Medical Cannabis and Federal Law Marijuana

loudpacks For over a decade patients and distributors of medical marijuana have battled the federal government for their right to use marijuana for its medicinal qualities. Although marijuana use is against federal law, medical marijuana has been permitted in sixteen states by a majority vote. The conflict between state and federal law has ignited a large conflict regarding medical marijuana and has resulted in the prosecution of many who use and distribute medical marijuana. Supporters of medical marijuana believe that the effects of using marijuana provide cancer patients and people with HIV with pain relief that is superior to alternative drugs. The long list of adversaries to medical marijuana use includes the federal government, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and some doctors. Adversaries to medical marijuana deny the effectiveness of the drug for medicinal purposes, and believe medical marijuana has a negative impact on the illegal drug trade. The evidence presented will display the benefits marijuana has to its patients and will prove that the use of medical marijuana should be legalized by the federal government. The federal government is the main opponent that the medical marijuana movement faces. Under federal law marijuana’s naturally occurring active ingredient, known as

tetrahydrocannabinol, is banned and listed as a Schedule I drug which places it under the same category as heroin and cocaine. According to the federal government, the list of drugs known as Schedule I are said to be of high risk for abuse and hold no medicinal value. Claims that accuse marijuana of holding no medicinal value stem from the lack of approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which is a government funded agency.
The lack of FDA approval is enough to convince many doctors and politicians that the drug is not effective in treating terminally ill patients. Dr. Eric Voth, chairman of the Institute on Global Drug Policy, is a well-respected doctor in the