Medical Marijuana Controversy

Introduction
Physicians are always finding ways to better treat their patients. A well-known controversy in today’s society is the use of medical marijuana. Already 28 states of 50 have allowed its citizens to use medical marijuana when prescribed by a physician. However, it is still a controlled substance and a level 1 illegal drug. “In June 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) denied a petition to reschedule marijuana and reiterated that there was no scientific or medical evidence to support such a move (Marcoux, 2013).”
Legislation has played an important role in the process and public policy is only getting stronger. Throughout this paper you will be given an insight on why medical marijuana should stay an illegal drug. Medical
Marijuana Treatment
Medical Marijuana should not be permitted when recommended by a physician for many various reasons. There is not enough evidence that medical marijuana helps patients with many different diseases such as, Cancer, Bipolar disorder, AIDS, and Multiple Sclerosis. “In the states that allow the use of medical marijuana, physicians are not allowed to “prescribe” it; they may only “recommend” its use or “advise consideration” of such therapy. (Marcoux, 2013)” Physicians are sliding under the radar when it comes to medical marijuana but they have to be careful in order not to cross the line and be prosecuted. They are protected under the first amendment for free speech meaning they can in fact recommend it.

Cancer is an incurable disease that affects millions of Americans each and every year. Finding something that can help with the cancer symptoms and the symptoms from chemotherapy has always been an issue. Some believe that Medical Marijuana is the key. However, there are no differences found in helping with appetite and there are no differences found in increasing the quality of life. Basically, there is not enough evidence to prove or disprove the effects on cancer patients.
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that can cause periods of depression and excitement. Medical marijuana has been believed to provide mood stability and help these patients but once again with not enough evidence and research. There is truly no evidence of neurocognitive performance in patients with bipolar disorder. . AIDS, also being a very prevalent disease is one in which patients are trying to help relieve the symptoms. However, medical marijuana when used frequently, may cause lung inflammation in these patients. “The major potential pulmonary consequences of habitual marijuana use of particular relevance to patients with AIDS is superimposed pulmonary infection, which could be life threatening in the seriously immonocompromised patient. (Tashkin , 2001)
Lastly, Multiple Sclerosis is an immune system disease characterized by nerve damage. There is evidence that shows that medical marijuana can actually cause more fatigue. “Cannabis users performed significantly more poorly than nonusers on measures of information processing speed, working memory, executive functions, and visuospatial perception. (Feinstein, 2011)” This is concerning when most patients need to be able to function to work, grocery shop, go to appointments, ect. and marijuana causes impairment.
There are so much disease in the United States and it is not unrealistic for patients wanting to find ways to help with their symptoms. Marijuana is all natural and simply leaves of a hemp plant which has grown for centuries. The question is, is it the right treatment for symptoms? From a medical standpoint, medical marijuana is still very unclear. Economy Effects
Medical Marijuana is not good for the economy.
Considering that marijuana is a controlled substance, once it were legalized there is potential for other harmful things to be legalized as well. Major concerns on the economy are recreational use, children, negative effects, productivity, and health insurance.
Four states already allow adults to smoke pot for recreation use which means that the more it is legalized medically the more it will become recreationally okay as well. Not to mention, it can cause more crime, treatment, and addiction.
Also, children will not know the difference and it sets a bad example for our future. “The national monitoring the future study has consistently shown that roughly 80% of 12th graders, 70% of 10th graders, and 40% of 8th graders in the United States report that marijuana is either “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain (American, 2014)”
There are negative effects of marijuana which is why it was considered an illegal drug in the first place. “Long-term use has been associated with increased cardiovascular events, addiction, mental health disorders, and respiratory disorders similar to those associated with tobacco smoking (Marcoux, 2013).” Tobacco use has been legal for anyone over the age of 18 however today there are less and less users because of the side effects of pollution and
cancers.
Productivity loss in jobs becomes a concern. Many jobs require drug testing and even a drug free workplace which goes against those who will be using medical marijuana. Something that effects jobs is going to effect the economy when people are out of work. This can trickle into the pharmaceutical jobs as well since people may not be using prescriptions as much if they are treating themselves with medical marijuana instead.
With all of the issues in healthcare today including the Affordable Care Act, we really do not need to add more costs to healthcare. Medical marijuana may cause a need for more treatment and addiction centers, more emergency visits, more follow up visits, and even more costs associated with crime. Deductible and insurances are already skyrocketing. If medical marijuana were covered through insurance it may make those numbers rise even more.

Legalization Guidelines
Currently, 28 states have legalized medical marijuana and they all have very different guidelines on how patients can obtain and use the marijuana.
For instance, Arizona “Requires the Arizona Department of Health Services to establish a registration and renewal application system for patients and nonprofit dispensaries. (Procon, 2017).” They must also pay a $150 mandatory registration fee. They track registrations online. This sets a good example in order to be able to track and monitor all medical marijuana usage.
However, in the state of California registration is voluntary and “Removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a "written or oral recommendation" from their physician that he or she "would benefit from medical marijuana (Procon, 2017).” This is concerning because anyone would be allowed to say that their physician recommended it with no recourse. It is important to be able to see who is using it and for what purpose in order to continue research and see if it is effective for certain diseases.
In Minnesota, smoking marijuana is not allowed but they can use it in oil, pill, and vaporized methods. This decreases the cost but may not be as effective anyway. It is helpful to keep it off the streets because the most popular form of marijuana use is smoking. Most approved conditions for being able to use medical marijuana include, “cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Tourette's syndrome, ALS, seizures/epilepsy, severe and persistent muscle spasms/MS, Crohn's disease, terminal illness with a life expectancy of under one year (Procon, 2017).”
With so many different guidelines it is no wonder that four states have already approved it for recreational use including Arizona, California, Maine, and Massachusetts. It would be very hard to make rules and regulations at this point when so many people have even more access to it.