Legalizing Marijuana Research Paper
Should Marijuana be legalized for Medicinal Purposes?
Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes has been an extremely controversial topic, one that has it supporters who have long fought the opposition. Although marijuana has been used for thousand of years to provide relief from many health problems, it still remains an illegal drug in the United States. There are many doctors who support the effectiveness of the use of marijuana as treatment for many medical conditions. People who oppose the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would claim that legalizing the drug would lead to abuse of the drug for recreational use. This is important claim for the opposition. However, after looking at all the information that has been gathered …show more content…
in regards to this topic, the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would be more beneficial to the United States for many good reasons.
The drug, first cultivated at least 5000 years ago, began its life in China where it was used to make clothing, rope and the seeds were used to make oil for painting (Richardson 41). The medicinal uses of the drug can be dated as far back as 4000 BC where the Chinese people discovered its medicinal value. About 2657 BC, Shen-Nung, an emperor, recommended marijuana as a cure for several health related problems (Stwertka 5). In America, marijuana as medicine dates back to the 1800s. An article by Lester Grinspoon and James Bakalar in the Journal of American Medical Association states that "between 1840 and 1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as Cannabis Indica (or Indian hemp) and now as marihuana." At that time the drug was recommended to stimulate appetites and relax muscles (1875). Due to the taxation of the cultivation and consumption of the plant in 1937 by the Marijuana Tax Act, the medical history of the plant was almost forgotten (Grinspoon 7). The act required people who were using the drug for medical use to register and pay a tax on the drug of a dollar an ounce. This act eventually forced the drug to be taken off the pharmacopoeia (Grinspoon 8).
Eventual the drug resurfaced in the 1960s where it became associated with hippies and Woodstock and became popular for its recreational use. In 1970, increased concern over the usage of the drug initiated Congress to pass the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act (Grinspoon 13). This was to be the end of any form of legalized marijuana.
At the time that marijuana was becoming known as an illicit drug, two medical discoveries were being made. The first was the use of marijuana for the treatment of glaucoma and the second was the alleviation of the effects that chemotherapy had on cancer patients. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by elevated intraocular pressure, optic nerve injury and visual loss (Grinspoon 40). It is the leading cause of blindness in the world today. Based on research done at the University of California at Los Angeles, marijuana was more effective than the conventional eye drops used to fight glaucoma. Surveys also showed that most glaucoma patients preferred smoking marijuana instead of paying for the expensive eye drops because it basically had the same effect (Grinspoon 41).
The other discovery was in the treatment of chemotherapy patients. In treating the side effects of chemotherapy, marijuana was shown to be effective in reducing the nausea and the vomiting. Surveys also indicated that selected cancer patients would rather smoke marijuana than be subjected to chemotherapy (Grinspoon 39). When marijuana is taken along with the oral medications that usually accompany chemotherapy treatment, it suppresses and sometime eliminates those side effects as well (Grinspoon 40). As time went by, more medicinal uses for marijuana began to surface.
People suffering from the advanced stages of AIDS found relief when smoking marijuana. Marijuana helped by relieving stress and depression, eliminating nausea, reducing pain and helping to stimulate their appetite. They are able to digest foods to gain strength and prevent emaciation (Mathre 86).
Scientist have discovered that the reason that marijuana is so effective in the treatment of so many illnesses is because of a chemical that it produces called tetrahydrocannibinol, THC. The synthetic form of THC has been manufactured since 1985 as a drug more popularly known as Marinol. Both patients and physicians agree that the effectiveness of the synthetic drug and the real thing are not the same. According to the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana differences include but are not limited to:
1. Oral medications can be a significant problem for those with nausea and vomiting where as with smoked medication there is no swallowing
2. The dosage for synthetic THC works slower whereas smoking marijuana works immediately.
3. Synthetic THC has to move to the small intestines before being absorbed into the bloodstream whereas when smoked, it moves directly into the bloodstream through the lungs showing effectiveness within a few minutes.
4. Synthetic THC doses are inflexible meaning that larger quantities must be taken making the onset of effectiveness delayed. When smoking marijuana, the dosage can be adjusted which allow patients to match their usage to their symptoms.
This evidence shows that in some cases marijuana has appeared to be better than the synthetic drugs that try to replace it. For many patients, smoked marijuana proved to be more effective than synthetic form of THC. Marinol and other drugs may be satisfactory substitutes for some people but not for all.
Marijuana has been around since the beginning of time and has been safely use by people of different cultures.
For many years, it has been used to help those who are in need of relief from the pain and suffering that their diseases bring. People suffering from AIDS and cancer have found that marijuana in its natural state brings them relief and would rather use it over the synthetic forms of the drug that are currently on the market. Although, there are negative claims to the legalization of marijuana, the medical uses of the drug far outweigh the downfall of the issue of legalization.
Bibliography:
"Comparison Chart." Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana. 16 June 2004 http://www.ardpark.org/references/synmjcompare.htm.
Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James B. Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. London: Yale University Press, 1997.
Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James B. "Marihuana as Medicine: A Plea for Reconstruction". Journal of the American Medical Association 273 (21 June 1995): 1875-6.
Mathre, Mary Lynn. Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1997.
Richardson, P. Mick. Flowering Plants: Magic in Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1993.
