Medical Marijuana

Tin 1
Allison Tin
Professor T
Composition 1
17 April 2014
Medical Marijuana: Using It Vs Abusing it Recently, the effects of medical marijuana have been noted to be helpful in an abundance of ways to people with different terrible situations. For example, Charlotte Figi is a girl with very serious epilepsy. Weekly enduring hundreds of seizures made life truly miserable and torturous for Charlotte. She continued the severe seizures consistently despite the anti-seizure prescription drugs that her doctor suggested her to administer. However, Colorado, where she lives, legalized medical marijuana and she was able to obtain a certain marijuana strain that is high in cannabinol. Luckily, the marijuana put an end to her distress. Despite the positive outcomes of Charlotte and countless more, the legality of such medication still hangs in the balance. Although it is legal to have the marijuana, it is still considered a drug and is considered to have a high potential for abuse. This reason is one of the main issues standing in a nation-wide legalization. Although there are positive and negative effects from medical marijuana, it is clear that it does and will continue to have an effect on people personally, and as a society. (Devinsky) Medical Marijuana 101 Marijuana is a plant that can be easily harvested in warm climates and can be Tin 2 adapted to many different growing conditions. Marijuana plants come in different varieties and each different marijuana plant contains different chemical characteristics. Typical marijuana leaves come in five-fingered shaped and the leaves grow along strong branches which extend from the main stem. A mature marijuana plant has flowers at the end of the branches which later formed into thick clusters that are thin and long or bulky depending on the variety of the particular plant. The flowers produce a sticky crystallized cluster and have a strong aroma. The dried flowers of the female plants are also known as "buds" which contain the chemical compounds that are medicinal. (Martin) Medical marijuana contains over 420 different chemicals, which fall into eighteen different chemical families. The main chemical compound that causes the high is delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol; commonly known as THC. (Dupont) Positive Effects Positive effects of medical marijuana come in different ways. From easing pain, to reducing nausea, there are several positive properties of the plant. It has been proven that some medical patients have no response to existing medication yet do respond to medical marijuana. The use of marijuana is often thought of in relation to smoking. In reality, smoking medical marijuana is only suggested for patients who are terminally ill and therefore there is no worry for long term problems. In reality the future in medical marijuana relates to capsules and bronchial inhalers, designed to deliver the body the cannabinoids without the harmful side affects of smoking. Despite the negative opinions of medical marijuana there is no denying the fact that Jim Hardin, a man with hepatitis C tried thirty-five different pills to reduce the nausea and rapid weight loss that Tin 3 he was experiencing. (Stolberg) There will always be negative connotations with medical marijuana because of its popularity for recreational use, but the positive effects cannot be overlooked. Unlike legal substances like alcohol and tobacco products that are causing thousands of death every year, there is no legal record of death caused by marijuana. (Hardaway)“You don’t need to worry about dying from overdose of marijuana unless you plan to smoke a telephone-pole-sized joint” (Martin)

Positive effect on society Another effect medical marijuana could have is not personal, but it affects our society as a whole. For example, the first month marijuana became legal in Colorado; the state sold over fourteen million dollars of recreational marijuana. As a result, over two million was given to the government in taxes. Not only does legalizing marijuana provide jobs, it provides revenue and taxes that the government severely needs after its recent recession. On a single sate scale this monetary value doesn 't fully exemplify how much Tin 4 the nation could benefit if the legalization was nationwide. Billions of dollars of revenue would be the outcome, all taxable, which is still being purchased on the black market daily, without paying a tax. The main argument for why the drug should be legalized is the economic stimulant that it could be. Negative Effects Despite all the medicinal components that are found in medical marijuana plants, there is a negative side that comes along with using marijuana. The short-term effects of using marijuana can vary depending on the person. Marijuana smokers would experience hunger also known as “munchies”, thirst, bloodshot eyes, sleepiness increase of heart rate, anxiety and paranoia once THC entered the body. (Mehling) Lack of depth perception and response time can change similar to alcohol although not to the same extent. Although no overdoses have been recorded of marijuana overuse is common among smokers; abusing the drug does have negative effects. Similar to smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana can lead to lung cancer as well as other smoking related issues. “One marijuana cigarettes has as much cancer-causing tar as seventeen tobacco cigarettes.” (Dupont) THC affects the brain more than any other part of the human body due to the sedation that is cause by smoking marijuana or consuming cannabis edibles. “THC continues to affect the brain long after the marijuana high has passed. A study of young heavy marijuana smoker showed that their memory system was still impaired six weeks after they stop smoking the drug.” (Dupont) The fact that it has medicinal purpose does not change the fact that it is more commonly used recreationally rather than medicinally, causing other issues. Legalizing medicinal marijuana would help many, but Tin 5 the anti-medical marijuana crowd argues that it is just going to promote the drug to be used more recreationally than ever before. This is a different issue entirely, but states like Colorado have already legalized marijuana recreationally not just medicinally. Time to recognize it Too much of anything is never a good thing, as long as the marijuana users do not become abusers. Unlike heroin, cocaine, meth and other narcotic pills; marijuana is a non- addictive substance. “The fact that discontinuing chronic marijuana use does not produce an intense withdrawal syndrome was considered evidence that marijuana is not addictive” (Miller) Legalizing medicinal marijuana would help many but the anti-medical marijuana crowd argues that it is just going to promote the drug to be used more recreationally rather than medicinally. That is an entire different issue; however states like Colorado and California have already legalized marijuana recreationally, however, there are some restrictions depending on the state’s law. Most anti-marijuana spokespersons are blindsided to positive sides of the drug. Nonetheless, “marijuana is safer than alcohol” (Salmon) and many of the cancer, AIDS patients and those who need it could use the plants to cope with their pain and other illnesses. If toxins like alcohol and cigarettes are legal and can be purchased anywhere, why not make marijuana accessible for those who need it for medical purposes?

Works Cited
Devinsky, Orrin. "We Need Proof on Marijuana ." New York Times (2014): 35-37.
Dupont, Robert L. The Selfish Brain: Learning from Addiction . Center City : The American Psychiatric Press , 1997.
Hardaway, Robert M. No Price Too High: Victimless Crimes and the Ninth Amendment . Westport: Praeger , 2003.
Martin, Mickey. Medical Marijuana 101. Okaland: Quick American Publishing , 2011.
Mehling, Randi. The Straight Facts: Marijuana . Buffalo : Chelsea House , 2009.
Miller, Pter M. Biological research on addiction . Boston: Elsevier , 2013.
Salmon, Marrilee. Introduction to Logic and criticle thinking. boston: Clark Baxter, n.d.
Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Government study of marijuana sees medical benefits." New York Times (1999): A19.

Cited: Devinsky, Orrin. "We Need Proof on Marijuana ." New York Times (2014): 35-37. Dupont, Robert L. The Selfish Brain: Learning from Addiction . Center City : The American Psychiatric Press , 1997. Hardaway, Robert M. No Price Too High: Victimless Crimes and the Ninth Amendment . Westport: Praeger , 2003. Martin, Mickey. Medical Marijuana 101. Okaland: Quick American Publishing , 2011. Mehling, Randi. The Straight Facts: Marijuana . Buffalo : Chelsea House , 2009. Miller, Pter M. Biological research on addiction . Boston: Elsevier , 2013. Salmon, Marrilee. Introduction to Logic and criticle thinking. boston: Clark Baxter, n.d. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Government study of marijuana sees medical benefits." New York Times (1999): A19.