end did nothing but cause more problems. As the laws stayed enact there became more myths and lies about the plant. If it was legalized, it would put some many prescriptions off the market, the timber companies would lose so much profit, the government would look bad for lying too it's country and citizens for so long. Did you know, it was mandatory for Americans too grow marijuana in the 1800's? If they didn't grow it on their land, they would be fined. It's crazy how dramatic time has had the affect on this herb. This harmless plant. I find it absurd too place laws on a plant, as if there is something feloniously wrong about it. I don't understand it at all. Then, too whom consider it a gateway drug, are wrong. The only reason other people try everything else is because they have too go through drug dealers who have everything else too offer. I'm probably going on and on, and ranting for no reason about how it's not bad. You're probably not going too take any of this in at all, because you're one of those who oppose it, never tried it, never going too, Just because you've been made to believe it's bad. I don't know what your religious beliefs are, but if you classify yourself as a Christian;
God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.” And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen. 1:29-31)
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Rev. 22:1-2)
Then on a political level, I stand as a Liberal. Making criminals out of innocent people over cannabis. Both alcohol and tobacco are horrible. They are extremely harmful and cause sever affects to your health. Alcohol is absolute destruction. Yet, it's legal. The government can tax it, and create a market. However with marijuana, the government cannot control it, for it is a weed. The government cannot tell a weed where it can grow. It's nature. Can the government defy nature? No. Therefore, why would your lovely government legalize this plant, if they cannot control it the way they want. However, as we have reached 2011, people are more aware. Over 27 million Americans smoke cannabis, daily. It's not only become more aware for recreational use, but it's growing tremendously in the medical field. It assists and helps aid some of the worlds most leading epidemics, including AIDS, Cancer, Depression, Migraines, Parkinson's Disease, Glaucoma, Tremor, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis. and MANY other health conditions. Do you see how that making this plant legal, would hurt all the people making these prescription drugs that are causing more problems with peoples health?
However, it wouldn't just affect the medical company, but it would hurt the timber companies who use trees to make paper and limber, and what not. Only because hemp (aka marijuana) can be used too make paper, different types of fabric, it could be used a a type of fuel (one that's good on the eco-system), it can be made into plastic, and even paint. Do you understand how many businesses would go out, because of this plant. This plant is so useful, it would send all of these major companies into a tumbling halt. This why a lot of these companies keep cannabis listed as a drug, along with the ones that are actually deadly and no use too man-kind. Nobody, has ever died because of marijuana. No one. On another note, do you know how many people die daily, because of tobacco and alcohol? Exactly, but remember, your government is telling you marijuana is bad. Bad because they're unable too control it like they want. Bad, because people are going too do what they, like they've done since the beginning of time.
I know the majority of people who smoke at my job, and honestly, they're some of the best workers there. They're always there, on time. They do their job, and get what's done that needs too be done. Now, this is just an opinion of mine, i'm sure some would argue that point with me, but it's true too me. I know who uses the herb, and who doesn't. The one's who do, take their job at a more serious level, and are harder workers. You would be surprised if everyone who likes this herb came out about it. It's not something that you bring up just because.
It's been studied and researched, and marijuana (i.e. cannabis, hemp, weed) is not an addictive substance. The majority of marijuana smokers, usually only smoke in their free time, or once in awhile when they need that 'stress-release'. How can something that is so 'addictive' be able to be done every once in awhile? That statement doesn't stand very well. Especially since there are no withdraw symptoms related too the herb. Nor do they cause an a dependence, unlike nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol which do cause a dependency AND cause withdraw. So, we have hemp, that is compared too all these harmful toxins that cause all of these bad things. When hemp is both NON-dependent, and NON-addictive, and it has NO withdraw affect. Then too people who say they want to keep it illegal to keep it from children, they're ignorant. Obviously they do not understand, drug dealers don't check I.D.'s, they don't care who they sell too. As long as it's sold. Therefore that point stands, bluntly put, idiotic.
I do have some knowledge about this topic, probably more than you think I do. I wish you would just take the time and educate yourself a little on the interesting topic, where your government took the ultimate gift of nature, and turned you against it. It's quite the tale.
P.S. Did you know that the U.S. Constitution is printed on Marijuana? :) Just Sayin'.