Stwertka, Eve and Stwertka, Albert. Marijuana. Philadelphia: Random Publishing,
1985
Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes has been an extremely controversial topic, one that has it supporters who have long fought the opposition. Although marijuana has been used for thousand of years to provide relief from many health problems, it still remains an illegal drug in the United States. There are many doctors who support the effectiveness of the use of marijuana as treatment for many medical conditions. People who oppose the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would claim that legalizing the drug would lead to abuse of the drug for recreational use. This is important claim for the opposition. However, after looking at all the information that has been gathered …show more content…
in regards to this topic, the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would be more beneficial to the United States for many good reasons.
The drug, first cultivated at least 5000 years ago, began its life in China where it was used to make clothing, rope and the seeds were used to make oil for painting (Richardson 41). The medicinal uses of the drug can be dated as far back as 4000 BC where the Chinese people discovered its medicinal value. About 2657 BC, Shen-Nung, an emperor, recommended marijuana as a cure for several health related problems (Stwertka 5). In America, marijuana as medicine dates back to the 1800s. An article by Lester Grinspoon and James Bakalar in the Journal of American Medical Association states that "between 1840 and 1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as Cannabis Indica (or Indian hemp) and now as marihuana." At that time the drug was recommended to stimulate appetites and relax muscles (1875). Due to the taxation of the cultivation and consumption of the plant in 1937 by the Marijuana Tax Act, the medical history of the plant was almost forgotten (Grinspoon 7). The act required people who were using the drug for medical use to register and pay a tax on the drug of a dollar an ounce. This act eventually forced the drug to be taken off the pharmacopoeia (Grinspoon 8).
Eventual the drug resurfaced in the 1960s where it became associated with hippies and Woodstock and became popular for its recreational use. In 1970, increased concern over the usage of the drug initiated Congress to pass the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act (Grinspoon 13). This was to be the end of any form of legalized marijuana.
At the time that marijuana was becoming known as an illicit drug, two medical discoveries were being made. The first was the use of marijuana for the treatment of glaucoma and the second was the alleviation of the effects that chemotherapy had on cancer patients. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by elevated intraocular pressure, optic nerve injury and visual loss (Grinspoon 40). It is the leading cause of blindness in the world today. Based on research done at the University of California at Los Angeles, marijuana was more effective than the conventional eye drops used to fight glaucoma. Surveys also showed that most glaucoma patients preferred smoking marijuana instead of paying for the expensive eye drops because it basically had the same effect (Grinspoon 41).
The other discovery was in the treatment of chemotherapy patients. In treating the side effects of chemotherapy, marijuana was shown to be effective in reducing the nausea and the vomiting. Surveys also indicated that selected cancer patients would rather smoke marijuana than be subjected to chemotherapy (Grinspoon 39). When marijuana is taken along with the oral medications that usually accompany chemotherapy treatment, it suppresses and sometime eliminates those side effects as well (Grinspoon 40). As time went by, more medicinal uses for marijuana began to surface.
People suffering from the advanced stages of AIDS found relief when smoking marijuana. Marijuana helped by relieving stress and depression, eliminating nausea, reducing pain and helping to stimulate their appetite. They are able to digest foods to gain strength and prevent emaciation (Mathre 86).
Scientist have discovered that the reason that marijuana is so effective in the treatment of so many illnesses is because of a chemical that it produces called tetrahydrocannibinol, THC. The synthetic form of THC has been manufactured since 1985 as a drug more popularly known as Marinol. Both patients and physicians agree that the effectiveness of the synthetic drug and the real thing are not the same. According to the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana differences include but are not limited to:
1. Oral medications can be a significant problem for those with nausea and vomiting where as with smoked medication there is no swallowing
2. The dosage for synthetic THC works slower whereas smoking marijuana works immediately.
3. Synthetic THC has to move to the small intestines before being absorbed into the bloodstream whereas when smoked, it moves directly into the bloodstream through the lungs showing effectiveness within a few minutes.
4. Synthetic THC doses are inflexible meaning that larger quantities must be taken making the onset of effectiveness delayed. When smoking marijuana, the dosage can be adjusted which allow patients to match their usage to their symptoms.
This evidence shows that in some cases marijuana has appeared to be better than the synthetic drugs that try to replace it. For many patients, smoked marijuana proved to be more effective than synthetic form of THC. Marinol and other drugs may be satisfactory substitutes for some people but not for all.
Marijuana has been around since the beginning of time and has been safely use by people of different cultures.
For many years, it has been used to help those who are in need of relief from the pain and suffering that their diseases bring. People suffering from AIDS and cancer have found that marijuana in its natural state brings them relief and would rather use it over the synthetic forms of the drug that are currently on the market. Although, there are negative claims to the legalization of marijuana, the medical uses of the drug far outweigh the downfall of the issue of legalization.
Bibliography:
"Comparison Chart." Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana. 16 June 2004 http://www.ardpark.org/references/synmjcompare.htm.
Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James B. Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. London: Yale University Press, 1997.
Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James B. "Marihuana as Medicine: A Plea for Reconstruction". Journal of the American Medical Association 273 (21 June 1995): 1875-6.
Mathre, Mary Lynn. Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1997.
Richardson, P. Mick. Flowering Plants: Magic in Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1993.
Stwertka, Eve and Stwertka, Albert. Marijuana. Philadelphia: Random Publishing,
1985