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Medical Marijuana: Scourge or Savior

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Medical Marijuana: Scourge or Savior
Medical Marijuana: Scourge or Savior
May 15, 2012

Medical Marijuana: Scourge or Savior

In the United States and many other countries around the world Marijuana (the plants cannabis sativa or cannabis indica) is considered an illicit drug. In the North America, marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC, its variants and synthetics) have been classified in the DEA’s schedule I drug class, under the Control Substances Act of 1970, which includes many other substances such as heroin, LSD, mescaline and MDMA (Ecstasy). According to US Department Of Justice DEA Office Of Diversion Control (2012), " Substances in this schedule have a high potential for abuse, have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” Despite its tenuous reputation as a substance that causes everything from mania to murder, modern research has shown marijuana to be benign if ingested properly, and moreover, actually beneficial in many ways. Medical Marijuana and its derivatives have been demonstrated to be safe and effective treatments for a wide variety of medical conditions and diseases, hence does not fit the DEA’s schedule 1 guidelines.
Ancient History of Marijuana
Marijuana has been cultivated for thousands of years as hemp. Cannabis plants possess several properties which make the fibers produced from the plant (hemp) suitable for producing cloth and rope. Evidence of the utilization of hemp for just this purpose was discovered in a site in Taiwan dating back to the Stone Age (Wright, 2011). Records of the use of marijuana specifically for its medicinal properties have been found dating to back close to 5000 years. According to Chinese legend, the emperor Chen Nung discovered marijuana’s healing properties around 2700 B.C. His pharmacopeia, thought to be the oldest pharmacopeia on record, suggests the use of marijuana for over 100 ailments


References: Carter, G.T. (2008). CannabisMD. Retrieved from http://www.cannabismd.net/endocannabinoids/ Cohen, P., (2009). Medical Marijuana: The Conflict Between Scientific Evidence And Political Ideology Guither, P. (2012). Drug War Rant. Retrieved from http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/ Gumbiner, J. (2010). Psychology Today: Here to Help. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teenage-mind/201012/is-marijuana-addictive Kirshheimer, S. (2003). WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental- health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain Paulozzi, L.J. (2008). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2008/03/t20080312b.html Stack, P. (2009). Time health. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931247,00.html Strescino, P. (2010). The Pueblo Cheiftan. Retrieved from http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_ba21ef7e-3563-11df-9d83-001cc4c002e0.html The National Academies Press. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9586&page=14 US Department of Justice DEA Office of Diversion Control. (2012). Retrieved from http://deadiversion.usdoj.gov Wright, J. (2011, November). A history of cannabis, from 'marijuana ' to 'dope '. British Journal of School Nursing, 6(9), 460-461
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