Pros of Legalizing Marijuana
Marijuana: Should it be Legal?
Kizzy Richardson
BCOM 275
July 17, 2011
LaRhonda Jones
Marijuana: Should it be Legal?
Marijuana has been noted to be the most valuable herb for centuries. The medical use of cannabis dates back to 2700 B.C. with the father of Chinese medicine, Shen Nung. Sir Russell Reynolds, the private physician to Queen Victoria, prescribed marijuana for menstrual cramps and wrote the first issue of The Lancelot stating, “When pure and administered carefully, it is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.”
Many hazardous effects caused the Drug Enforcement Administration to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug. This means that it has the highest potential to be abused and no accepted medical use. Advocates have been struggling with the courts to reclassify marijuana so that it can be sold as a prescription (Treaster, 1991). Right now, there are at least three medical uses of marijuana. The use of medical marijuana could treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, it can be used to treat spasticity and tremors in Multiple Sclerosis patients, and the most common use occurs in patients who have Glaucoma.
An article written in the New York Times stated that nearly half of the cancer specialist responding to a survey agreed that they would prescribe marijuana for medical purposes if it were legal and despite the fact it was illegal had already suggested it to their patients (Treaster, 1991). According to the survery that was mailed to the 2,430 American Society of Clinical Oncology members, the response rate was 1,035 and of those, 44% said they recommended the illegal use of marijuana and 48% stated they would prescribe marijuana if it were legal (Doblin & Kleiman, 1991).
It has been a long known fact that marijuana can relieve nausea. Management of nausea and vomiting is very important factor for cancer patients. Anticancer drugs affect the part of the brain that causes nausea and vomiting and even though
Kizzy Richardson
BCOM 275
July 17, 2011
LaRhonda Jones
Marijuana: Should it be Legal?
Marijuana has been noted to be the most valuable herb for centuries. The medical use of cannabis dates back to 2700 B.C. with the father of Chinese medicine, Shen Nung. Sir Russell Reynolds, the private physician to Queen Victoria, prescribed marijuana for menstrual cramps and wrote the first issue of The Lancelot stating, “When pure and administered carefully, it is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.”
Many hazardous effects caused the Drug Enforcement Administration to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug. This means that it has the highest potential to be abused and no accepted medical use. Advocates have been struggling with the courts to reclassify marijuana so that it can be sold as a prescription (Treaster, 1991). Right now, there are at least three medical uses of marijuana. The use of medical marijuana could treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, it can be used to treat spasticity and tremors in Multiple Sclerosis patients, and the most common use occurs in patients who have Glaucoma.
An article written in the New York Times stated that nearly half of the cancer specialist responding to a survey agreed that they would prescribe marijuana for medical purposes if it were legal and despite the fact it was illegal had already suggested it to their patients (Treaster, 1991). According to the survery that was mailed to the 2,430 American Society of Clinical Oncology members, the response rate was 1,035 and of those, 44% said they recommended the illegal use of marijuana and 48% stated they would prescribe marijuana if it were legal (Doblin & Kleiman, 1991).
It has been a long known fact that marijuana can relieve nausea. Management of nausea and vomiting is very important factor for cancer patients. Anticancer drugs affect the part of the brain that causes nausea and vomiting and even though
References: Americans for Safe Access. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2011, from Multiple Sclerosis and Medical Cannabis: www.safeaccessnow.org Cannabis Medical Dictionary. (2008, July 11). Retrieved July 13, 2011, from CannabisMD.net: www.cannabismd.net/glaucoma Clark, D. (2009, February 18). Geek Politics. Retrieved July 13, 2011, from Legalize Marijuana, End Budget Crisis: www.geekpolitics.com/legalize-marijuana Doblin, R. E., & Kleiman, M. A. (1991). Marijuana as Antiemetic Medicine: A Survey of Oncologists ' Experiences and Attitudes Georgia Department of Corrections. (2011, July 9). Retrieved July 9, 2011, from Georgia Department of Corrections Offender Statistics: www.dcor.state.ga.us/GDC/OffenderStatistics Medical Marijuana and Glaucoma Treatment, Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2011, from Pain Management of America: www.medicalmarijuana.net/uses-and- National Institutes of Health. (2000, December 12). Retrieved June 24, 2011, from National Cancer Institute: www.cancer.gov Treaster, J. B. (1991, May 01). Doctors in Survey Support Marijuana Use by Cancer Patients. New York Times .